COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1920, 1 December 1913, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. Tho s<ile3 recorded in investment share* on Saturday were: Hank of Xew Zealand at £10 165., and Westport-Stockton Coal, at <s. The quotations were as follow:— J)iiyer?. Sellers. £ a. d. £ s. d. Hank Kew Zealand 10 16 0 11 0 0 National Dank — 5 7 9 Well. Investment Oil 0 0 11 9 Well. Trust and Loan ... 7 5 6 — Ohristehurch Gas 6 15 0 6 19 0 National Insurance 2 9 3 — N.Z. Insurance — 5 14 6 S.B. Insurance 4 10 — Gear Meat (£4) 13 4 0 Gear Meat (£1) 3 9 0 — Union Steam (ord.) 14 6 15 0 Mosgiel Woollen 3 9 0 — Well. Woollen (ord.) — 4 10 Westport-,Stockton 0 3 U 0 4 2 N.Z. Con. Dental 10 9 —

The past month has been an exceptionally <tuiet 'one fpv tthnrehelders, and I hi.'- may be said to. be directly due to the strike and-the resulting dislocation of peueral Imslness. Tho course of sales durin;? November was. as under:— 'Bank of New Zealand, £10 16s. Wellington and l.oan, £7 6s. fid, '.Christchurch Ga*. £6 17s. 6d. iY.Z. Irioiiraucc, £5 6s. 6d., ,€5 •Standard ■•Insurance, 32*. 3d., 325. 3d., 32^. M ~ ' JJnion Slwim. preference, 395. 6d. 3[o,i»giel Woollen, £3 IPs., £3 10s. Wostport-Stockton, 45., 4s. liOyland-O'Brk'n Timber, 235, M. M'KLLINGTON WOOL SALES. Originally it waa intended that the <sfalogues for the Wellington wool sales should close on 7'Yiday last, and by that date approximately 10,200 bales were available, 'huuby arrangements marie during the day it was' decided to include the wool arriving o/i .Saturday, and there is now some prospcct of the quantity exceeding 11,CCD bale?. Napier to-day a. fair quantity of wool will .bo• offered, and some in the trade believe tha£ pricc<= at Napier, will show an improvement on the prices realised at Auckland, because a- better class of wool is 'likely to be oil oiler. Owing to the strike a .good deal of New Zealand wool that otherwise would have reachedLindon in time for the.January sales, will ,now be carried over to March, when, values are not likely to be as good as in January. 'J'ho local ouyers will'-be busy during the week valuing, -.and the reserves arc not too bisrh, the \vale on:. Friday should be a success."

I' DEVELOPMENT OP SHII'ITXCi. . Tl\e annual report, of Lloyd's Register ot Shipping for the rear ended Juno 30 con'tains matter of considerable interest, for it 'show? tho progress and development of shipping. At the cud of Juno last 10,466 merchant vessels, registering over .221 million ,ton.s |jrc.--s, held classes assigned >by- Ihe committee of Lloyd's 'Register. Of. the total 6297 vessels were British, com.pnsing 6912/ steamer* of iron and steel, of 13,103*3® tonnage; «1 sailing vessels.of , iron.and t,tcel, of 355,695 tonnage; and 124 vessels (ftcam and sail), of wood and composite, of 15,905 ionnago. . The remainder were foreign, including 3602 steamers of iron and steel, of 8,152,661 tonnage; 660 sailing. vessels; of iron and steel, of 1,052,704 .tonnage, and scran vessels (3teanj anrj sail), of wood and composite, of 1307 tonJV'SP* .. During the .year the committee assigned classes to 651 new vessels. Their registered gross tonnage amounted to 1,664,667 tons, which total was the highest for one year yet recorded in the- history of the society. The total included 593 Steamers of 1,643,250 tons. About 60i per cent, of the total number of vessels registered were .built for the United Kingdom, anfeabout .394. per cent, for the British colonies and foreign countries. The total tonnage in the preceding year was 1,468,166. ,During tlio twelvo months ended June 30 last,' plans of 752 vessebr representing two million tons of .-hipping, were passed by the-committee, and nt the end of September tho neiv tonnage actually in hand under tlio special survey of the society reached flio total of 2.048,136 tons.

