LIVE STOCK SALES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2134, 28 April 1914, Page 8

LIVE STOCK SALES.

The N.Z. Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. report:—At Levin, on Friday, we had a Rood yarding of both sheep and cattle. Lambs took a sharp rise, as also did (rood forward wethers and empty ewes. We made 6> (rood clearonco at following rates:— Miied lambs, to Bs. 5d.; store ewes, to 10s.; storo wethers, to ,175.; light fat wethers, to 205.; small 15-months heifers, to £2 55.: Jersey-cross, heifors, to £2 155.; 2-year Jersey-oross heifers, r.w.b., to £4; 2-year steers, to £4 25.; 3-ycar steers.-to -55 18s. 6d.; forward cows, to £5 195.; light fat cows, to £5 165.; fat cows. £6 Bs., £7 75.: heavier, to £7 155.; light stags, to £4; bulls, to £4. Messrs. Abraham and Williams. Ltd., report, on' their fortnightly sale, held on. Friday last, as follows:-We had a full yarding~of- all classes of Btock, 'which mot with very keen competition, most lines «elling readily under-the hammer. Both fat 6heep and fat cattle showed a substantial rise on late prices. Buyers were in good attendance, several lines being purchased for outsido districts, some going as far afield a* Takapau and Baurimu. We quote prices as under:—Fat ewes, 16s. 6d., 16s. Bd., 18s. 6d., to 19s. 2d.; best lambs. 10s. to tfc. Id.; small do, ss. 9d. to Bs. Bd.; store ewes. lis. 3d. to 14s. Id.: cull ewes, ss. 9d. to Ba. 5d.; cull ewes in lamb, 12s, to 12s. od.; 2-tooth wethers, 16s. 4d. to 18s. 10d.; fat 'bullocks. £9 Is., £9 13s. 6d. to £10; fat cows, £5. £5 17s. 6d., JESIOs. to £6 17s. 6d.; 3-year steers, £6 10s. to £6 lis.; 2-year steers, £4,155.; 18-month steers, £4 2s. 6d.;-18-months empty heifers, £3 Is.; store cows, £2 to £3 155.; cow 3 in calf, £4 to £5 2s. 6d.: heifers in calf, £4 to £6; Jersey weaners, 225„ 335., to. 345.; bulla £5 Bs. 6d. to £6' 10s.; baooners, 38s, 6d.. £2 ss„ £2 7s. to £2 14s. 6d.; porkors, 255., 295., 31s. to 355. 6d.; stores, 12s. 6d.. 13s. 6d.. 155.. to 17s. 6d.; weaners, ss. to 10s.; choppers, £2 to £3 Is.

■■*■■>•< COMMERCIAL ITEMS : • ■■ , INVESTMENT SHARES. There were' no transactions in investment shares yesterday. The uuotations were as., under:— Buyers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ «. d. National Bank 5 7 6 — Union--Bank : 59 5 0 60 .p 0 Metropolitan" Building .... — 12 0 0 Well'ngton Investment ... — . 011 3 Glsborne Gas — : 2 2 6' Palmerston N. Gas — 10 10 0 Well. Gas (£10) - 16 8 0 Union Steam (ord.) i.. — 15 6 Union Steam (pref.) 10 6 ■ — Westport Coal ...'. 17 9 — Leyland-O'Brien ; — 13 3 Golden Bay Cement 0 18 0 — W.F.O.A. (£1) - 1-6 0 BANK OF AUSTRALASIA. Tho report of tho Bank of Australasia for the half-year ended October 13 last states that,- after providing for rebates on bills current, for British and Colonial rates and taxes, and for all bad and doubtful debts, the net profit for the half-year amounted to £220,976. To this must bo added £29.192 brought forward, making a total of £250,168, out of which tho directors have declared a dividend for the half-year at tho rato of 14 per cent, per annum, or £2 16s. per share, and a bonus at tho rate of 3 per cent, per annum, or 12«. per share, together £3 Bs. per share, free of income-tax. Tho dividend and bonus on the present capital of £2,000,000 (the new shares having- been fully paid up), will absorb £170,0000, and the directors have further appropriated £30,000 to the resorve fund and £20,000 in reduction of the cost of bank premises. . Thcro will then remain £30,168 to bo carried forward. The premium, £600,000. received on tho new share", has been added to the reserve fund, which now stands at £2,690,000. / Tho proprietors will bo asked to approve the election as directors' of Mr. Frederick T. C. Living-6tonc-Learmonth, D.5.0., and tho Hon. Michael Hugh Hicks-Beach, M.P., in place of tho late Mr. W. E. Arbuthnot and the late Right Hon. Alfred Lytlelton respec' tively.

