COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1820, 5 August 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. There wero no transactions in investment shares yesterday. ' Tho quotations were under:— Buyers. ' Sellers. £ 8. d. £ s. d B'ank Now Zealand 10 2 6 10 10 0 - National Bank 5 16. — Metropolitan Building ... — 12 6 6 N.Z. Loan and Merc. 0 10 4 — N.Z. and River Plate 2 0 0 2 0 6 Woliintrton Investment' ... — ! 011 8 Well. Trust and Loan ..... 7 10. — Chrdstclmrrah. Gas 7 2 6. — • TOliiiffto Gas (£10) ...... 1515 0 - National Insurance 2 6 3 — S,B, t liifcJuraiK;e ■ 3 15 3 — Christchurch Moat 15 3 6 — Gear Meat (£4) 12 8 0 - Gear Moat (£1) 3 4 0 — Meat Export {525. 6d.) ,3 2 6 — New Zealand Bhippij22;...Vis 15 0 i!'-16 2 6 Well. Woollen (ord.) ...: 3 13 0 — Golden Bay >CfiMieiit ' — 10 0 Manning -and Co 4 3 6 — Shjarland'n preference .... — 119 W.F.0.1. (£5) — 7 2 6 W.F.C.A, (£1) - 18 3 BRITISH GOODS IN NEW ZEALAND. British /traders and manufacturers are becozainr More inquisitive as to the reasons why, in- spits of preferential tariff*, foreisn goods compete sueccesfitlly with British makes in the markets of tho Do'minions. At tho officer of the London Chamber of Commerce there was opened in May Last an exhibition, of samples of certain foreign jroods which compete with those of British make in the New Zealand market. eood? were script t-o En-s----tandl by llr. W. G. Wiirkham, British Trade Commissioner here. The samples, which arsj mainly of American, or German . origin, included axes, locks and bolte, casters, tacks, hkyand other forks, lawait-mowers, farriers' and carpenters' tools, stocks and dies, enamel-ware, la-m/pe, and domestic utensils. Ml particulars wore given -as to costs, discounts, tfholeeale and retail prices, in New Zealand, et-c.. Mr. Wickham wrote that in viow of the preference which generally exists for British goods, the fact that these lines are ©old-, one of two thinps, either th9re U no British make equal in price or quality, or suiited to local requirements to bo obtained, or if there bo such, the-makers have not made their goods known, aq well ae 'they might. As to locks; the yalie lock has been in almost general use. Better Ensftfeh substitutes are coming in, hut they have to combat a strong prejudice, due t-o the length of time during which tlhe field has been left •undisputed to- America. As to hayforks, where woiyhrt and-strength are renuired, British m'aJccs arc unchallenged, but the Iright fork 6 from America have no rival at oreeent from England. British makes of lawn-mowers are for cricket grounds, tennis lav/nis,,bowling preens, golf etc.. but tho lairsce sale is for the use of cotrfiaw*. ' The outlay on a good British make is too heavy, and che-%p American makes havo a virtual mrcopoly. In many lines makers moist realise that if ttoy | want to pet in they mwit either present I ovorwh?lmans; indancemen+.a to . retailors to I pu&h their good*. or g« beyond them, and 1 create & damand anions users. . '.THE BEEF TRUST IN ' ARGENTINA'. ..About two years ago the sevea meat companies operating in Argentina arrived at, an understanding with regard to tho limitation of the exports of chilled, beef. Of these seven companies two aro owned 'in 'Argentina, three English. and two —the La Plata Cold Storage R.nd the La Blanea—belong to the American Beef Trust. Early in April Jmst the La Blanea Company -broke away from tjie arrangement mi the Tilea that it lia;l eipended one million dollars on, enlarging its works, and. that it must therefore be allowed to fihiii a largely! incr<fa?ed auantity of beef or ?eave the concert. The Lo. Blanca Company is stated to have paid that it hnd ."trot the' enLargement," and that it Intended to me it. Since' the break-up of the mflrkotin? agreement both tlje works cortrcliled by the American Companies have gretotly increased their shipments of beof, tending to force up the price of cattle In and to force down the price •of chilled beef in Great Britain. The motives aiEsieiifed far this putting-out poJicy aro described aj follow:—Tho ostensible object is to control the meat trade if another