The employment of oil engines for seagoing Vessels i-j referred _!;> in the report, and. it is stated that there are in service twelve sea-going vessels, classed with the society, which are propelled by Diesel engines, while twenty-five othera arc being constructed. Of the latter six were huildiug to the order of the Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Company, and seven for the iKast, Asiatic Company of' Copenhagen. A \featitre which stands out very prominently in "tho operations of the society daring the year ■ under review is the unprecedented number of vessels of upwards of 5000 tons which, had been assigned the l'.O At Class._ making a total of 820 such vessels. Nine vessels, each of which exceeded 10.000 tons, had received classifies .lion, during the year. These included two steamers, each exceeding 16,003 tons, for the'- Canadian-Pacific Hallway Company. Tho latest returns of vessels being constructed to tho society's cla'isilication showed the same tendency towards huildJng vessels of large tonnage. The returns incindt! 20 steamers of 12,CC0 tons and above, amongst thein being the Aquitania, of 48,C00 tou3, for tho Cunard Company, and the Statendam, of 32.5C0 tons, for the llollahdAinerikii Line. There were also numerous steamers of 10,COO-12,0C0 tons each, being built,'to the society's classification, for the 11,I 1 , and O. Company, tlio Royal' Mail Steam Packet Company, and other prominent lines. .A remarkable increase had been witnessed (luring the year in the amount of' tonnago classed by the society in respect of vessels intended for carrying oil in built, no fewer than 45 such vessels of 202.C25 tons, receiving tlio society's classification. The demand for vessels of this description continued, and there were at present 83 of such vessels of 381,410 tons, in courso of construction. Tho number of vessels' holding the society's certificate in refrigerating machinery (Lloyd's IiJEC.) continued-to increase, being now 171. Other important subjects alluded to in. the re-po.-t,' are' the use of wireless telegraphy and submarine signalling, which, it is j stated,' increase year by year. There are I now recorded in the society's register boon j 1532 vessels fitted with wireless telegraphic installations, as compared with 1392 ; at the corresponding date of last year, and--805" fitted' with submarine signalling apparatus, as compared with 630 last year.

1 ; ; . CUSTOMS. Customs dutios collected at tho port o! Wellington' on .Saturday totalled £938 ss. 9d., the amount for tho week being £16,813, 13s, Id. The returns for caeli of tlio -past-eight weeks, compared wltli tho ..figures for tho corresponding period of tho previous -year, show as under;— ' 1 ' 1913. 191!. .: , .£ it October 11 11.901 11,713 October 18 13.109 8.748 October 2 .116 25.997 Movember 1 4,873 22,033 - November 8 4,966 11,323 • •• November 15 9,675 17,951 t." J,'h\'erili(;r 22 25,970 11.083 ' November 23 16,315 -10,008 ;■ . ; • £109,728 £116,911 Tile beer duly collected la,;t week amounted to £111 '10;. lid.. as against £58 for the corresponding week of last year. • Tho Customs duties collected each mouth duringlhe pastelevcn uionth=, compared with tho figures for the corresponding months of last year, showed as under:— . !' I 1913. ' 1912. ' £ s.d. £ s. fl. January 95.827 2 1 61,656 11 6 February ...... 8'.918 16 5 72,741 10 5 Malrcji 77,183 3 4 ~ 71.184 3 6 April 65.44.1 17' !> , 67,986 6 3 May • 67.598 5 2 61,666 15 8' Muni!; 68.165 3 7 63.90) 16 3 July 75.657 13 5 60,£02 5 0 August i 80,726 10 10 69,492 8 8 September ... 85,323 11 9 76,939 13 6 October- 65.041 0 » 91.898 !5 1 November 57,742 3 2 55.537 11 5

I; ■ £325,735 II 5 £703.237 0 6 The (.'iirlonia revenue received last mouth ; : hn'.v:- i . of £2204 lis. 9d.. 0.-eoniiiarcd-witli November iast year, and this ;notwithstanding the strike. ; >'Klii«lNG JIAIIKKT liiil'OliT. Messrs. A. 11. Atkinson anil Co., Ltd,, of Feiidin'g, sold on Friday some 3CO head of poultry and a medium yarding ot pigs, l'i'-.ii h'old particularly well, and poultry mado good'prices. Wcauer pigs, small. 12s. Id.; botler ijnality, 175.. 18s., 195.,2C5.; stores, 265. 6d.' to: 315.: porkers, 3Eri., Poultry, at.per.pair: Hens. 3s. 3d.. 3s. 6d. ( 3s. 9d. 4s. '3d.; roosters, ss. 6d.; hnif-grown rockerels. 2s. 3d., 35.,' Jci. 3d.; pullets, 3s. 9d., Is.; chicks, Is. 3d.; to -'Is. 6d.; ducks, 3s. Cd., is.. Is. 6d.. 4s. 9d., 55., 65., 6a. 3d.; turkey gobbler, 365. Produce: New potatoes, Efi. per ewt,.; old, fe'. to ss. per bag; cabbages 4s. to ss. per .saclis; onions, 12s. per e.wt.

