COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1858, 18 September 1913, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT ■ SHAKES. Two transactions in investment E'nares wero recorded yesterday. There was a Balo of Ch'ristcfliurch Gos fl.fc £7, and another of Christchuch Heat at £15 lCs. The Quotations were as under:— Buyers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ 8. d. Dank of New Zealand ... 10 12 6 10 16 6 Union Bank — 54 10 0 NLoan, Merc, (pref.) 97 0 0 — Wellington Investment ... — 011 9 Well. Trust and Loan 7 1 6 7 2 6 Christohurdh Gas — 7 10 Piilmereton North Gas .... 9 0 0 — 6tandard Insurance — i 12 3 Gear Meat (£4) 12 10 6 — Gear Meat (£1) 3 4 6 — Wellington Woollen (ord.) 19 0 4 0 6 Wellington. Woollen (prcf.) 2 19 0 • — Taaipiiu Coal 113 — Westport Coal — 19 0 Tariiisamutu Totara ... 2 5 6 2 6 6 Golden Bay Cement — 10 0 W.F.O.A. (£5) - 7 2 6 W.F.C.A. (£1) ~ 1 8 3 SHIPPING POOL. In December last eerious friction was set up amongst members of the North Atlantic Shipping pool by a difference of opinion in regard to sailing arrangements. More trouble has mow, been precipitated by e, demand on the part of the HamburgAmerica Company for increased participation in the trade. That organisation had available for immigrant traffic between the Continent and America liners having an aggregate of 50.CC0 tons. Its share of that business has been about 43 per cent, of tho German trade, the balance of 57 per cent, being taken by the Norddeutsc-her Lloyd company. The former concern desired an additional 4 per cent, of the passenger traffic, involving, of course, a proportionate induction in tho trade allotted to the latter. The present pooling arrangement terminates at of tho current 'year, and already negotiations for its renewal have been initiated. No progross, however, is likely to be made until the point an diispute has been eettled. The difliculty lias ari«m. at a most inopportuno moment, as, in tho opinion of close observers, the emigrant movement on the North Atlantic route lia© about readied ite zenith. That aspect of the position ha« 3 apparently not been taken , into account by the disputants, who seem to have ignored tho fact of their having additional tonnage available for this trade in the near v future. /If tl?s agreement be not continued after tlie end of December next there must be a resumption of tho excessive competition, which, under the .old conditions, was at times very sever# in. its effect on tho earnings of tho rival companies, and which, as a matter of fact, wa3 mainly responsible for the creation of the pool. So far the Hamburg-America Line, which has stink an uncomfortably large amount of money in colossal steam* phips of the Iraperator type, remains obdurate in its demand, and the North German Lloyd's is equally firm in its resistance thereto.

TUB BUTTER TRADE. Last year a fair business was done with Vancouver in butter, but this year t.he merchants in that locality arc showing eitremo dilatoriiuss. Sellers at tliis end want a prico tor tho season, the shipments to go forward by each etcamcr, while- tho Vancouver merchants seem unwilling to enter into such season contracts. Consequently very little if any business has been done so far. The cables . have been kept at work, but not with any satisfactory reeults. The Vancouver merchants aro believed not to havo lia-d a very good timo during the past ecason, and they attributo their losses.to having made contracts extending Over the" entire: soason. They prefer, so it is said, to buy from month to'month, which they will find a diiilcult matter eo far as the New Zealand product is concerned, hence there is a likelihood that. tho. bullk of tho Vancouver butter trado will fall to tho Commonwealth. In tho meanwhile, it is interesting to note that several parcels have' been engaged for San. Ffancisco, and there ie the promiso of a, lucrative trade in the near future with the California!]. capital.

WOOL, SKIN, AND HIDES. Messrs. Williams and Kettle, .Ltd., Dannovirke, report on tlicir wool, skin,' and hide sale, Held on Tuesday:—Our-offering comprised 2300 6hecpakiiiß, 350 hides, 3GO calfskins, 80 tdne and 1 cask tallow.' Buyers were well represented from oil parts of tho island, competition being very keen at an' advance of id. per lb, in sheepskins and Jd. per lb. in hides, while calfskins advanced lid. per lb. on our last sale ratee. Our quotations are' as follow:— Wool: Orutchings, heavy, 71d.\ to 7id.; croajbrod, rough, in bass, B±d.; crossbred, dead, Bid.; stained pieces, s|d.; locks, 3d. Sheepskins: Crossbred, fine, 83d-; crossbred, coarse to medium, Bid.; crossbred, inferior, 6id. to 63d.; crossbred, dead, 7Jd.; inferior, s*d.; hoggets, dead, 6Jd.; quarter to half-wools, 5Jd.; and crossbred, black, sd. Hides: Oows, prime, 83d.; cows, roughs VA. to Bd.; weaners, Bid.; cut, 6 3-Bd.; yearlings, 7id.; cows, cut, 62d.; cowg, slippy, 63d.: stags, 6Jd.; bulls, 6Jd.; horse hides, 6s. 3d. to 95.; ox hides, light, Bid. Calfskins, sound, llid.; inferior, sound, 94d ; cut, Bd. Horsehair, l's. Bid. Tallow, in tins, 235. 3d. per cwt. Cowtails, le. 7d: per dozen. Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2788 18s. lOd. BRISBANE WOOL SALES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Brisbane, September 17. The second series of wool sales lias opened. Competition is keen, and prices equivalent to those of the opening sales SILVER. . ' London, September 16. Bar silver is quoted at 27 13-16 d. per ounce standard'.