COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1717, 7 April 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES A sale of National Haul; old flmrcs at £5 \va? (lit" only transaction rceovilotl .on Saturday. The ([notations were os umlcr:—

ARGENTINE SHIPMENTS. The Department of Agriculture, Industries, and Commerce lias received tlio following cable mcdcagc from Buenos Ayres, dated April 4-.— The following shipments of produce wore dispatched from tho Argentine to tho Cnited Kingdom during 'Jlarcli, 1913 (compared -with -March, 1912):— ion lorn

DAIRY PKODUCE. Messrs, Weddcl and Co., in their dairy produce circular, make tho following remarks Butter.—The cold weather experienced! recently lias put tone into the market, nnd the demand for all qualities of Australasian butter has improved, though the inquiry is strongest for very best qualities. Tho demand for un-a'lted is greater than for salted; but 6trictly "choicest" quality of .malted also meets an excellent inquiry. "Choicest" Victorian, Now South Wales, j and Queensland salted butters are making | 108s. at 112s. per cwt. Second .grade saltr I ed of the above varieties is making from 102s. to 10&*., of which quality there is a I large supply. Now Zealand "choicest" salted brings 114s. to 118s. .per cwt., and second grade 108s. to 112s. Unsaltcd butall tho above kinds still maintains a, premium of 2s. to 4<s. over salted, and if the rnifaltod be also without preservative it finds a specially strong market on the Continent where' 1225. has been paid for this variety. The improvement in the market for Australian and Now Zealand equally alFccts the foreign butters in our markets, and the Danish official quotation has been raised by 2 kroner to 111, against 113 last year at this date. Cheese.—There is a better tone in this market. The stock of Canadian in London is only £6.C00 boxes, which is the smallest by 19,000 boxes 'at- this dale for the previous six years, and 31,C00 below the average of that period. It is reported that the proportion of really choicest C.niiKliau in London is small. New Zealand arrivals are clearing satisfactorily, and there are no signs of accumulation tailing place. Prices of Canadian are 63t?. to 655. for ordinary quality, strictly choicest being Is. more. New Zealand has been raised 6cl. to li*. this week, and 60?. tn Gls. per cwt. is now the price for both : white and coloured. CUSTOMS. j Customs duties collected at tho port o! Wellington on Saturday totalled £1454 10s., 9d,. the amount for the week being i £16,sC-2 l<s. lCd. The returns for each of 1 the past eight weeks, compared with tht> figures for the corresponding period of the j previous year, show as under:— j

