COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. A Kile of Ba.nl; of New Zeal an d shares at £10 83. was the only tran;Hctioni recorded in investment- iharcs yesterday. Tile quotations wore as under:— Uuyors. Sollera. £ s. d. £ b. d.Bank New Zealand 10 7 6 — National Bank 5 3 6, — N.Z. Loan and Mercantilo 0 10. 4^ Wollinprton Xiivcstmont ... — 0 11 0 Feildin*, Gas — 0 16 0 Napier Ga/j-(£10) — 15 8 6 Nmpier Gas (£9) 13 17 0 Napier Gag (£5) — 714 6 Well. Gas (£10) 15 15 0 - National Insurance 2 6 6 — N.Z. Insurance — 6 5 6 South British Insurance 315 9 — 6ta.nda.rd Insuranco '. — 113 0 Meat Export (525. 6d.) 3 0 0 — N.Z. Shipping 15 10 0 — Union Steam 2 3 0 — Wellington Woollen, (ord.) 3 13 6 — Wcstport Goal 18 0 — Leyland-Brien — 14 6 Golden Bay Cement — 10 0 Manriintj ajld Go 4 4 0 — Sha.rlana'B proferenco .... — 119 Ward and Co. : 4 19 0 5 1 0 W.F.O.A. (i£s). - .726 W.F.C.A. (£1) - 18 3 THE BAiNICING POSITION. The "Arsus" l«i3 comDiled its quartorly ■summary of tile' Auiitiiaixsian' . banking averases. It .shows that, While bank depoeits in Australia and New Zealand have declined, by over 33 milliona. duninK tho past 12 months,, advances have diminished durine tho emo period by over 7) mdllione, and an improvemont in the relation between the two. sides ot the account has thus been effected. The following is a compsTinn of Australian bank deposits and advances in the Juno quarter for the last five years:— Excess of Depoeita. Advances. Deposits. June Quarter- £ . £ £ 1909 137,811,971 119,867,756 17,944,215 1910 153,875.662 121,595,861 32,279,861 .1911 169,169,229 136,092,438 33,076,701

191 174,122,947 149,068,627 25,054,320 1913 ' 170,242,134 141,444,788 28,797.346 Between 1909 and 1911 the increase in. dcnosits was rapid, but between 1911 and 1912 only a. moderate increase took place, followed by a decrease of £3,680,813, durin; the pa,st- twelvo months.. Tho inorcase in advances on a large ecale. which took place between 1910 and 1912, has now been succeeded by a decrease of £7.623,839. The fcl'lowins is a. summary of the annual movemente in deposits and adrances. from Jum® quartei- to June quarter, for the Tast five yeaa-s:— Increase in Increase in . Deposits. Advance!. . . £ . £ 190S-09 '3,406.179 5,591.137* 1909-10 16.063,691 1,728,045* 1910-11 15-.295.567 14.496,637 1911-12 4,953,718 12.976.189 1912-13 3.880,813 * 7,623,839* •Decrease. Tho withdrawal of tho bajiik noto system in tho Conum'oniweailth has been a modifying factor, as it has lessened tho funds available far employment by the banks, illte movements for t'ho two years from June l , 1911, to June, 1913, may be summarised a3 follow:— . £ Increase in doposits, two years ... 1,072,905 Decrease in> notes 3,352,336 Not decrease, deposit and notes 1.. 2,279,431 Increase in. advances 5,352,350

ALUMINIUM. Aluminium iq now coming into use very extensively, especially as kitchon utensils, because it is light, bright, and easily kept clean. But aluminium goods arc expensive because tho metal is somewhat- costly. There is, however, some probability of pricco declining, for a wonderful' alum mountain has been discovered near the Gila liivcr, in South-Western New Mexico. This deposit is'9ooft. hicrli, covering two square mile?, and the United States "Geological Survey" declares that it is of such purity that any grade of manufactured alum can be produced at a small cost, while for many uso= it- can bo marketed in the natural sto.te. As a probabcl future source of metal aluminium this material has still great value. Enormous beds of lignite near by oiler power at onefourth to one-half of the cost of hydroelectric power, and it is declared that no other such combination of unlimited rich and pure raw material and tho cheapest power exists in the whole world. Sulphuric acid and other valuable by-pro-ducts will be supplied by the luminius industry. Most of the aluminium of tho United States is now produced from bauxite, which is shipped from Arkansas to the reduction plants, mostly at Niagara Palls.

