COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1991, 23 February 1914, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

. INVESTMENT SHAKES. The, sales of investment ehares recorded on. .Saturday were■:—Auckland Gae at 28s. and Imion Steam at '243. lCd. (two ales). The _quotatioii3 were as under:— Buyers. Sellers: £ s. d. £ s. d. Bank New Zealand ....V....' — 12 S- 0 Bank'X.Z: (rights) .....;„„■' ~ 5' 30 National Bank V — • 5 8 0 Metropolitan " Building' ... —" 12 6 0 X.Z. and Eiver Plato ... 2 20 — Auckland Gas '. 18 0 1 ; 8 6 Christchureli- Gas- (£5). ... '6 13 0 <150 Ohristchurch Gas-(£2) ... 2 15 0 — , Palmerston N. Gaa ' 9 Iff 0 • — Gear Meat (£4) ....:....-.'..... 14 0 0 ' —' Gear, Meat (£1) 3 11 0 • • - Union Steam (ord.)' ........ 14 6 150 Union Steam (pref.) 10 5, —' Hosgiol Woollen — 312 0 Well, yoollen (ord.) 4 0 0 - Well. Woollen (pref.) ..:... iio 3-l o AFcGtport-Stockton — .040 Leyland-O'Brien . 1.3, J. . — Taringaniutu Totara, 2 5 6 ' — Ward and Co. .' 5 0 0 — ■ Whitcombe and Tombs ' (rights) •' ■ 111 6 *- W.F.C.A. (£1) ...j -. , 1 6 6' BRITISH' SHIPPING. JjTyES. The' annual table published by. "'The Syren and Shipping," showing the relative positions in regard to tonnage ! of the , lcaditiß ship-owning companies.flying the' British Flag is of interest, as it reflcote tho great increase which has , taken place in, tho, amount.-of tonnajre owned by 'the leading iritefcst3. Tho Ellerman lines, "which for the three years to tho'end of 1912 headed the list,, are on thin? occasion a-good cecond with a total, of 131 vessels,'cmpriEins • $98,100 gross'tons, or an' average of 4566 ton? per vessel, this Company it should' be noted absorbed the-Buoknall Linep d few months ago. The?e* figures.are only beaten, by those of the British India Company, which,, by means of the" issue of.fresh capital. hn.s roiectl tho number of its veesels fr0m..127 to 151, while tho figures'o! stoss tonnage have Ti?en from's63,lCo to T13.1C0. Jtoreover,. the average ?ize of the'vesfels is lughor. bein? now 4722 as apainst 4434 tons at the end of 1912.- The P. and 0.Company continue? to. occupy third position, thn lumber of it.i vessels Tiavin<r :increated by 27 to 93, while the total of M 9.600 gross toii3 now shown 'comp-ares with 538,950 tina twlve rionths airo. Alfred-Tclt nnd' Co.. with 77 resnels of 513,107->ros<i ton', rome fourth. The Eoval Jrail Bteam Packet Comjjany liss .iunni»<l from the thirteenth to-the eiehth" position, with a -total of 64 vc6?ols, esere"•iMni? 3»J).tfO t:r~* inn*, delusive of tho TJnion, Cistlo, Elder Dempster, and Lamport and Holt Comnanios, ill of which are controlled by the Eoyal Mail interests. BEiTISH TRADE IN' IUS. British trado in 1913 established a. new high level. Tho imports for the twelve months oggregated £769,0J3,95?, an increase o[ £24,393.323. and . tho exports toto-lled £320,461,416, an. increase of £38,257,977 over 1912. Tho increases recorded by the 1913' totals over those for 1911 are even raoro remarkable, tho imports being £88,876,432, nnd -Uin exports £71,342,118 above thofe for 1911. Practically every cla-e of goods in■cren.«ed last j'far among .the imports. Art\clcs of food, drink, and tobacco rose ,bs- £9.809,473; rn.w materia-h and -articles mainly unmanufactured increased by £6,256.323; while articles wholly or moinly mamifsolured- weTe up ' to the extent of £3,139,328. A notable decroaso was'one of £9.663,419 in imports of cotton as comparedwith 1912. while .the largest 'increase- wns one of .t7.W4.355 in import* of me?.t, includi'ir animn!". for food.. As recarrtp the exports for 191?,' articles of food, drink, and toW"o wore ■ down- by £73.048; raw'resinriils nnd flrt.icle? mainly tmmenufactured increa-ed by £10,47e,975-oa increase' of