XORTH OTAGO MAUKETS. Oly Telegraph.—l'vcss Association.) Ozmaru, November M Owine to tVio sU-iko ttu-re iu'o accumulations of prain in store waiting- shipment foe the uorfii. Tlio port will be opened on lloaday, when two steamers call [or envgoe:-:. During the wee); there ll.'lvc been only a few transactions, and these on a moilo-t scale. Velvet bas sol'-l at 4s. Citd., and 3s. Oid. net has been paid for solid straw Tuscan. A fair-sized line of A Crrado Ga-rton.s was purchased at a (ioiintry station, at 25., less commission. The season for potatoes lins closed. I,OX BOX WOOi- SAM'S. o!ec. November 30, 5.5 p.m.) By Telegraph,—Press Association—Couyrielit i London, November' 29. At the sale? were wi;oi:d cuinpciition j fur nil i|i|alilies. ami piiees a>-r nn'-hiinifed. The loUowiii',; were tli«: I'lkcs realised I'M I

the lleecn porlion* of the clips named:— "iS'ilcaforra," trip price wei-ap; /wire led.: "Erinpa," top l*., average Messrs. Murray, Roberts and Co., Titil have tliday received the following Niblupram, (hited November 28, from llu-jr London friends. Messrs. Sanderson, Murray, and fio.:~"ljnnd<jii Wool .Seller-Compared ts-itli last. London .sales' closing < rauv for meriuo inferior, the nnrket declined 5 per cent. For the tamo description thy market is irregular/' '• FItOZEX MEAT. (Hec. November 30, 5.5 p.m.) By Tolerranh—Press Association— Copyright London, November 29. The Incorporated .Society of Meat Importers' Smithficld market, ouot-ations for tlio undermentioned classes of frov.on meat are based ou actual sales oC not less than one hundred carcasses of mutton or lamb; or twenty-live Quarters of beef of fair averago (juctLity. The. Quotations are not for selected lines, but for parcels ftiirly representative of-the bulk of the shipments now ou tho market. The uriccs which follow are on tho average a farthinj: per lb. moro than the values ex ship." this difference representing the average cost in expense, handling,', conveyance, and collins tho meat:--A-0v.15. iluiion— d. d. Canterbury light. Canterbury, medium ~ * Canterbury, heavy *" * Southland Q '»£ Kurth Island, best 4* «U' North Island, ordinary... 4*J-16 Australian, ltg"Ut Australian, heavy 315-16 010-16 lliver 1* lute, iignt " River Plate, heavy 41 4^ 2Scw Zealand, ewes 33 513-16 lUver Plato cweu w * Lamb—' Canterbury, Jiffht 50-B 5 3-8 Canterbury. medium ai 51I'nnferbury, heavy n 5 Southland ® ?s T orth Island, ordinary... 5 5 .North Island, selected ... * Australian, best 5i B\ Australian, fair 51.16 Australian, inferior 5 5 Kiver Haw, first * * Bivor Plate, second 42 BeefNew Zealand, ox fores 32 oj? Kev; Zealand, ox hinds... 4i '4£ Australian, or fores 32 4 Australian, ox hinds 43-8 4 7-16 JJiver Plate, ox fore.-* 33 Kiver Plate, ox hinds .. <U 4$ Kiver Piute, chilled fores 3U-16 4 i'iver Plate, chilled hinds - 42 *N-ohc offerum.

HABBIT.S. Tlie .market, is oniet, and prices are unchanged. Tho duality oE rcccnt arrivals is satisfactory. \ JUTK. ! Ue.t.ive lirst. murks, December shipment, £5-". 7.=. tel. pet- ton.