TRADE IN ALLEN STREET. Fruit—The. Navna is due at Auckland to-morrow from tho Ooolc J.'landg, with *fh!i]>m?nt»3 of Inland oraiiscs, bananas, and kumeras. • <x.nd th«se should reach good prices. provided the condition of tho fruit Is satisfactory- Tho TJHmaroa, due from Sydney to-day. is bringiinsr the usual weekly ehrfipmonit of lemons, sweet passion fruit, Seville oralis*?, nnd pineapples'. Very text apnlcs and pearo ore coming from 'IhsroEuiija. Simplify of Port Albert Apples are almost exliousted and the Wellington market i* almost wholly dependent upon MotuclKi for supplies. Ve-jrct-ablop.—• Regular supplies of rhubarb arc now being received from tlio Tliitt district. and good prieos are being realised, CauiliHoweris are Fell ins ot exceptionally low prices. and pinkie manufacturers are operating frcoly. cahbasos are in vopy trood (toma'tid. but tlices reaching Ihe market ai:o mostly of medium quality. ParsnajM and calory are in pood demand, and con&icniments of pumpkins and mar* rows con bo recommended. Potatoes.—The southern market F-hows frmtiiar drcp this weak; trood sound table potatoes are now sWliH'2 nt £3 1&. to £4 per torn. Seed potaton? are in plentiful simply. I r n-to-Date. £4 to £«1 JOs. pnrloui.; Northern 'Star, £*5 to £4 10j.:. GamrfcntiDcr, £4 10s. to £5: Hearty of Hebrew, Karly Rc»*e. and Kidney. £B. Onioni?.—Tho Jin-t shipment of Jananeso onions nneked in one cwt. crates is due by the TJlimaron. to-d«v. and iif in good con(.'lition should realise price*. Victorian o-nd' New Zcnland-jrrown aro not kes-pinsr woll nt the present stage of tho ntw ; nn. Flour.—Weekly shipment- are comititf from AuvtrnlJa, > w Zealand {lour cori* t,inuP3 to bo quotd at £9 pop ton-, f.o.b, . south, le:e ttye usml diicounU