£11,074,183' in coal. coke," ( rnd manufactured fuel being elighl.ly discounted by small Hotlines, in , various o'.iwr classes-; while articles wholly or nwin-ly manufactured marked an improvement of £38,543,830. iron find steel ■ manufacturer? thcrerif I>riutr £5,730,615, coUon £4,986,501, new ships £4,p04,074. land machinery £3,889,667 up, ii f Compared with the totals for 191 J. The exports of, foreign and colonial merchandise amounted to £109,655,718, ft. tlrop of £5,085,973, though the total showed an increase- of £6,896,584 over the ; 1911 figures.. FIRES 1N T TjOSBM. ■ Last year-the London Firo - Brigade- received'in round figures • .5760 "calls," of which-..1780 proved to- be fate alarms, 550 : chimney alarms and 339#' actual-, fires. Of the' latter, 45 were. officially tested "serious" and 3345 "slight" • outbreaks, The average number;.ot fires per year during the last five years Wis -3486. The bvipadft haa now to protect 117 souore miles ef property. Thrown dawn -lights e-mttd na fewer than- 828 outbreaks, IS -were, caused by defective clectric circuits, 180 bv "sparks, from'fires, and 13! :fe y mishaps with candles. Hero wtie 2? jroscetttioitt fellowing 435 malicious' la!e<> alarms-. In Z-67 flres the cause was Wirac.ed.- Structural defects caused 214 fires, electric lighting . 152, gas lighting 218. oil lighting 1?S. toeing 'SZO. carelessness. 13-S-4, and -arson 16, while 409.Arcs were caused-in the ez«!c&» of business and industry.'' . There were'9s'lives tot during ths year, •25 . males and 70 femalesrafid sf thM6 27 were taken out 'alife find-Jr dra-d fc-v thefiremen, while 34 -we're removeti after the brigade were called. In all 179 Ijtes wort* endangered, and; of ,theoe 13 were a-?.'«ted out'by firemen, with the aid of briVails appliances, and 22 moles and 34 fanwlea Wete faved by the. firemen-. <3f the fatal la were caused by children playing with fire, 14 by clothes coming to contact with fire, 10. by the upiettfog ■of minora! ML lamps,, and 12 by' iinltnowh cause*. Thi! o-reateat number of fatal fires ocnurtcd itt Islington. / The estimated hhmMott ]ms byjlr" during the year in Iwidoh iV-a-brmt fires whfch wok tttt-ri. buted to ' Suffragettes ex-emrsd during thf year, in which a considerable amount of damage wao done. , MAJIUfE IKStJftAKCB. An- unsatisfactory feature of - the fear 1913 from the point of view «.f British marine underwriters was .the nftfttber of severe fires, which were aeoojn-paiUf d. insomo cases, by terrible Joss of life," The Estonia, the Teraple-inore, oai ■ the Yc>}- ' turuo ■ were. entirely lest -act a result of outbreaks of this desctiuticra, while in other cases serious' disaster fflsiied! si* though the hulls were savii. In this «oijnection the Turakirta- iM-y be met felted, tho loss to underwriters in- this case ha-v. in* reached a total estimated to li&ve been in excess-of SSSj.DOfI. The figures of insurance relating to sa.ffiftg' ships are no> longer. of any very great' fJnpoi-fenoe", the number of "wind-jammers" of os-er ICSO tons on the .British register being nowonly a trifle- over ISO, and even these ctfe hcing reduced by s?3es t<j ?or-eisE owners.' Moreover, vessels of tliis description -are not 'usually insured at Hoyd's. The year wan not a particularly ia-Vonrabls one to underwriters as regards profiis, for white there were ta such outstanding jes.t.nres as the loss of the. Titanks; which occurredla. 1912, together' with sev-feral other ■ fine: vosscls. the- number of Triinor casualties lias of lata been 'very heavy-,' and the nhestion- of . tho odvjsabiiity of raisi-h<t rates of.in™rance is one? meite beitis seriously considered. : . Th«re is, «.lfo the'feet that costs of repairs tend. steadily tft increase. and even if tho number of faffna!tics was thorsarae as ft. f«w ycrtfs aro the Tesultinij claims -would be' much larger thaii. was.then the- ctee owinff to tfce-.