The beer duty collected for the past week totalled £2u9, as against £223 86. for tho week of last year. FEILDING MARKET REPORT, r Messrs. A. IT. Atkinson ami Co., Ltd., report that pigs arc filing at bet-tor valii&s, poultry c-till Kicks quality—mostly cull birds offering, well-grown coekorcls and pullets arc always wanted and command good prices. A largo quantity of Perennial -and Italian ryegrass, barley, and general produce lines were disposed of. Quotation^:—Weaner pigs., 5?., ss. 6(1., fa. to Bs.; light stores,'l4s. 6d., 16?.. 19s. to 2Cs.; heavy ami forward lot?. 245., 265., 27f>., 2B». :* aged horses, £2 lti>. Poultry, at per p:m*:-0)d hens, Is. 6(1., 2s. to 2s. 3d.; pullets. 3*. 6d. to te. 6d.; half-grown cockerels, Is. Oil. to 2s. 9c1.; roosters, 2<s. 6d.; ducks, 3s. 6d.; bantams. 2s. Gd. Plough, £4. Pig potatoes, 3s, 6;i. per bag; table, 9s. to onions, 9s. to 12s. per cwt.; sacks, 7s. per dozen: Italian ryegrass, 3s. 6(1. per bushel; Perennial, 2s. 9cl. to 35.; oats, os. 6d.; wheat. 4s. 6d.; barley, 3s. 6d.; bran. <s. 6d. per bag; quiuces, 9s. per cwt.; apples, Sj. to <«. 6d. per half-case; full oases, to ss. 3d.; tomatoes, Is. 6(1. 'to 2s. 6d.;' marrows, Gd. to 9d. each; piemclons, Cd.; cabbages, Id. to 2d.; clover hay, 3s. 3d.; chaff, 3s. 6d. per bag. GRAIN AND PRODUCE. ' (By Telegraph.—Press AecocUtion i Oamaru, April 6. The demand for wheat 1103 fallen off, owing to millers having supplied their requirements in the meantime, but prices arc well maintained. Velvet js still in most request, while Tuscan, of which thero scorns to be a largo quantity in South Canterbury, is in easy request. The net prices at country stations have been 3s. 9d. for velvet; red chaff, 3s. 7?»d. to 2*?. Bd.; red Tuscan, 3s. 7d. to 3s. 7£c!.: and solid straw Tuscan at en. GJd. and 3s. 7\. The business in oats has developed. Early in the week good-eized linos were bought at 2s. .Id. and 2s. .lid. net at country stations for A grade Gortons, but later in the week the figures reached 2s. 2d. On the same conditions. Algerians have been bought at ss. and 2s. Id. . There is no business in barley. Oatshcaf chaff sells at £3 7iet on trucks. Potatoes have experienced a further drop. Early in. the week business was dene at £4 12s. Cd. net on trucks, but later t2»3 ruling price was £4 lCs. This is owing to the paucity of orders. Apparently the future of the potato market depends to tome extent on the Australian market, but at present there is no inquiry from that quarter. LONDON MARKETS. By Telceranh—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. April 6, .5.5 p.m.) London, April 5. Copra.—The market is firm, and the offerings are small. South Sea, in bags. £23 15s. per ton. Cotton.—April-May shipment of American middling rotton is selling at 6.69 d. per lb. Ilemp.—The market is inactive. Febru-ary-April shipment, £34 per ton. Jute.—Native first marks, April ehipment. £28 ss. per ton. Pin.iboT I .—Vine hard Para rubber is quoted at. 3s. 5.7(1. per. lb. Kauri Gum.—The stock totals 168 cases. MESSRS. D. AND MURRAY. (Rec. April 6, 5.5 p.m.) London, April 5. Messrs. 1). and IV. Murray, Ltd., merchants and warehousemen, of London, Adelaide, Perth, etc., have declared a dividend of 5 per eont.

IJuycrs. Sellers. £ L". (1. £ *. d. Ikink Xciv Zealand 11 5 0 — .National Bank (ok!) 4 V) 0 — ■National Hank (new)- 4 14 0 — X.Z. Loau and Mercantile 0 10 0 —' X'/. ami ltiver l'lutc — 2 0 5 Weil, inveitmint 0 10 6 'Well. Trust, ami Loan ... — 7 2 6 Clii'istclmiTh CUis 7 5 0 Well. Gas (.€10) — 16 5 0 Well. Gas (pref.) : 10 3 10 9 ft.'/,, In«nranee 4 19 6 — CUrUtehuvoU Meat 15 6 6 Mospiel Woollen —. 312 0 WelJ. Woollen ford.) 3 11 6 Well. Woollen (pref.) — 2 16 3 Taupiri Coal — 13 6 Wcstport Coal 17 3 N.55. Drug x - 2 8 0 Sharlandu ordinary ... — 110 W.F.O.A. (£5) - 7 5 0

1913. 1912. Frozen beef, quarters 141,000, 179,000 Chilled beef, quarters 161,COO 202,COO Frozen mutton, earcaBSCs... 164,000 199.CM Frozcii lamb, carcasses ... 57,000 66,COO Uiuter, cwt 9,266 9,516

1913. 1912. £ £ Fohruarr 15 14/18 11.834 February 22 2o.(« 11.255 1 13,SCO 23,310 Marrh 8 25,516 10,978 ll.nvli 15 12.427 26,253 'March 22 18.610 9.293 Mavc.h 29 19,126 . 25,256 April" 5 16.402 18,597 ; . 158,C65 136,796