Bran has declined in value, mid is now quoted at .£4 7fi. 6d. t.o £4 10s. per ton. PoKa.nl liaa fair inauiry at £t> ss. to £6 10$. per ten. Maize.— : The wormof weather has mused tho demand to slacken: the cirrror.t ((notation iei 4f. lid', to ss. nor bushel. Soiled ca-is, in 4ilb. bass, arc selling at IG-. ne.r dozen. Oaitmc.il.—Leading brands continue at £14 to .£l4 10?. per ton. ox store. Wellington. Oats.—The market lias dooliired a iienny per buflhol; short-feed', 25. 9d. to 35.: feed. Alseria.il, 2s. 7d. to 2s. lCd.; feed Algerian. 2s. Ltd. to 3;. Id.: heavy Hun oats, 5?. to Bs. Id.; discoloured and .-oft, 2?. sd. to 2s. 6d. Hoy.—Hand-pressed ryo and clover, in light supply, .and selling at £5 10s. to £5 16s. per ton. Chaff.—There is a good demand for nrimo oatensheaf chaff.at £5 to £5 ss. per ton* sacks in; Fowls' wjieat is, in fair demand; prime Quality, 4?. 4d. to'4s. Ed. ner bushel; medium quality, 4s. to 4s. 2d. Egg;.—Fresh have lreen. selling all the week at Is.' per dozen, and the demand is good. Butter— Primo milled, in bulk. 12Jd. to Is. Id., por lb.; food rfuialit.y, Is. Partridge peas ore exceedingly slow of falo a.t 4s. to 4s. 6d. a bushel. Prusdrian Blue peas nre dull of solo at Es. to f-=. 6d. per bushel.. Feed barley is alow at 3s. to Ss. Id. per bushel. Capo barley—Very littilo business doing at os. 3d. Poultry.—Hens l , 4s. 6d. to Gs. a pair: cockerels, <5. 6d. to 6si 6d.; stags, 4fi. to 55.; ducks, Pekin and Aylesbury, 6s. 6d. to 7s. 6d.; Indian It-miner, ss. to ss. 6d.; turkev gobblers, Is. per lb. live weight; hens, lOd. KOTF3. The shipping dues collected by tho Suez Canal Oompojiy in the first .six months of this year amounted to 62,850,0C0f„ against 69,750,CC0f. in: the first half of 1912, <unl 67.610.0C0F. in tlio first half of 1911, a falling off, therefore, when com-parzd with last year, of 4.690,C00f. This is ■ partially accounted for by tho reduction of tho iarid; the traffic, nevertheless, was smaller—i.e., 2577 Ehiips, against 2825. At tho general meeting of the German South Soa. Phosphates Company, hedd at Bremen on Juno 30, tho chairman ann'donced that the current year's production mas estimated to amount to BO.CCO, or 90,C00 tons. Tho past year's production .amounted to 60,000 tons. The board of directors tad decided to extend the establishment at Augur, tho costs of this extension being defrayed out of enrrent receipts.

Some cogent financial reasons are given by Ecuter's Tokio correspondent to provo tho imposfibility of wair between the United States and Japan. In 1911 the United States took about £100.300,000 of Japanese oxporte, or 33 por comt. of the total. Japan imported from America, £8,100,000, about one-sixt'i of tlio total. Japan is entirely dependent on America for tho sale abroad of Japanese tea and filk, and os regards imports for tho whole of tlio wheat-flour imported, most of the kerosene oil, and vast quantities of leather and raw cotton.. Wa.r botwoon America and Ja.pan would mean the total collapse of Japanese industries. Honey talks, as usual, on tho side of Doaco.

Tho report of the Queensland Governmant Statistician on the stool; and ojrrioultiiral statistics for 1912 shows that the wool exportod dlmriujr the year was valued at £1,275,620, a deorca.se 0f.£2«,613 as compared with the previous year. The raluo of the meat- exported was £2,033,001, an increase of £630,883 r and of hides and pkinri, £478,137, showing ail increase of £183,899. Tho total of tho butter produced during tlio year was 39,307,3391b., wftile of chceso tho production, was 3,947,6151b. Tho total number of dairy cows in t.ho Slnto was 375,660, an increase of 18,565 as compared with thei previous yra.r. llhe total Quantity of buttor exported was 13,882,5981b., valued at £674,908. Tho total valuo of a.U crops raised was £4,276,235, against £3,185,792 for the previous yoar. Tho era.in crop* were valued fit an increase of £668,508; sufrar-ca.uo, £747,557, a d.»croaeo of £359,894; hay and straw, £777,853, an increase of £402,498. Thft total area utrtlor cultivation dm--in» tho year was 844,420 acres, an increase of 64,620 acres.-

