COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1864, 25 September 1913, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. A sale of Westport Coal shares at 295. 3d. was tho only transaction recorded in investment 6hares yesterday. Tho quotations wero as under:— Buyers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ s. d. Bank Now Zealand 10 18 0 — National Bank 5 6 9 5 8 0 Union Bank 54 10 0 \Vell. InveetmOTt — 011 9 Well. Trust and Loan 7 10 — Palmerstou North Gas ... 9 0 0 Wellington Gas (£10) ... 16 0 0 " 1 - Wellington Gas (prof.) 0 19 6 — N.Z. Insurance — 6 7 6 Standard Insurance — 112 3 Gear Meat (£1) 3 5 0 Union St-oam 2 4 9 2 5 3 Well. Woollen (ard.) - 4 0 0 Well. Woollen (rref.) — 3 0 0 Taupiri Coal 116 12 0 Westport Coal - 19 4 LeyJand-O'BTien — 14 6 Taringamutu Totara ... 2 5 0 — Goldc-n Bay Cement — 10 0 Sharland'e preference ... 1 1 0 — W.F.r.A. (£5) -• .7 2 6 W.F.C.A. (£1) - 18 1 LONDON WOOL SALES. The London wool sales, September eerles, opened 011 Tuesday, and from the private cabled reports that have oome to hand there is apparently practically no change in values as compared with the closing rntes of the July sales. The bulk of tho offerings consist of slipos, and therefore a fair comparison is not possible. For merinos andi greasy cros6breds there i 3 no change. There arc many factors to account for tho appoint quietness of wool. Trado on tho Continent of Europe is dull, -and, according to mail advices to August 15, tho trade.was then purchasing raw wool and topß to provido for immediate and prefwintr necessities, and at prices ennivolent to those ruling at the closo of tho London July sales. At Bradford there was also quietness, but tonmakers wore not inclined to "boir" tho nirkot, doming caution necessary. Although dullness existed, a hopeful feeling profiled, for it wns hold that thero wae nothinsr in the outlook to portend the comintr of a slump in prices. Tho quitepas« will probaMv extend ov«r •*? the current eales, but at tlv* T>ecemh<»r vie. when t.ho situation will ho clf'TP* f hnn it *s "nd nr«d of the .American demand will bo *enl'=.cd- pti in values may be expected to follow.

BItITISII AND AUSTRALIAN FKEEZING

AND DEFROSTING COMPANY. l%e first annual ronort of the British and Australasian Freezine and. Defrosting Co.. Ltd.. describes tho stccs taken since formation, and states that negotiations wore entered into with Mr. T. O. Nelson and M'Kerrow Bros., of Liverpool, whereby the process of both freezing and defro«t.inß meat will be demoMtrated on a comprehensive commercial scale extending over a period endin? April, 1914. Works have been erected in Liverpool, where both chilled and frozen meat ig now beins defrosted. An agreement has been entered into whereby if successful in the bulk treatment. Mr. T. 0. Nelson undertakes to form a, company in Loudon of 250,000 shares of £1 cacli, of which 130.000 shares fully .said wjli be allotted to th% Australian shareholders. Mr. Nelson taki? TO.COO Fjiares. and provides a workinc ecsital of £15,000. tho latter to'be paid back by the jjonosed capital from profits; and 50,000 riiares are to bo held, in reserve. In order to raise cdditional capita! necesfory, wliiW iifTot.intions were nroeerdin?. in London, tho directors recently raid 1500 share.? from the Tescrvo for £500. The comnnny's profit and loss account- shows £663 from t.he pale of meat and meat on hand. On the other side aro purchase of meat £148!. expenses £1428, and bonus shares 09 commission £1000, together £JW3. Tha balance at debit of profit and loss Is thus £3245. The subscribed capital ii £B1.5"0. enmprisinz £77.500 issued to renders. £1000 issued n - commission and £3000 r"id for ip > ensh. Tiio 0«e1.3 inMiulo nnrrliaso of rights £77,500, fees and expenses thereon £276, plant and. machinery £189. meat £95. hank balan"" £220, and profit and loss debit balanco £3245. , SHIPPING LOSSES. Tho rotnrn of shipping !os=cs issued by "Lloyd'.; Hegistcr of British and Foreign Shipping," covering the period from January 1 to March 31, of the curreut year, shows that during that time 170 vessels wero lost under various circusmtances, reprceenting a. total tonnage of 225,3C0 tons; of this number 102 were Bteam and 68 sailing craft. Tho greatest losses, both as regards the number of vessels and tho ■amount of tonnage involved, was sustained by the United Kingdom with 41 ships lost of a total tonnage of 80,400 out of 9279 vessels of a tonnage of 18,213,600 registered. Proportionately, however, Spain mak«3 the worst showing, with six losses of 8100 tone, being 1.02 per cent, of the vessels' owned and 1.04 per cent, of the tei'iVgc. Colonial vessels lost numbered eight of 1800 tons, thus making the total British losses 49 and tonnage 82,300 tons. The other principal losses aro the United States, 27 Vo3sclß and 25,600 tens; Franco. 13 vessels and 16.2C0 tons; Germany. 11 vcf'set? and 21,700 tons: and Norway, 20 vessels of 22,000 tons. Of tho aggregate losses 13 vessels, with a combined tonnage of 7000 tons, were abondoned at sea, threo of a tonnago of , 1800 tons were broken up or condemned, three of 7CCO tons were burnt,' 24 of 36.300 tons were loft through collision, 15 of 15.000 tons foundered, ono of 2000 tons belonging to a (ireek owner was lost during the Balkan War operations in tho Adriatic, 12 of 25,000 tons are missing, and 99 of 1j2,000 tons were wrecked.

Customs duties collected at the port, of ■Wellington yesterday amounted to £2308 .Si, Id. . •'''

FKOZEN MEAT. I Messrs. Gilbert Anderson and Co. (Messrs. Mellsop, Eliott and Co., local agents), writing under date Londou, August 15,* report as follows:— London retailers' requirements have been very few, so many of their customers being away on holiday. Trade, therefore, has been of a dragging character, with values had to maintain. llome-grown.—Beef t Scotch, 7d., 7£d.; English, 53d., 63d.; Irish, 52d., 6Jd.; Canadian, 6d.,' 63d. Mutton: IScotch, 62d-. Bd.; English. 6d., 72d.; ' Dutch, 53d., 7id.; English ewes, 4*, d., 6sd. Lamb: Scotch, 9d.; English, 6Jd., Bid.; Dutch, 6£d., Bd.; Scotch hill lambs, weighing about 281b., have arrived, a.ud nvako 6i(1., 7*d. Pork, 65d., Veal, 6Jd„ 85d. , . Cliilled Beef.—Hinds maintain then* price, viz., 5d., but fores are Jd. weaker— 23d, Frozen Beef—Now Zealand fores, 3d.; hinds, 4d.; Australian crops, 3d.; hinds, SJd.; South American, 2£d.; fores, hinde, 3 15-16 d. Frozen Mutton.—Good inquiries for ©wes, but not any advance in prices yet. Canterbury sheep, 45-56, 4 M6d.; 56-64. 4 8-16 d.; 64-72, 4 l-16d. Be3t and ordinary North Islands, 56-64, 4&d.; Now Zealand owes, \ 48-64, 3 11-16 d.; Australian sheep, 35-50, £$&.; 50-70, 33d.; owos, 30-50, 33d.; South American, 56-72, 3 15-16 d.; ewes, 48-64, 3jjd. Frozen Lamb—The slow trade lias prevented any rise, but we look for grados 36-42 to firm up. Canterbury, 28-36, sjd.; 36-42, 5d.; 42-50, 4gd.; best North Islands, 23-42, 6 3-16 d.; Southlands, 28-42, 5Jd.; ordinary New Zealand, 28-42, 5 16d. NEW ZEALAND-AUSTRALIAN LAND CO. Hy Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright* (Itec. September 20, 0.10 a.m.) London, September 2A. The New Zealand-AustTaUan Company has declared an interim dividend of four per cent., and'la bonus of threo per centum.

FINANCIAL CABLEGRAMS. London, September 23. Yesterday's closing quotations wore as follow :~ Bank of Australasia, buyere £116, epllere

£113. Bank of New South Wales, biiTcro £37, aeliers £40. Bank of Victoria, buyers £3 155., sellers £4 ss. Union Bonk of Australia, buyers £52 ICs., sellers £53 ICe. National Bank of Australasia, buyers £5 55., sellers £5 15s. National Bank o! New Zealand, buyers £4 l&s., eellers £5 ss. Ban]: of Now Zealand, buyers £10 10s„ sollord £11 10s. v N.Z. Loan and JltircantUe Agency 4 per cant, debentures, £92 10d. City of Melbourne, 4 per cent, doben. tures, £9D. Melbourne Harbour Tru9t, 4 per 'cent, debentures, £96. Melbourne Tramway Trusts 4J per cent debentures, £100. Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, 4 per cent, debentures, £97. Australian Mercantile debentures. £90, Dalgety and 00.. 4 per cent, debentures, £91. * Dalgety end Co.'s shares, buyors £6, 6ellere £6 10s. Melbourne Gas Co *ji debentures, £99.

City of Sydney, £90. Goldsbrough, Mort and- Co.'s. debentures, £93 10s. Bank of New Zealand, 4 per cent, guarantuod stock, £100.

BRITISH HOPS CHOP. London} September 23. The latest estimate of tha British hops crop is -266,800cwt.

SILVER. London, September 23. Bar silver is Quoted at 28 9-16 d. per ounce standard.:

WHEAT. London, September 23. Juno-September ehipmento are offering at 355, 6d. per Quarter.