«d-vo nce in costn of raw f materia is and of labour.'- Lloyd's n?embtr-=. oajt the marine insurance comnani ol ; will d-iubiless artint fome concerted acti-m in ,lhi3 connection before liiinj? in' 'the light pi re«.-nt- experience. Meanwhile the- Bene'ral -feeling in't-hs "room" nrwaTf to' he MM. cten. if tho results. oMa.in.cd durine 1913 ran hardly be described as bri'l-li-itifc tticy at I'-ns't miirht have heen o -rrrf-at driat worse, \V'hiie 1914 li«« st-afted with tirosficets of nroducin'pr.'a considefaWe atnownt of, fresh bus such c-s fthoiild at least iretarn a mpderate,;p.r-.oflt, , "• CUSTOMS. -' Customs duties collected -a^.-tho'tojt.of Wellington on Saturday toto-Jled £6-'ss. Si, 7d., - the - amount for tho week beinir £10,716 JOs. Id. ' .Tho, returns lor oath, of i.hb ipast eiffht,weeks, compared v;itii. the fi®Wes for tho corrospbndins period., dif' tho p-rcvieus year, show a3 under-.— mU4. ■ 1912-15. - £ • January-.3 ...' 12,649 18.0,51 January 10 3i.388 29.0.77 January ii. 15,42? 21/91 January 24 2-3,i!4 23,191 ..January. 31,....1......— 13,892.. 13.9-iS February ; 7-' 15,t2J. 26,2-52 February 14 ............... 27,926 ' 34,41-8 - February Zl' 18,715 26-^6? •"Ilosi £-£54,069 Tile be» r duty eolleoted lest week o-awiffnt-ed t0.£209 Bs., as against. $226 "li. for. tne corresponding week of last year. FEILDING MARKET HEPOUT. Mosire. A. H. Atkinson end Co., Ltd.» ef Feilding, roport a fair entry of pigß oil Friday. IVeaners.woW-easier ia valita, hut porkers and forward stores sold well. A largo ■ quantity of fru.it of -ail deict iptioßS was sold. Poultry, at per Mir;— Hens, 25.,-2s. 3d., to. M„ Ss. 3d,,- 3s. 64., I«.j chicks, 9d. and' Is.: cpokorefs, Ss,, 3s. Jd,. 33. 6d.\ 4s: id.; half-gfowfii Is. id,., Is,. 9d-, Ss'., 2s. 3d.; ducks, 4s.' 3d.,, <5. fid. Pis*-: .Weaners, 65,., £o. 6d., Ss. 6d„ 10s. r (Sd,, 1 lis. '6(ii. 125.; slins, to Ife.; patk-ers, .28-4, !( 315., 355., 40s.' Other Mnes:—roars,. 2i. to. ts. 6d.; apples,-15.'64., Is. 9d.; oniumhefs, 1». 6d. to 25.; tomatoes,'3s-..;. peaches,'4s. 65., 'ss.;.bananas,.ls.-3d. to:S?« all at-per halfcase; raspberries, 3s. pet 12Vb, bucket; efthbages, 25,. 6d.. per" sas-Is; &i. per, -bundle; •-onions.. 2s. 64V tet. 2016. tsa®;potatoes is. per cwt. ' OAMAEU SrAEEBTS, . (By.: Telegraph.—Press Association,) •Oamaru, febmary Si. . . A good many samples of-.the new sen sons grain have come on. to the'market, hut, ao there,is- a, wide, diffeejnc.e between growers and,'merchants as to ..value, little business has been done., Jliiler-s also ar,c n»-t anxious to buy. Velvet ha.s said, at, 3s. 7d. not; mixed -vejvet qnd red' choff,' at tho same' price;, and Marshall's w-liite; at 3s. 6'd. net J at country-stations, ...The pfeo of A grade Garton- oats has renged fromIs. 7Jd.- to 15..9 d„ and .Qntio at Is. sd. nef at country- stations. There is. not a. great demand for. borloy, a-ltiioug-h' it - fas. been offering freely. . A.nice sninDle, sai.i-at.3i. 2d;,' less commission,. while, for- medium' quality,' 25.. 3d. not-lias been paid. Capo barley has sold'at Is. Bd,'net,, aftt la-. Sd;,' less commission.. ■' ■ , - DUN'EDIX'S £150,«0 J,OAN-' - By, Telceraah—Press -4M:ficl.s,tion—Cow rI»M" London, February: 21. The City of Dunediii. Waip&ri loa-ii —£150,000 at-4J percent.—was'iasued'at par. LONDOK MAUKJiTS., - -(Bee.'February & 5,5. p; : m,) - London) February' 21,New Zealand. Hemp,"-The-martet is- inactive. March-Jla-y sMPßettts-aie quflt<:d at £26 .per -ton: Copra is -dull ofvsale, South' Sea, in ' bass, £28 .10s., per ton, .. Cotton.— February-March shipments of American middling cotton. are cie&rlflfi at 6.78 d. per lb. Eubb'e.r.—Hard fine Para, 3s.- ld. per lb.; plantation, 2s. 4id..to 2s. EA; sfflokfid sheets, 1 20. 53d.