COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 21 August 1913, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. Tho sales recorded yesterday were Wellington Trust raid Loam, at £7 Is. 6d. and £7 ; Napier Gas (£10). at £15 7s. 6d.; and Wel,lingtoit Woollen, ordinary, £3 130, 6xl. The auotatiioßs were as under:— Bayer's. Sollora £ n. d; £ s. & Bank Now ZeaJand 10 7 6 — National Bank 5 4 -.0 — N.Z. Loan and Mercantile 0 10 4 — Wellington Investment ... — 0 11 B Well. Trust and 'Loan 7 16 — Napier Crss (£10) 15 7 0 — Palmerston North Gas ... 9 0 0 • — N.Z. Insurance — 5 5 6 Gear Meat (£1) 3 4 0 — Meat Export (525. 6d.) 3 0 0 — N.Z. Shippinj — 15 17 6 Union Steam ..i 2 3 3 2 4 0 Well. Woollen (ord.) 3 13 0 — Westport 'Coal 18 0 — Leyland-Brien — 14 6 Golden Bay Cement — ,10 0 Manning and Co.' 4 4 0 — fVharlMid's m'oferenco .... — 119 Ward and Oo 4 19 0 5 1 0 W.F.O.A. f.£s) - 7 2 6 W.F.C.A. (£1) - 18 3 BUTTER EXPORTS. Ini the statistics of New Zealand'for 1912, Part it the quantity, value, and destination of the butter exported ,in that year are given as under:— Deßtiiie.tion. Cwt. £ United Kingdom 316,857 1,726,631 Victoria, 125 758 Now South Wales 1,714 10,659 F,iji 979 6,622 Norfolk leland — 2 C-apo 4,334 26,288 Natal 6,557 40,078, Canada 42,461 246,011 United States 3,015 18,963 Uruguay 2 9 Friendly Islands 248 1,665 Gilbont Islands 3 18 Navigator Maud 380 2,526 Now Caledonia 2 9 New Hebrides 1 8 Sandwich Mands 285 ~ 1,690 Society Islands 1,152 7,910 Solounon Islands 2 12 378,117 £2,083,809 WHITE LABOUR ON THE RAND. The demand that, white labour should be employed in the Hand mince to the exclusion of the blacks, cannot bo complied with on tho score of efficiency and economy. It is goner.illy believed that two whito men could do the work of three natives, but it. is authoritatively stated that, the East Ooast native had acquired such efficiency that two white men, could not d*> tho work of two of this class of native. The averaso cost of the native is 3s. 2d. pea - shift, which would moan <s. 9d. per unskilled white on tho numerical basis of two whites to tlireo blacks, exclusive of Workmen's Compensation and Phthisis Act payments. If tho payment were higher than this and tho relative efficiency less, tlio mines would be penaii»od accordingly. At 7s. 6d. per shift for wihito labour substituted for native. 16 mines would cclse to make a profit, at 10s. per shift 26. at 12e. 6d. (the West Australian rate) 35, and at '55., 41 out of tho •52 concerns would bo unable to make both ends meet. Only such, mines as the Brakdaoi-, Crown. Forreira, Meyer and ChirrUon,, the two Moddsrs, Primrose, Robimron, Simmer and Jack, Vam Ityn and Village

Main Reef would be loft, and these would be making a. much reduced profit. If tho En«t Coast labour supply were cut off md replaced by whites at 12s. 6d. per ihift, 15 mines at prct-ent expending, £4,5C0.CC0 a year would cease to make a profit. The«e natives form lialf the underground labour (native) employed, and to restrict tlieir importation. would be to attack the most efficient portion of the native labour supply. Experiments in replacement made in recent years have proved complete failures. NOTES. The number of hoTMs imported into Great Britain from Ireland in 1912 was 34,711, as against 31.578 ini the previous year; total head of cattlo, 555,099, conrparcd with 694,828: sheep. 618,659, as againet 654,197; ami pigs, 565,Z41, connrarod with 342,340 in 1911. The number of hor«ss oxported from Great ■Britain to irfllanid was 3966, compared with s*l4'; cattle, 440, ac.i.iust 467; sheep, '1,067, compared' with 16,824; and piss, eight, as arainet di in. 1911. That- Manila may become in tho near future ft close competitor of Hong Kong as a. banking centre in tho Far East, and thi?jt Clinton rniy beoome Hong Kong's nival as a seaport, ic the opinion of tho Commissioner of Foreign Trade of the Sail Francisco Chamber of Oominerco. "If this becomes an accomplished fact," ho says, "Ifaniila w.ill rain greatly in banking importance at tho expeuee of Hong Kong. Manila is taking some trade from Hon--Kong, and promises to draw heavily on tht» trade of tfcat port."

