COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1807, 21 July 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. A «ilo of Wellington Woollen (ordinary) aA &5 13s- 6d- ™.s t.he only transaction recorded 011 Saturday. Tho quotations wore as under:— \

AMKHICAX MEAT PACKERS. An i>ico. (is t'> tlm fiwini'i.'il pruepcritv of 1.1i,i lnHii?ntl:il AwHfnn ■ i - d.«']ui)tr wlioeo objective is the capuu-e ol tie moat

trado of the world is afforded by a, summarised statement of the operations of the four principal companies concerned which lies been compiled by tlio London trado journal "leo ond Oold Storage." Tho figures indicate that tile turnover of tho companies, which comprise Messrs. Armour and Co., Messrs. Swift and Co., Messrs. Morris and Co., and the Cirdahy Packing Co.. was in. the aggregate no Ices than £170,000,000 during last year. Tho proportional contributions to that total are set out thus Swift, £60,000, COO; Armour, £57,000,C00; Morns, £35,000,000; and Cudnhy, £18,000,000. The earnings of tho members of the group, out of which dividends for tho year were drawn, were on a. correspondingly considerable scale. Swift and Co. paid out 11 per cent., which absorbed £1,650,000; Armour and Co.. 28.5 por cent., which accounted for £1,140,330; Morris and Co., 60.4 per cent-., requiring £362,530; and tho Ondaliy Packing Co.. 10 per ccnt., or £225,553, the lost-mentioned disbursement being made after provision had been allowed for the payment of 6 por cent, oil preferred stock. Tho statistics are pijoof of tho formidable nature of tho combination-. and demonstrate also tho difficulty thait would confront any opposition organisation which -sou*ht_ to defeat its purposes without legislative aid. NEW ZEALAND STATISTICS. The profits of tho State Biro Insurance Office for 1912, after adding £2654 4s. 7d. to reserve for unearned premiums, amounts ed to £14,023 12s. 9d„ as compared with £6391 9s. lid. for 1911, and £8487 13s. for 1910. The balance-sheet of the State Firo Offico for 1912 shows that the incomo from aIL sources amoimted to £56,314 19s. 5d.; the net premium incomo for t-ho year was £54,380 2s. 7d., as against £47,744 lie. for 1911. Tho net losses wero £25,111 9s. 5d., the ratio of losses to -premium income bring 45.17. The ratio of working expenses to premium incomo was 26.7. The reserve, fund of tile office stands at £48,213 7s. 2d. Tho Government Accident Insurance Department in 1912 had a premium inoome of £25,513; t-iie claims amounted to £12,016. The total of expenses was £7269, equal to 30.9 per cent, of tho premium income. During tho year ended March 31, 1913, tho New Zealand Government paid for tho inland mail services £81,709 ss. 4d„ ,of which. £18,449 2e. 6d. waa spent in the Auckland postal district, £9887 3s. lOd. in Wellington, £6540 6s. in Christohurch, and £7321 3s. in Dirnedin. The securities standing in tho name of the Postmaster-General on account of tho Post Office Savings Bank fund on December 31. 1912, were of a faco value of £16,335,421 lis. 2d„ and cost tho Department £16,301,669 19s. 7d., and tho interest accrued on that dato totalled £180,063 13s. 7d. The New Zealand National Provident Fund had on December 31, 1912, the eJcoud year of operations, 2660 contributors with an annual contribution of £11,726 13s„ ma-k----ing the average weekly contribution! per member Is. Bd. The amount of tluj fund at the close of the/year was £10,038 Bs. sd. The State contributed £1388 17s. Id. to the fund. The not cost of the Government Yaluation of Land Department for the year ended March 31, 1913, mm £11,971. The Department received £14,998 4s. Bd. for valuers' reports, and 'the contributions from local authorities totalled £4271 lis. 7d. For the purposes of the Public Debt' Extinction Act, 1910. tli3 public debt of New Zealand is taken at £68,000,000, ajid tho sum required to bo invested each year at compound interest at 4 per cent, per annum, which would .in 75 years extinguish the , debt, is £151,572. According to a statement of tho business transacted under the New Zealand Land Transfer Act during the year ended March 31, 1913, the area of town- and suburban land transferred was 7470J acres, ajid of country land 2,516,8215 acres, t-lie tion money on the total area amounted to £17,325,729 16s. 6d. The mortgagee registered in New Zealand during the year ended March 31, 1913, totalled £18,643,708 95... and the amount of mortgagee paid off during the samo period was £10,965,597 14s. Bd. The total amount of tho registered mortgages on March 31, 1913, was £97,816,375 4s. 2d., against £90,1.38,2« 9«. 10d. in 1912, and £83,536,631 43. 3d. in 1911. On Marc-h 31, 1913, tho total amount of the mortgages registered in the Wellington district was £26.570,467 12s. 6d., in Canterbury £20.626.401 Bs., in Auckland £13,956,235 2s. 2d., Hawke'fi Bay £9,690,147 9s. l(Jd., and Otago £5,690,644. At all the post office savings banks in the poeial districts of -New Zealand during 1912, the deposits exceeded the withdra;rals, except -in three districts. In Greymouth tho withdrawals exceeded the deposits by £24,771 Is. Bd.. in Hokitika by £1469 2s. 2d..- and in the Thames by £11,555 13s. lid. Tho -strike of miners at Waihi and Heeft-on probably accounts for this. Since tho opening of tho Now Zealand Pnct Office -Savings Ban.ks on February 1, 1867, to tho close of 1912, there were only sax years when t-lie aggregate withdrawals exceeded tho deposits. In 1875 this excess amounted to £72,106, in t-lie following year it- was £32,145. Two years of prosperity followed, and in 1879 tho excess of withdrawals was £63.781. In 1883 the excess was £117,245, .in 18E6 it was £87.882, and In 1894 it was £15,762. F.inco 1894 tho deposits have increased rapidly. ODSTOMS. Customs dutios collected at the port of Wellington oil, Saturday totalled £397 6s. 5d., tho amount for tho -week being £13,709 1 4s. 2d. Tho returns for each of the past 'eight, weeko. compared with the figures for tho corresponding period of the previous year, show as undor:—