So mo insight into tho huKenoss of tho Krniipp works is afforded by tho 'half-yearly report of tlie Essen Ghamiber of Commerce. The company, which has a capital of £9,C00,CC0, employed at the beginning of April 76,933 por-scno, apart from the clerical staff, which in itself Is equal to tho population of a good-sized town. In -addition to tho .steel works in Essen and tho ruo.tostiiw grounds ait Essen, Jrappen, and tho company possesses two coal mines in Eei-en, two near Boohuin, numerous ere mines in Germany, a.nd an .interest in iron oro rates in Spa-in. Further, there aro foundry works and its own fervice of transport vc-ssdk at Rotterdam. Offshoot companies of the original concern aro a foundry in RhcinhtiU'sen-Friemors-heim, steel works -in Amman and Jfaede-hurs-Buekau, and the Gcrmnr.iia shinbuildinf worfcn in Kiel. For tSio year 1912 the consumption of coal in the Knipp works, in 60 far as it was Wipplied through Bsson, reached 3,078,483 tens. Customs duty collected at the port, of Wellington yeste-rtfay a-miouatsd to £2923 12s. ~ WHEAT, OATS AND POTATOES. (By Telegraph— Frc-as Association.! Christchujch, August 19. Grain l freights by stoamor to tho United Kingdom have been- reduced to £1 ss. per ton for cats and wheat, the rote betas originally JE3 and £1 15s. respectively. In tho present state'of the Homo market ar-d the prices rutin;: here, however, no shipping business is likely to bo done. The best offer recently received from London for A-K>radO Cartons was' only equal 'to about Is. 6d. at country station;., irfiioh is 6d. and 7d. per bushel lc'=s than oats could be purchased for. Wheat prices are also above the parity of London values. Tery little wheat is offering from srrowcr-5, and Tuscan is) rather easier than it wo.?. Oats a.ro beine firmly hold, and of thiig cereal ttore are none offering. The potato market continues active, and the. best offer is now £1 15s„ at which some sales are bcincr mtide, o-s farmers are now anxious

to will. Some buyers arc only offering £1 10s. at country stations'. Seed potatoes ore also easier, and the- main crop vorietia? a.ro nrnv worth only £1 15s. to £2 per ton at co-untry stations. FROZEN MEAT. Messrs. Gilbert Anderson and Co. (Messrs. Mcllsop. ELiott 'and 05.. local' agents), writing under date July 11. report:— Tho ura-OTt won-k Titration' of the lamb market is unwarranted so far ais '£-to-ck3 a,re con earned. Seme holders, however, have caused <nlmo"t -a pontic by ths low price? they aire offering tho poods at to effoot sales. General opinion fci, however, that with lighter arrivals this month tho ma.rkot will rocovor. Home-grown—Beef: Scotch. 63d. to 7d.; Enelish, 6f(l. to 67d.; Canadian. 6d. to 63d. Mutton.: Scotch, Ed. to Rjd.: British. 6}d. to 7?d.; Dutch, 6d. to 7?d>.; English. sd. to 51(1. Lamb: Scotch. B}d. to lOd.; En-gl&h, Bd. to 9Jd.; Dutch, 7d. to 9d. Perl!, 6Jd. to 7id. Veal. 6&d. to Bd.

Chilled Beef.—Fores. 3id.; hinds. 5Jd. Sunplies moderate, Demand ru.no on hindo natters at this time of tiro rear. Frozen Bcof.—New Zealand - fores, 3Jd.; hinds. 4!d.; Australian crops, 3 3-16(1.; hinds, 4d. South American fores, 3 l-16d.; hinds, I{d.

Frozen Mutton.—Small iliccp i.ro much weaker owing to the low nrice of bit j-a.mbs. Canterbury. 48 to £6. 45d.; E6 to 64, 4 3-8(1.; 64 to 72, 4!d. Bo=t Now Zoalands, 56 to 64. 4Jd.'; ordinary. 4 3-16 d. F«vs, 3 13-16 d.: AuitreHm wether?. 30 to 50. 3Jd.: owes. 30 to 30. 3?d.; South' American wether*. 56 to 72. 'Id.: o\ra», 33d. Frozen T.'?mbs— A drop cf id. oil r>und. TTc-n.vy erodes, n. slow sole. Oamtcrburv, ?3 to 36, 53d.; 36 to 42, 51d.; 42 to fo, <?d. Sowthlf'ids. Xnrih T w lan-'=, rrd ordiTinry, 2' to 43, 5 3-Bd. Lambs', 271b. and under, 6d. WHEAT. (Rec. Ausiust 19, 11.15 p.m.) ' London, August- '19. The wheat ms-i-Wot- i» ouiet. 37.-.. ir-< asked for South Australian Februarv, March. and June whoat; 36e. 6d. is quoted for July's.