The output of jrokl in tho Transvaal during the first sii months of Hie current vco-r totalled 4,6<0,42l line ounces, valued at £19,711,256.

During the first six months of tin's y£.ar the Federated Jlafay States exported 23,492, ; 12911). of nrbber, as coin pared wi th 15,362,2651b. in tho firyt half of Inst year.

Tho capital of Lever Hro*., Limited, of Port Sumliirht, is to bo increased from £20,0C0,C<X> to £J0,000,0C0 There are at present seven cl2«=«3 of shares, mwl under the new scheme tlmt number will bo increased to oiirht.

Lord Loreburn- introduced in the Tirc'iti.-h Parliament, x Bill to prohibit prize competitions. Tho measure punishes with a liiiaxiuiuim penalty of fix months' hard labour, or £100 line, or both, flJiy peraon who conducts, or permit* to be condnctcd, in or through flu" ncvMaper any prize competition wliic:h rcnuiTes payment of money' or of a coupon or form. The £anie penalties apply to any announcement prir.og in such competi^icrr-.

Jtr. Oonafil I'. SUiniforth, in a. report on the" trade o-f tho Ccnsnkir district of Mnlasa (Spain), for 1912, suites that the United Kingdom coDitiniics, with the United State to be the almost cxMusivo coneumiiiE market lor Jordan o.lmondis, Great Britain taking the bulk of tho largest fruit oral America buyins all the small. Jordan almonds a*re now sold according to >s>ize<3, which arc calculated at so many kernels to tho ounce. The fruit is.grown ly in a small district, which commences at Malaga- and continues for about 100 milee to tho east, varyinc in depth from three to 40 indies. Jordan almonds <M'o only exported from Halafa and Almeriaa

At the meeting of the London County Council on July 8, Mr. E. L. Meinertzlragon said that the total area, of the County of London was 116 squa.ro miles, and tlio total number of owners 33.2C0. Tlio total number -of individuate ownine one house was about 14,000; t.hoso owning fivo acres and upwards numbered 700; whilo the <ire«, hold by railway companies, etc., was about 22 ■souare miles. Tlio lareoit individual mraoivi wero \*w follow abovo two square miles —Lord Nort librook I FJltham) and l>uil.wJch College. Estates above lj squo.ro miles—Earl of St. Germane (Blacklieath). ltisiit Jlod-. 11. W. Forster (Lomisliarn), Mr. 11. 'P. B. Barron (PlumstGad), Sir Spencer ' Jlarj-on-Wilson (Ilanipstead and Charlton). Above three-quarter square miles—Buko of Westminster (Pamlico). Abovo half a square miki-Ea.nl of Dartmouth (St.. I'ancroa and Low.isham), Prudential Assurance Company (distributed), JEorcors' Company (distributed), Magdalen Colleße, Oxford IWfandsworth).

Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington. yesterday amounted to £4914 17s. lOd.

FINANCIAL CABLEGRAMS. By Telegraph—Press Association-Copyright

London, August 19. Yesterday's closing Quotations woro as follow:—

Dank' of Australasia, buyers £115, eellcra £117. „ . ■

flank of Now South Wales, buyers £37. sellers £40. Bank of Victoria., buyers -£3 159., sellers £1 5a , Union Bank of Australia, buyers £52 10s., tellers £53 ICb. , National Bank of Australasia, buyers £5 55., sellers £5 15s. National Bank of New Zealand, buyers £4 7s. 6d., sellers £5 2s. 6d. Bank of New Zealand, buyers £10, sellers £11. N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency 4 per cemt. debenture*;, £92 10d. City of Melbourne, 4 per cent, debentures, £98. Melbourne Harbour Trust, 4 per cent, debenture, £96. Molbourne Tramway Tra«t, 41 per cent debentures, £100. Jlelbourno and Metropolitan Board of Works, 4 per cont. debantures, £95. Australian Mercantile debentures. £90. Ealsety cjid Oo„ 4 per cent, debentures. £90. Dalgoty and Co.'s shares, buyers • £6, sellers £6 10s. Melbourne Gas Co debentures, £99. City oC Sydney, £97. Goldsbroueh, Mort and Oo.'s debentures. £93 10s. WHEAT. fttec. August 21. 0.25 a.m.) London, August 20. Tlio Arncnloani risible supply of wheat east of tho Rockiea in 57,278,000 bushels. ■ METAL MARKETS. (licc. August 21, 0.25 a.m.) London, August 20. Copper—On spot. £69 &?.; three mjomths, £69 3s. 9d.electrolytic, £73. . Tin—On epot, £165 155.; three months, £186 ss. Load—£2o: