COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1895, 1 November 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. The. strike of waterside workers appears to bo affecting business in investment sharce, lor there were no transections yesterday, and since October 20 only three sales havo been recorded on the Wellington Exchange. The quotations were as under: Bayers. Sellers. £ e. A. £ s. d. National Bank ..." 6 7-3 680 Wellington Investment ... — 0 11 9 Well. Trust and Loan ... 7 4 0 — Chrlstchurch Gas -i 7 0 0 TT.Z. Insurance 6 6 0 — Standard Insurance — 112 3 Gear Meat (£4) „ 13 0 0 — Gear Meat (£1) 3 9 0 - Unioni Steam (ord.) 14 9 16 6 Union Steam (prcf.) - 019 9 Well. Woollen Cord.) — 4 10 Leyland-O'Bricn 13 9 14 0 Sharland's ordinary 1 1 } — Sharland's preference l ... 1 1 J — The course of sales during the past month was as under:— National Bank, £5 86. ' Eauitablo Building. £8 16s. ,; South British Insurance, 795., 79«, 64, ' Standard Insurance, 325. 3d. Gear Meat (£4); £13. Gear Meat (£1), 70s. Union Steam, ordinary, Ms., 265., 26b., 235. 9d., 255. 9d. Union Steam, preference, 19s. 64., 19s. 6d. Wcstport Coal, Xe. 9d., 30e. 9d. Weetport-Stockton. 4e.. 45., Loyland-O'Brien Timber, Z4s. - , Ward and Co., £5. > CUSTOMS RETURNS. Customs : duties collected at the port of Wellington yesterdoy amounted to £1119 14s. sd. SOUTHERN MARKETS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Chrlstchurch, Novorahor 1. Tho irlxlka (unuiUK the vraterfiida kotllm*

will not affect the local grain and produce trade to any extent, ae there was nothing but n. limited coastwise business doinK. The high pTico of potatoes in Wellington cannot, however, bo taken advantage of, as the closinc of tho ports prevents their shipment. Absolutely no business is doing an tho market, and thcro are no buyers for "potatoes, tho local price of which is nominally £1 and £1 ss. at country stations. LONDON MARKETS. Messrs. Dalgety and Co., Ltd.. are In receipt of tho following cabled information from their London office:—Tallow! Since our last cablegram, prices are unchanged. Beef, increasing demand; mutton, decreasing demand. Frozen Meat—Jlarket quiet and prices arc unchanged.— Sheepskins.— As compared with last sales niorino combings are firm but prices "unchanged. Prices for merino clothing ekins aro Id. to 3-Bd. higher. Crossbred: Fine combing skine, prices aro 3d. higher; medium sheepskins, 3-Bd. higher; coarse sheepskins, Jd. higher: New Zealand short-woolled sheepskins ere exceptionally dear. . 6YDNEY WOOL BALEB. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Sydnoy, October 31. The week's wool sales closed with keen demand for good sorts. Greasy reached 15d. VICTORIAN PRODUOE MARKETS. Melbourne, October 31. Wheat, 3a. 6d. to 3s. 5Jd. Flour, £8 10s. Bran end pollard, £4 15s. Oats, Algerian, Is. lid. to 2s. 2Jd. Maize, £4. Potatoes, 17s. 6d. to 655. Onions, £6 10s. BANK OP ENGLAND RETURNS. (Rec. October 81, 7.45 p.m.) London, October 31. The Bank of England return issued for the week ended Wednesday, October 29, is as under :— Issue DEPjuvrarem Hotalisui £5i,2!2,00J Gov.debt "-J11.015.000 Other securities ... ~ .7,431.000 Gold 35,136,000 £54,212,000 <e5M12,000 BINKNO DEPARTUENI. Proprietors* Govt, securlcapital £11,553,000 ties 4H.T83.000 Public do- Other socuriposits .... .8.714.000 ties 28,610,000 Other daposits . ... 41.C61.C00 Kotos ... 25.481.000 Best, 7-dfty and other bills... ... 8,194,000 C01a... . ... 1,631.000 jE67.522.000 £67,522,000 Tho leading Items of tho Bank of England return afford tho following comparison:— This week liast weak Last year Bullion 35.763.000 35.186,000 35.002.0C0 Reserve 27.115,000 26.601,030 27,183.000 Note circulation 28,728.000 23.675.000 28.560,000 PublioDoposlts 8.714.0C0 IMftLOiX: 11,751,000 Other Deposits 41.0(11.000 41,322.000 Proportion of resorve to liabilities... 64.45 66.25 47.70 GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. ' N The following are the latest quotations for Government securities, with a comparison of those ruling last week:—

BANK BATES OF INTEREST. The Bank of England rate waß. on February 8, 1912, reduced from 4 to 3j tier cent., and on Hay 9 it was further reduced to 3 per cent. On Aucust 29 it was raised to 4 per cent., and on October 17-to 5 per cent. It was reduced to dj per cent, on April 17, 1913. On October 2 It was raised to 6 per cent. ;,.:.,,-. \ 'The Bank. of Franco, rale was reduced from 3J to 3 per cent, on January 23, 1908, and continued at the latter figure until September 12, 1911, when it- was rai«cd to 35 per cent. On May 17, 1912, it was reduood to 3 par cent., on October 17 it was raised, to 3J per cent., and on October 30 to 4 per cent.' v The Imperial Bank of Germany on October 24, 1912, advanced its rate of discount to 5 per cent, and to 6 per cent, on November 14. On October 27, 1913, the Tate was reduced to 5J per cent. MARKET RATES OF DISCOUNT. The following are the market rates fori best three months' bills:— London Paris Borlin rate. rate. rate, per por per cent. cent. cent. This week 5 33 43 Last week 43 . 33 4f Last year 5 35 45 Short loans are quoted at 33d. to 5 per cent., as against 33 per cent, last week and' 45 per cent, last year. COLONIAL AND OTHER PRODUCE. Wheat—The market is firm, but, quiet, and prices are unchanged, Australian and New Zealand, on spot, now offering. Flour is steady and unchanged. Oats are qulot. La Plata, January-Feb-ruary shipment, 14s. 6d. Peas and beans are quiet and unchanged. BuJtcr is quleU 'Australian, choicest salted, 1235. to 1245.; nnsalted, 1245. to 1265., closing rather easier in anticipation! of larger arrivals and news of heavy shipments this week. Secondaries, stored, are very dull. / Chesso la quiet. Canadian'. 635. to 665. Sugar.—German boet, 83 per cent, net titre. 3d. lower at 9s. 7d. per oivt.; firstmark granulated, f.o.b. Hamburg, 7d. lower at lis, 6d. Bradford Tops.—Merino counts are weak and crossbreds firm; prices are unchanged. Sixty-fours, ■ 295.: super sixties, 28Jd.; common sixties, 28d.; fifty-sixes, 233 d.; fifties, 303 d.; forty-sixes, 163 d.; forties, 153 d.

THE METAL MARKETS. I Copper.—On spot, 7s. 6d. lower at £73 '15s. per ton; throe months', 17s. 6d. lower, at £72 10s.; electrolytic, £77 15s. Tin.—On spot. 455. lower at £182 7s. 6d. per ton; three months', 3Za. 6d. lower, at £183 15s. Lead—Soft foreign, 6s. higher, at £20 12s. 6d. per. ton. Pie-Iron.—Middlesboro' No. 3, 2d. lower at 51s. 5Jd. per ton. Spelter, ss. lower, at £20 15s. per ton.

Variation _ compared Pries, with . ' last week. £ «. il. 2J% Imperial ConBola ' 72 17 6 5s higher 4 „N.S.\V.1933Jttn.-July 100 0 0 Unchanged 3J „N.S.W.193O-50JIr.-Sp D7 0 0 Unchanged 88 „N.S.\V.-1030;(10 B9 0 0 Unchanged 8 „N.S.W.1925Apl.-Oct 81 U 0 Unchanged 4 „ Vic. 1920 Jan.-July 100 0 0 Unohnugod 31 „ Vic. 1921-6 Jon.July 94 0 0 Unchanged 3j „Vic, r T92U-iD ■ 8B 0 0 Unchanged B „Vic.l929-40Jan.-Jnly 71 01) Unchanged 31 „S,A. 1916 Jan.-July 89 0 0 Unchanged 3 „3.A. 1316Jan.-July 73 0 0 Unchanged 4 ,;Q'l'dl915-2-lJan.-July 100 0 0 Unchanged 3J „CJ'l , dl922-47Jan.-July U3 0 0 Unchanged 3 ,.QTdl922-i7Jan.-July 78 0 0 Unchanged 4 „N.Z. 1929 llay-Nov. 98 0 0 Unchanged 3J „N.Z. 1912-10Jan.July 90 0 0 Unchanged U „N.Z. IffiO April-Oct. 78 0 0 Unchanged Bl-„\V.A.191ls-35i\Iay-Nov 88 0 0 Unchangod 3 „W.A,1915-35May-Nov 79 0 0 Unchanged 1 BS „Tas. IfclOJan.-JuIy 89 0 0 Unchanged B „TaH.192O-10Jan.-Juiy bl 0 0 Unchanged