COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1670, 10 February 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT. SHAKES, '.. ~- A .?.ile of Wcstport Coal ehares" at 275. M. was the only transaction recorded on Saturday. The (juotatioiw were as'iinderi Biiyere. Sellers. Bank New Zealand — 11 5 6 National UaulC 6 0 6 6 10 K.'6. . a,ud ltiver" Plate ... — 2 0 6 Well. Trust aiirt Loan ... — 7 4 0 Chriitchurch Meat 15 0 0 — in'.Kl. Milppiug 14 10 0. - Union Steam 2 7 6 ,- Well. Woollen (ord.) ....... — ... 315 6 l'aupiri Can ; 12 6 — Wcetnort Coal ; — 18 0 Tanng.'imutu Totara 2 4 0 Golden Bay' Cement — 10 6 N.Z. Drug '. _ 2 10 0 Portland Cement ... — '10 0 W.P.C.A, (£1) _.-■ {go

WELLINGTON GAS COMPANY. : The report and balance-sheet of'the Wcl- ! lington Gas Company, Ltd., have been cir- ' ciliated. In.their report, the directors ■ state:—During the year- five miles 34 I chains.of new mains were laid and 670 new i services fixed, whilst over 800 gas-'cookers , were sold and fixed in the company's dls- , trict. Gas was first made at Miramar on July 20, and the now works have proved ' quite Eatisfactory. The old plant has been - maintained in fair order, and the sum of £6264 has been expended out of revenue i on extensions and repairs. On Juno 14 last, £50,C00 debentures. matured and were' duly paid off. and tho property of the company is now unencumbered bv any , mortgage debt. Out of the 75,000. £1 o per ' cent, prefcrenco chares .authorised, 72,<C1 were issued, and tho directors have agreed ; to issuo 577 more to omployces at-par. ! Half-yearly dividends on preference shares ' were paid in June and December, and an \ interim 5 per cont. dividond on ordinary ( ehares was paid on the called-up capital in August, and a similar dividend is now ■ recommended. -' -..',. The revenue from Hales of gait pro- , ducts, goods, fittings, etc.. totalled £97,123 ' 16s. 8d„ and thero was brought forward : from tho . previous ' year £21,268 6s. 2d., • making a total of £118.393 2s. lCd. The ex- • fieneoa under all heads, and thoso arc i limped together in the balance-sheet, , amounted to £66,736 10s. 5d.; there has been ' added to the worka extension reserve £6CCO, retorts setting and • renewals account £1250, / and the dividends paid on preference shares • find the interim dividend on ordinary' shares absorbed £13,123 2s. lCd., leaving £32,220 9s. 7d. After payment o! the 5 per cent.' dividend, now declared, thero will remain. '£20,991 lis. 7d. to be carried forward. , .;■ - .-'.CUSTOMS. . Customs duties collected at tho port of Wellington on Saturday amounted to £2146 45.'7 d., the total for the week being £25,2,62 7s.' lid. Tho returns, for each of tho past eight weeks, compared with tho figurco ; for the corresponding periods of tho previous • year, show . a-s under :—., . ','■ 1912-13, 1911-12.- - ' £ £ December 21 "26.601 15,579' December 28 ..: > 5,968 12,535 January 4 18,051 15,434 January 11 ....:... 20,057 , 24.024 January 18 21,491 13,£07 January 25 -28,191, 23,468 February 1 13,912 , 12,125 February 8 ......'.,:..../... 22,262 '. 24,751. •' '£156,433 £141,723 The beer duty collected for tho past week totalled £220 B3„ oa against £222 6s. . for tho corresponding week of last year. 'feilding- MARKET.'■BEPORT. ■'.'■'' Messrs. A. H. Atkinson- and Co., Ltd., report very small entries of both pigs and poultry owing .'to show.week. A good supply of fruit was marketed, prices running as quoted:—Pigs: Slipv to Bs., ',6a;- 6d., 95.; stores, 135., 253.; porkers! 