working arrangement ic arrived at. or force the other establishments to sell out or shut. up. In either case the final object is to control prices in Argentina. forein? breedfrs to Tealiee at whatever fisure the control Ftioulates, wihils.'at the sn.mo tiime. starting bmd'ns? farm's in this a.md neirhhrnirin? Bfcnbliw, in order to bettor establish the prices for live meat. Custom* dutiies collected it the port nf Wellington yesterday amounted to £3087 te. 4d. ' TTIGK OOJOnSSIONM'S. CABLEORAM. The Department ot Agriculture, Industrios and Commerce has received the foll9wins cablegram from the Iliffh Oom«i«ejoner for Nsw Zealand, dated London. Au-, (Note: Quotatioms, unless otherwfee flpeciiiod, we -»«Ter«Ke market pricca on spot):— Meat.-Generallr. th- market is dull; very initio business doin-r. Tliere is a dull eal© for *.11 o( liuittcm,. Frices hav« ?lisrlitjljr declined for all grades. Canterbury mutton. 4 3-lGd. per Jb.; liplitwoipht, 4+ft.; North I?.!and. 4id. for best CM^aility. Th-» la.mb market is weak and prices .hfl.r* deolincd. Con-torbuiT twoH sgd. per lb.; hea,Ty-weijrht. 42d.; other than ClaOTterbury, 5Jd. T.h« beef market is quiet, and 'prices have declined. New Zealand hinds, 4d. per lb.; fores, 3 l-16d.; chillcd hinds, 43d.: fores, 3d. Butter.—The m'srket is quiet. Thero lis no improvement in the demand. The supply is in cxcceis of the (leman-d. Pineet Danish is quoted 1?. 2d. per cwt. lower. There are no quotations for Now Zealand. Cheese.—The market is firm. There is a fiteady demand for Now Zeaiaml. According to most viewy cheese ia poinp to bo deajtr. OpLnitnis ar® hosed on shorter eupplhs. New Zealand wliit/e, per cwt., 66&; cdloureri, 655. to 665.; 1 white Canadian, 64.?. 6d. to 665.; coloured, 655. to 66?. The estimated ftoekfi of Canadian cheese at LcnApii-, Liverpool and are 209,C00 boxes against 226,000 at same date in 1912. New Zealand stocks to-da: - are 11,000 orate.:, against 78C0 at Ausuet. 1. 1912. The cheese proipeMs for next season arc more favourable tbah- last year. Homp.—The market is firm, with a bettor demand. New Zealand, rood fair grada.

per ton, £50 10s.; fair, £26 lfc.; fair current Manila, £-31. Forward shipment: New Zealand, Rood fair, £30.103.; fair, £26; fair ourrcnt Manila, £31 10s. The output from Manila for t.lie woek, was 14.CC0 bale 3. Cocksfoot Seed.—Buyers have been offering more freely. Bright cloaji New Zealand seed, weighing 171b. per .buahel. 50s. per cwt., c.i.f. Kauri Gum—The market 16 quiet. With no change in prices. The stock .is 197 tons. Wool.—The-. market is slightly weaker, with lesj demand. LONDON WOOL PRICES. Messm?.' Dalgety and Company, Limited, Wolliii-srtdiii liyive received advice from tlioir Lou-lion- office by cable, . dated August 1, a# follows: —The Bradford top 3 quotations to the end of July are as follow, and ill parentheses are shown- those ruling a.t Juno 27: 36's, 15Jd.'(l<id.); 40's. 15i|d. (16Jd.); ■«'s. 16d. (16Jd.); «'s. 163 d. fl7id.): 50's. 19|d. fZld.); 56' ft 22»d. (23Jd.); 58'-s. ,(253d.); 6Q's. common. 273 d. (23Jd.); 60'k. euner, 28} d. (23d.); 64's, 29d. (30d.>; 70's, 293 d. (31d.). LONDON MARKETS. Bp Telegraph—Press Association—CoDjrrishl London, August J. Oot.ton.—AupiistrSeptember shipments of American middling cotton aro clearing at G.23Jrl. per lb. -Copra..—The market is strong and a large business is 'doing. South Sea-, in bags, £30 125. 6d. per toil 1 . Jute.—Native first marks, August shipment, £29 15s. per ton. Hemp—The market, is firm. New Zealand, high .-point fair. October-December eWnmenit, ■is quoted at £28 per ton. Rubber — Fine hard Para rubber is quoted at Ja. B}d. per lb. Hides are in insi-nificamt supply, and prices are lm-chan^cd. Leather—The mairket is firm, with an upward tendency. Aatiniony is quoted at £7 per ton for 50 per cent. ore. WHEAT AND FLOUR. London, August 3. The wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom total? 2.650,CC0 quarters: for tJte Continent, 1.535.C-C0; Atlantic shipments, 309,000; Pacific, 12,000. The total shipments to Europe during the woek amounted to 950.M0 Quarters, including 19,000 from Australasia.