The boor duty collected for tho. past Track was £114 lis. 6d., as against £242 6s. for the corresponding week of laet year. , OAMARU MAIUCETS. (By Telegraph.—Press Asoooiation.) Oamaru, July 20. There has been a little moro inquiry for wheat, but priccs remain at the samo level. Holders show no dispooition to cell, and others do not caio to increa-so their prices. A lino of ICCO sacks of velvet was bought at country stations, le?6 commission, and small parcels at 3s. lid. not. Bed chaff has sold at 35., and Bordier at 3s. 4d. Solid straw Tusoaji, 3s. 4£d., 3s. 5d., and 3e. s£d., nil not at country stations. Tho transactions in oate have been in small compass. For "A" Cartons 2s. ljd. and 2s. 2d. is offered, and for "B" grade 2s. Id.; Algerians 26., Black Tartae 25., all net at country stations. Holders of potatoes horn for better things, but merchants are dubious, and the same unsatisfactory conditions prevail. Sales have been, ma-de during the week at £3 on trucks {sacks in), but ono sale was made at £2 15s. net (sacks in). FROZEN MEAT. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Bee. July 20, 5.5 p.m.) London, July 19. Tho Incorporated Society of Meat Import* era' Smithfleld market quotations lor tho undermentioned clnsees of frozen meat are based on actual sales of not loss than one hundred carcneeos of mutton or lamb, or twenty-live quarters of boef of fair average quality. The quotations are not for selected lines, but for parcels fairly representative of the bulk of tho shipments now i>n tho market. The prices which follow are on the average a farthing per lb. moro Hum tho values ex ship, this difference representing tho averago cost in expense, handling, conveyance, and soJJins the meat:—

LONDON MARKETS. Mewra. Dalgety and Company, Limited, Wellington, have received cabled information from tlioir London office, dated July 17 as follows Frozen meat: Market quiet, and prices unchanged. l'allow: Mutton is 3d. per cwt. higlior. For o('k :- descriptions, any change dn priccs is in favour of lm>yws.

Buyers. Sellers. £ 5. d. £ s. d. Bank Now Zealand — 10 17 6 Metropolitan Building ... - 12 7 '6 N.Z. and ltiver Plato 2 0 0 — Well. Investment 0 11 10 0 12 0 Well. Trust and Loan ... 7 1 0 — Well. Deposit 0 6 0 — ChriMchurcli Gas 7 7 6 — Napier Gas (£5) 8 0 0 — Well., Gas (£10) 16 3 9 - Well. Gas (preference) ... 0 19 6 10 0 National Insurance ..., 2 4 9 — Standard Insurance 110 9 — Cliristchuroli Meat 15 4 0 — Gear .Meat {£11 3 4 0 — Meat Kxport (52s. 6(1.) 3 0 0 — N.Z. Shipping 16 0 0 — Taupiri Coal — 116 Westport Coal 17 6 Wostport-vStockton 0 4 0 — Golden Bay Cement — 10 0 Manning awl Co 4 3 0 _ KWi.rland'c jirct'croncc ... — 119 Ward and Co. 5 2 0 — W.l'.C.A. (£1) .. - 10 3

1913. 1912. £ £ May 31 13.813 10,224 Juno 7 14,831 15,664 Juno 14 21.390 10.971 June 21 10,829 21,732 June 28 20,442 12,150 . July 5 9,614 10,382 July 12 22,236 22,931 July 19 13,709 9,067 126,864 113,121 Tt.n t.noT* rinttr /.MlnMnrl fnr t.lin Til cf

'> July 12. July 19. Mutton— d. d. Canterbury, light.' 4* 4 3-8 Canterbury, medium 4 3-8 4 3-8 Canterbury, hoa-vy 4| 4ft Southland * * North Island, beet 4i 4i North Island, ordinary ... 43-16 4 3-16 Australian, light 32 33 Australian, heavy * • River Plate, light • ' * River Plate, heavy 4$ 4ft New Zealand ewes 315-16 33 Australian cww 3 311-16 River Plate> ewes 33 311-16 LambCanterbury, light 53 5 11-16 Canterbury, medium ...... 5ft 5JCanterbury, heavy 43 43 Southland 5 3-8 5i North Island, ordinary 5J 5J North Island, seleoted... 53-8 55-16 Australian, lH?et * * Australian, fair * * Australian, inferior • * River Plate, first * * River Plate, second • * Beef— New Zealand, ox fores ... 3A 35 New Zealand, ox hinds ... 4i 4A Australian, ox fores .... 3 3-16 3J Australian', ox hinds 4 3£ River Plato, frozen fores 31-16 31-16 River Plate, frozen hinds 4h River Plate, chilled fores 3& 3*River Plate; chilled hinds 5i 5J ♦None offering.