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S 'CABLE. The Department of Agriculture, Industries, and Comnierco has received the following cablegram from tho High Commissioner for New Zealand, dated London. April 25.. (Note—Quotations, unless otherwise specified, aro average market prices on spot):— Mutton.—The market is becoming more depressed on account of large arrivals. Tho demand, lias been chiefly for light weights; Canterbury, 4 3-Bd. per lb.; heavy weights are difficulty to sell at 3jd\; North Island, 41d. for light, weiEht. ■ Lamb.—There is a fair demand for better grades. The market has oecn unfavourably affected by the lowus prices "of mutton. Canterbury twos, 6id. per tb.; heavy weights. 58a7.; other than Canterbury, 5 15-16 d. for light weight. Beef—Tho market is. very dull. Quotations aro nominal. Hinds, 4 3-Bd. per lb.; fores, 3|d.; supplies of American chilled beef are largo. Chilled hinds ,4|d. per lb.; fores, 3 5-16 d. Butter.—The market is auist, but rather steadier. Danish, in fair demand, per cwt., Jl4s. to 1165.; Now Zealand, in fair demand, 106s. to IOSs.; nnsaltcd, 114s. to 118s.: Australian, 100s. to 1045.; exceptionally choice, 108s.; Argentine, market slow, 58s. to 1025.: Siberian, in poor demand, 995. to 1023.; American creameries,. 98s. to 1005. Cheese—The market is firmer, with a fair demand for New Zealand. Canadian market tiuiet. white, per cwt., 68s. to 705.;. coloured, 695. to 715.; New Zealand, white, 61s. 6d: to 62b.; coloured, 645. to 645. 6d.: Australian, white, 695. 6d. to 605.; coloured, 625. to 635. Hemp.—The market is eiclted on account of the Mexican crisis,'and prices havo been advancing rapidly. Manila.—Tlie market is firmer. Shippers aTO holding off. Fair current, £28 per ton: May to July shipments. £29. The output from .Manila for the week was 20,000 bales. New Zealand.—Tho market is very firm. Business has been done in high points .at £25' 10s. per ton. Today's value. June to July shipments, about £26 10.?.; fair, £24 10s. during this week, now £25. 10s.; good fair, nominally £27 ner ton, but thero aro no sellers. ■ Sisal—Landed sisal is nominally . unchanged, but no offers are obtainable from Mexico as it appears probable that tho war is likely to prevent shipment. Stocks at Progresso at end of March. 1914. 61.334 bales, against 112,265 bales last year. Shipments during March. 1914. 113.779 bales. againßt 49.379 during March. 1915. Tow—Tho market is firmer. Spot sales this week include third grade, per ton, £13: second! grade, £14. Wool.—The market is firm, with a, har-' dening tendency for merinos. Fine croßsbreds. all grades, prospects are favourable. Hops.—Tho market is steady, with an improved demand. English, per cwt., 120s. to 1505.; Continental. 100s. to 2005.; Califorman, 80s. to 110s. EXPORTS OF FEODUCE. The values of tho principal products exported from Now Zealand during the twelve months ended March 31 aro now available, and the following comparison, with tho values of 1913, should provo interesting:— 1914. ■ 1913. Butter 2,140,019 2.056.615 Ohecso 2,195,273 1,859,179

Hoof 446,816 324,578 Mutton, carcasses... 1,872.654 1,500,728 i» legs and pieces 32,843 43,522 L-iuib 2,548,944 1,825,343 Wheat' 11.805 95,414 Oa'tß 18,858 468,880 Potatoes 7,016 150,601 Horap ..-. 673,835 483.353 Poultry, rabbitß,'ctc. 77.967 50,851 Tow 60,628 41,005 Kduri jrum 674,285 430,200 Gram and pulse... 80,737 162,872 Hope 26.430 20,698 nidos 288,631 234,735 Skins 925,565 660,782 Ta)low 701,085 672,849 Timber 319,652 475,320 ' Wool 7,584,C63 8,065.945 Gold 1,462,338 . 1,305,217 £22,049,650 £20,58,0109 For the year thore is an increase of £1,469,541. which is extremely satisfactory, coming as it does after an expansion of over £2,000,000, which was tho result shown by 1913 over 1912. Butter exhibits an increase of 83,404, ■ cheeso £336,094, and for th* first timoin tho history of dairying the value of tho cheeso export-ofl exceeda that of butter. Increases ore also shown by mutton £371,926, lamb £723,602 beef £122,7/8, hemp £190,482, kauri gum £144,085, s old £157,121., and smaller increases by tow, hops, hidce, Mid skins. Agricultural products, such as wheat, oats, potatoes, and grain' and pulse show heavy decreases, and wool exhibited a shrinka-EO of £481,882.

LONDON WOOL SALES. The third of the scries of London wool 6alcs will commence in Coleman Street tills evening, and there is every indication that values will show a substantial Improvement. Tho Quotations for tops have advanced 6ince tho close of the last series, and the Continental demand for raw wool is by no means satisfied. It will in all probability bo found that German and French operators arc tho mainstay of the. market, and will force Yorkshire into buying. Little can bo expected from tho Americans, for the war in Mexico will not necessitate tho American. arniv wearing woollen clothing. Still, it is just possible that the Americans have reduced the, heavy • stocks they have held. If so. they should come into the markot for supplies. The main point, however, is that .wool is a, tremendously cood asset just now.

Customs duty collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2879 6s. ioa. WHEAT AND FLOUR. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, April 26. . The wheat market is firm, -with fair inquiry. The wheat and flour afloat for tho United Kingdom totals 3,290,000 quarters; fof the Continent, 1.930.000 quarters; Atlantic shipments. . 159.CC0; Pacific, 30C0. The total shipments to Europe duriwt the week amounted to 1,245,000 quarters, including 260,000 from Australasia. . LONDON .MARKETS. ' ' London, April 26. Copra-.—Small business doing, South Sea, in bags. £25 2s. 6ii. to £26. - . Cotton.—April-May, 6.905 d. per lb. Hemp—Market Btrong at a high \nint. Fair April-Juno, £26 10a. . Rubber—Para, 2s. 113 d. per lb.; plantation, 2s. 7Jd.j smoked. .2s. 73d. MANUFACTURED METALS. Tin plates, 1.0. coke, 13s. per cwt.; I.C. charcoal, lfls. Fenoing wire 1355., less 3.per cent. Angle steel, lG5s., less 2} per cent. Wire netting, 60 to J, H to 6 per cent, off list. . TIN MARKET DEMORALISED. ■''■•' London, April 26. The market is demoralised on heavy, realisations, largely due to the financial position arising from tho Mexican troubles; but good consumption business' is proceeding.