COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1932, 15 December 1913, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHAKES. A sale of Westport Coal shares at 3ft;. (cum rights) was the only transaction in investment shares on Saturday. The quotations were as under:— Buyers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ s. d. Bank New Zealand 10 17 6 — . National Bank — 5 8 0 Well. Trust and Loan .... — 7 9 0 Ohrietchnreh das 6 15 0 7 0 0 Well. Gas (preference) ... 0 19 6 — National Insurance 2 11 0 — Gear Meat (£4) '. 13 10 0 - Gear Meat (£1) 3 10 0 - Well. Woollen (ord.) — 12 0 Westport Coal 19 6 - Westport-Stockton — 0 4 0 C. M. Banks, Ltd — 1 3.9 Whitcombe .and Tombs ... — 70 0 W.i'.C.A. (£1) — 16 0 '. NATIONAL MUTUAL LIFE. New policies assuring £3.647,812, were I issued-by the National Mutual Life Association of Australasia, Limited, ;u the twelve, months ended Soptombcr 30, that beincr the largest total secured by tho association since its foundation iu 1869. The total incomo for tho year after, deducting reassurance premiums, was ~£1,395,245, of which £1,028,444 represents pre- ■ miumson policies, and £366,802 interest and rents. The total erpenditure for tho year was £686,076,. of which £511,045 was paid to policyrholders or their representatives, ".'he funds ...oh .'.September■■ 30 amounted to :£8,000,461; -an incrcasu ■on the year of £709,169. In comparison with 1912, new business shows an increase of £54,012; total income', is. £110,882 higher: and expenses have increased to tho extent, of only £367. Claims were £13,194 less, Government and municipal debentures decreased'by £1606, loans on l mortgage increased by £367,606. ■and other loans by £72,948. The total of :thebalance-sheet is. £8,229,079, as againet £7,477,098 twelve months ago.

:' . T/'aND'G. MUTUAL LIFE. ' -Tho financial statement of tho Australasian, Tomperanco and General Mutual 'Life Society, Limited, for tho year ended .feoptember 30 last shows that tho policies issued numbered 10,211, assuring £1,059,484 an. -tho ordinary, and 58,857 assuring £1,400,592 in the industrial department, making together 69,068 policies, attiring £2,490,076, being Increases of 2146 in number, and £970,032 in tho aggregate amount assured on the 1912 figures. Tho increaso in tho society's funds is £160,691, after payment of £181,119 to policy-holders; total income is £52,000 higher than in the previous year,.and Teprceents tho largest increase' ever recorded by the society; and m the item expenses, there has been an upward movement of £14,985. The actuarial report states that tho rate of interest assumed .was 3J per cent, throughout. The proportion of annual premiums reserved for future expenses,, was 17.2 per cent, in the ordinary and -24.4 per cent, in the Jndustrial department, provision for future expenses and bonuses on limited premium business being made by special reserve. Tho surplus on September 30 last amounted to £71,551, of which £29,680 has been, divided. Tho policies participntine were 44,533, assuring £4,679,566 in the ordinary and 115,203, assuring £2,470,353, in the industrial department. ,

CUSTOMS. Customs duties colleetea at the port of Wellington on Saturday totalled £1938 £21,699 7e. Id. The returns for each of the past eight weeks, compared with the figures for the corresponding period of tho urenoua year, show as under :- »«. 1912. October 25 ■ Z2,U6 2-1.997 November 1 4.873 22.08 a November 8 4.966 11,323 November 15 9,675 17 954 November 22 25.970 IJt)S3 • November 29 16,815 IO.OOS December 6 16.030 23.217 TJecember 13 21,669 12,821 £122,114 £132,491 The beer duty collected last week amounted to £209, as against £255 lis. for tho corresponding week of last year. RISE IN BUTTER. By Teleirraph-Press /jsooiatioii-Oopyrieht (Itec. December 14, 5.5 p.m.) _ .. . Sydney, December 13. Butter has risen 4s. per cv,-t. owing to tlio shrinkage of supplier, duo to the drv weather. * FROZEN MEAT. (Itec. December 14, 5.5 p.m.) ™ T L , London, December 13. a , lle „ ll ;?s»'Porated Society o£ Jicat Importers Smithliclrt market quotations for tho undermentioned classes of frozen meat are based on actual sales of not less than one hundred carcasses of mutton or lamb or twenty-uyo nuarters of beef of fair average quality. Tho quotations aTe not for selected lines, but for parcels fairlv reprcscntative of the bulk of tho shipments now on tho market. The prices .which follow are on the average a, farthing per lb. more than the. values ex ship, this difference- representing the average cost in expense, handling, .conveyance, and sellin" tho meat:— -wmi,, Mutton- ' D f, c ' 6 ' D «- 13 ' Canterbury, light »' . ai.ls Canterbury, medium * ■ • Canterbury, heavy * ii<i Southland « <' North Island, best 5 $ North Island, ordinary a n Australian, ligh,t 4 4 Australian, heavy ,', 4 4 River Plate, light * 41 Ilivcr Plato, heavy 4J 4315 Now Zealand, ewes 4;. 315-16 Australian ewca 33 37 Ilivcr Plate cwea * 4 LambCanterbury, light 53 6j Canterbury, medium 6J 59 ■ Canterbury, heavy s>. 51 Southland *" * North Island, ordinary * * North Island, selected ... * • Australian, best 5 3-8 533 Australian, fair 5J 53 Australian, inferior 5 3-16 5V Ilivcr Plato, first • I River Plate, second 43 41 Beef- * % New Zealand, ox forcp ... 4 4 New Zealand. 01 hinds... H « . Australian, or fores 4" 4 Australian, 0.1 binds 4 7-16 43.8 River Plate, ox fores 4 4 JMver Plate, nx hinds .. 41 n Ilivcr Plate, chilled fores 4 3j River Plate.chilled hinds 5 ' 4| 'Nou« offerlni:.

Note—Australian lambs, fair aualitr -Mi* 8«otaho)i. is for corcwM wder K»M* foi JOfsnor quality, light-weights.. OKtEXT SHIPPING COOTAJiY. (Em. December 14, 5.5 p.m.) 'r>r,„ n • ~ ~ London, Dwoinbor 13 S 6 f,rad «I« mrlcd B lS: BABBITS. »iUv», ex store, arc quoted at 17s. JUTE. T,,f« -m u London, December 13. quot&~« T ta^2£ e tt ber "Upments «r. per ton, 5 10s ' to " 5 12s - 6d.