21s. 3d., 315.; purebred Berkshire boar, >£2. Poultry:. Old hens arid cockerels, to 2s. 9d. Produce; Potatoes, Ea. to 9s. cwt.; peaches,. 3s. 6d. to <s. 6d.; pears, 2s. to 45.; apples, cooking, Is. 6d, to 25.; plums, Is. 6d. to 35.; all at per half-ease. ■ Jta-srs. Dalgety and Co., Ltd., report as follows on their usual fortnightly sales at Wanganul and Waverley 03 February 5 and 7 respectively:—At'Wansanui wo had a fair-yarding, comprising 41C0 sheep and 120 head cattle. Tho demand all round was dull. Tho bull; of tho sheep yarded-conr-isted>'of.»bld-owos. Wo< quote :—Sheep: Medium ini lan-.bs, lis.; two-tooth wethcra, (OTiall), 125.; two-tooth ewes, 14s. Id.; mixed,two-tooths,.lis, M.rlamb«, 6s. 6d.>tO' 6s. lCd.; small woolly lambs. Js. 6d.; cull lambs. Is. 10d.; four and. five-year owes, 10s. lOd. to 125.. 3d.; f.m. ewes, :75,.'4d.r,;85„ to Bs. Id.; aged.rams, 175.; old'owes, 4s: 3d. Cattle: Light- tot'.bullocks, £7 lfs.; two-vcar eteers, £4 165.; cighteenrmontha. to two-year steers, £3 7b. to £3 13s.;'weancr;heifers. 325. 6d.; yearling ditto. £2; year-, ling to eightecn-months ditto,- £3 10s.; old, cows, in" milk, £4. £4, 7s. 6d„ to £4. 175.; cows and ralve.?, £3 17s. At Waverley we vaTdcd IC-90 sheep' apil 100 head cattle. Competition at this sale was keen, practically the wholo yarding being quitted at satisfactory pric?s„ We o.uotc: Sheep:S.m. ewes, Bs. <d.; lb re:, 'fovrr, .and five-year ewes'(bush), lis. 9(1, to 12s. Id.; f.m. ewes, 7s'. 2(1.; mixed two-tooth (Down cross). 13s. Cattle: Forward empty cows. £4 IB?.; dairy cows, £7 10s. to £8; heifers in'calf, £4 55.; cightcen-months steers, £3 12s. 6d. FROZEN MEAT. By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright (Hcc. February 9, 5.5 p.m.) • London, February 8. [ The Incorporated Society of Meat Import- >, ors' Sraithflcld market quotations for the undermentioned classes of frozen meat are based on actual sales of not less.than one hundred.carcasses of mutton or lamb, or twenty-flvo quarter's of beef, of fair over- - aio l quality. Tho quotations aro selected lines, but for parcels fairly representative of the bulk of tho shipments now on tho market. Tho prices which follow are on tho average a farthing per lb. moro than,tic values ox ship, this difference representing the average.cost in expense, handling, conveyance,, and . selUng tho moat '~ . Feb. 11 Fob. 8. Mutton— d- ; ' d- . Canterbury, light • • * Canterbury, medium ...... • * . •■' Canterbury, heavy Southland •'••'* North Island, h05t'..i...... 43 ■ 43 North Island, ordinary... * 43 Australian, light .4 4 Australian, heavy 31 31 Hivor Plate, licrht * . River Plate, heavy 4,3-8 43-8 Now Zealand owes * ' Australian owes ...! 39-16 34 ._-. River Plato owes , Lamb—. Canterbury, light 53 ' 63 Canterbury, medium Canterbury, heavy • ■ ■• ' . i Southland i •-.'.» North Island, ordinary ... * i North Island, selected ... * . * ' Australian, best ....'. 57-16 51 Australian, fair M sft - Australian, inferior ' 43 43 River Plato, first • • River Plato, second * l Beef-' ; New Zealand, ox fores ... '3j| 3J L New Zealand, ox hinds ... 3J 33 [• Australian, ox fores 31-16 31-16 . Australian, ox hinds ...,3-3-8 3 3-8 River Plate, frozen fores 3 ' , 3 River Plate, frozen hiiids 31 31 1 River Plate, chilled fores 3i< 33-8 '• River Plate, chilled hinds 4 3-8 43-8 ' 'None offering, .'i I Rabbits are euiet and unchanged. > ■' BRITISH TRADE RETURNS. London, February 7. ' Tho Board of Trade returns for January ' Show that imoorts increased by £4,278,541, I exports by £5,028,887, and .re-exports by £1,111,335.