COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1774, 12 June 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. The fdes recorded yesterday were National Bank. old. at £5 So'.; X.Z. and River Plate, at 395. 9d.; and Taringamutu lotara Sawmills, .at 435. The quotations were as under:— r»uyers. Sellers. £ e. d. ;R <?. rl. National Mortgage - J Ijj ® N.Z. Loan and ifer. (prot.) 96 0 0 99 .0 0 N.Z. and River Plate 1 19 9 ~ Well. Trust arid Loan 7 3 0 — Christchurch Gas .7 11 0 -7 Well. Gas (£10) 16 0 0 If 5 0 N.Z. Insurance 5 3 0 5 3 9 Standard Jnsuranco 11® J 111 0 Christdlu'rch Meat 1510 0 -- Meat Export (£4) - 5 0# Union Steam 2 16 2 2 0 Mosgicl Woollen 3 12 0 Wostport Coal t 6 9 Taringamutu Totara 2 * 6 Golden Bay Cement — J £ J Sharland's preference .... • • 1 z 0 Ward and Co 5 10 EIGHT MONTHS' EXPORTS. The values of the principal products axported during each of the eight months ended May 31, compared with the fienrc3 for the corresponding month# of the previous year as October 953.202 614.C07 November ......... 1.148.094 1.146....3 December 1,704,810 1.285.122 JtiTliinrv 826.257 2,59n,165 February 3,629.755 2.984,753 March ' 2,527.987 2,465,077 April 2,362.445 1.999.E08 Hay 2,050.220 2,373,802 £17,202,800 £15,359,237 On the eight month? there is a coin of £1.843,563, and if tlio figures for the next four months are normal the exports for the year should bo about £22,C00,C00 BRITISH TRADE RETURNS. The British trade returns for the first fivo months of tho.. year, compared with thh figures for the corresponding iuonth6 of last year, show as under.— IMPORTS. 1912. 1913. January 60.092.582 71.371.123 February 59,719,722 61,796.373 March 61,192.589 61.112.0:8 April 60,415.114 62,965,313 May 55,130,632 61,341',920 296,550,639 318,588,151 For the five months thero is a, gain of £22 037,512, over the corresponding period of 1912. while in 1912 there was a gain over 1911 of £20,292,459. EXPORTS OF U.K. MERCHANDISE. January 40,416,812 45,445,699 February ' 37,490,329 40.172,753 March 40.713.971, 39.737,995 ■ April 32,887,127 43,052,589 May 38,832,475 43,858,262 190,340,714 212,267,298 The exports show an increase of £21.935,5E4. The values of the exports for the eorresponding period of 1911 were £187,555,147, and for 1910 £169,786,069, so .that in three years the exports have increased by the substantial sum of £42,481,229. RE-EXPORTS. January 9,594,626 10,705,961 February 10,724.619 10,746,251 March 10,866,706 9,633,223 April — 10.084.058 10.060,720 Jfay 10,825,163 9,370,315 52,095,172 50,516,470 There is yet no indication of declining trade, but it is difficult to say how much of the increases noted are due to higher priccs, antl how much to expansion in volume. NORTHERN ASSURANCE. The report of tho Northern Assurance Company, Ltd., for the year 1912, presented at the annual general meeting in Aberdeen on May 7, states that tho premiums received last year in the fire department, amounted to £1,244,464, ail (increase of £1489. The lotscs incurred amounted lo £659,788. or 53 per ccnt. of the premiums. The general average of the experience of tho company from the beginning is now 57.5 per cent., or, including its provision for lories on current risks. 59.4 per cent. The expenses of management, (including commission lo agents and charges of every kind! came to £468/06. or 37.7 per rent, of the premiums, a ratio slightly higher than that of the previous year. The result is that, after charging the account. with £622.232. being 50 per cent, of the premiums of the year, and crediting it with £621.437, the amount similarly charged' in 1911. there remains a credit balance of £115,526. This sum, together with the interest earned by the Tire fund. £67.016, liar, been transferred to tile profit, and loss account. TRUST AND AGENCY OF AUSTRALASIA.

The report cl the Tru:t and Agency Company of Australasia, Ltd.. for 191" ftntci flint, after payment of managemont oliarßcs. taxes, interest on debentures and debenture stock, and interest on ordiinry cspital Mid in advance of mils, the revenue account, inclusive of £2C36 brmiirlit forward, shows a credit balance of £72.1f5. Of this amount £<;5,97J lias been paid in dividrud on preference capital and £3231 for interim dividend on the ordinary cnnltal. Dealing witli the balance available, t.he directors have transferred £12,f.C0 to re-nrve fund, rnieinc that fund ta £137,C00, and they further recommend payment (free of income-taxi of a. divide-il l for the half-year ended December last- of Is. :Sd. per share, making v.itli the interim dividend paid in November n total distribution for the year 1912 of 2s. £d. per share, or 12i per cent, A balance o r £2101 will remain to bo carried forward. Tile new ordinary <in<l preference shores, in nil £250,fOO. issued in July last, were fully suh-. scribed Olid the several instalments have been sinea received. It is considered advisable that the ICO.COO preference shares of eaeli of the compel!:." should be converted into preference r-tock, and o resolution aulhorisiutr tbo directors to do this will be moved at the central meetin". FIXANCIAti CAIiiiKORAIIS. By Tclegraph-l'rcss AESociation-CopjTiEht London, Juno 10. Yesterday's closing Quotations wero aft follow:— ... Bank of Australasia, buyers £111. sellers £115. Bank of New South VTalcs, buyers £38, sellers £40. Bank of Victoria, buyers £4, sellers £4 IfoUnion Bank of Australia, buyer? ,£55, sellers £57. Notional Bank of Australasia, buyers £5, sellers £.i 11i : . National Bank o[ Xew Zealand, hovers £<t Ift=. Cil.. ••ellers £5 2?. 6d. Bunk of Now Zealand, tellers £!1 12s. N.m. I,nnn and Mercantile Aceuey 4 per cent, dehenturos, £34 10a.

City of Melbourne. 4 ror cent, deben'"Mbournc Harbour Trust. 4 per cent. d«. ''"lclVwurno'S'rn-miTir Trust. 45 per cent, debentures. £100. ilelbonrne and Metropolitan p°ard ot Wnrhs 4 ner cent, debentures, £96. Australian Mercantile debentures, £93 ICs. Dutecty oJid Co.. 4 per cent, debentures. and Co.'s shares, buyers £6. eoUCl Mclboiirnc O-m Co's debentures. £99. City of .Sydney, £99. , (lolrtsbruugh, llort and Co.'s debenture*. £96 10s. WHEAT. London, June It).' Official (inotatioiis f:ir wheat South Anstrnlion. Xeiv HanMi Wnlr.'. anil Victorian, for prompt delivery. 6(i.: on pa.-t-_oge, 38-- 4t(l. Liverpool fulurcs, 89} rente; July, 89».' " corn-;!;. London, June 10. American copper flocks total 67.474.CC0 poundf. fiILVEH. London, Juno 10. Ihr silver is nuoted at 27Jd. per ounce standard. TOE MliTAIi MARKETS. .(Ecc. Juno 11, 10.15 p.m.) London, June 11. Copper, £65 7c. 6d. to £65 ss. per ton. Electrolytic. £70 per ton. Tin, £205 ICs. to £205 pel' ton. Pis-iron. sfc. per ton.