COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2401, 5 March 1915, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

■ ■ . INVESTMENT -SHAEES. In the investment market a Eftlo of Wellington Woollen ordinary shares at £4. 10s. • w reported.'' The Quotations were aa under:—

FREIGHT BATES. Notioe is feued to-day that commoncing with steamers leaving early in February freight rates > on cargo from the United Kingdom to Australia, and New Zealahd will be advanced fc. per ton. the reasonbeing that shipowners are suffering testy losses through the war.. Although the waf risk insurance has been reduced there are other circumstances that more than coun-ter-balance. Crews . are. getting increased wages, coals are dearer, and axe so often unobtainable in London that steamers have to call, at South Wales- ports for their bunkers after sailing from loading port. There is a shortage o£ stevedores, bo many being, in the Army or at French ports discharging Army stores. Thero is also a I great delay in cargo coming forward owing to shortage of lighters, railway trucks, motor lorries, and horses. The ports are congested through having to deal with all the' produce that would usually go to Antwerp, Hamburg.'or Bremen! Steamers have to wait weekp to get discharged, and. in many instances cannot wait to load fall but sail with part cargoes. In the trades where there are no conferences, but an open freight market, rates have generally doubled, and in 6ome Quadrupled. Coftls to i Port- Said, freight in July was 7s. to '7s. 6d„ lost week 20s. to 215.; this week 255. Wheat from River Plato freight was fc.j now 606. _

■ Oastoms ■ duty collected at the port of ■Wellington yesterday amounted to £2003 10s. 6d. SEVEN PEE OENT DIVIDEND. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) Dunedin, HaJch 4. The directors of Kempthorne, Prosser and Oo.'s Sew Zealand Drug Co. have decided to recommend the payment of a dividend at the rate of 7 per cent, per annum for the year ended January 31. ' AUSTRALIAN MARKETS. ■By Telegraph—Press Associatiofl-OoDjrisM 'Bee. March 4, 10.20 p.m.) Sydney, March 4. Oats, Tasmania!!, se. Id. to ss. 2d.; barley, English, 6s:<; Cape, feed,. sb. 6d.; maize, 4*. KM. to 5a.; potatoes, Tasmanian. £6 to £7; onions, Victorian, £B; butter, selected, 120b; seconds,- 112 a. to 1165.; cheeee, 7Sd., bacon? 9d.: to 106... . 1 Adolaldei March 4. ■Wheat, Bs. l&d. to Os. 3d.; flour, £17 15a.; bran, 10s. Bd.; pollard, 125., . , ' MELBOUBNE HIDE SALE. (Ecc, March 4, 10,20 p.m.) Melbourne, March 4. At the hides sale, stouts and heavies wero unchanged, and lights find kips a farthing lower. LONDON-WOOL SALES London, Mnxch 3. At the wool Balc6 bidding was animated, with prices hardening for all sorts, owms to strons American and Continental competition. The following prices were realised for the .clips named ;-Walhallow, lop price 15jd„ average 13 3-Bd.; Wcllshot, 16id. and 131 d.; Warbreccan, 131 d. and 123 J.; Gumbardo. 12d, aiid lid.; hew /oaJand, "Awhea," 17d. and 16Jd. New- Zealand Loan a.nd Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., have received the following cablegram from their London house under date March 2:—Merino—'Strong demand for America: Bussia operating.. As compared with February 6, greasy is 10 per ccn't., 6coured 15 per cent., crossbred (slipe and scoured, par to 5 per cent, higher. The market for crossbred greasy is firm at late rates.

BRISBANE SALES. Brisban«, March 4. At the wool sales competition, was excite iugly. keen, and prices fully maintained. Japanese were large buyers. LONDON MARKET?. London, March 3. The wheat market is dull and weaker. Linked til, £30. Turpentine, 425. 9d. LEAD IMPORTS. London, March 3. The le&d imports for January totalled 18.404 tone, includine 4215 tons of Australian. The exports amounted to 6313 tons. WHEAT. London, March 3. The American visible Bupply of wheat cast of the Rockies is 85,238,000 bushels. 1 METALS. London, March 3. Copper—On the spot. £62 176. 6d. 'to £63 In 6d.; three months. £63 7s. 6d. to £63 12s 6d.; electrolytic, £68 l»s. to £69 ss. Tin. ; -On the epot, £180 to £188 10s.; three months, £160 ss. to £160 15s. Bar silver is quoted ait 23 3-Bd. por onnce standard. TALLOW SALEB. London, March 3. At the l/illow sales 498 casks were offered and sold. Pricos wero unchanged. Tho New Zealand Loa.n and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd.. has received the fcll'wing cablegram from its LonJon house, under (fete August 3:-"Ta11ow: Wo nuote present fpot values for the following dcaptions i-Hujv mutton, «i. 3d. ner ■ i jsocut bscli 4tfi» idi j mii&d, 382* 6u.

Buyers. Brtlern. ti j. £ « d. Bank N.Z. (ord.) 10 12 6 - TJnion Bank 5' " " — I Well. Trnst Loan, Ltd. ... f ( 6 ' • Ohristcliureli Uas ... i -- » 7 ii 6 Well. Gas (£10) 16 0' 0 - 1 - Well. Gas' (pref.) 10 0 — Meat Export (£2 12s. fid.) — 2 16 6 Union Steam (ord.) 1 i ' , Union Steam (pref.) 10 6, 1 810 Kaia.poi Woollen (pref,) ...Bid/ — Alosgiel -Woollen 5 lb u — TVgtth Woollen, (pref.) ... 3 2 6. — Westport-Stockton — 0 5 2 Leylahd-O'Brien ....: * — 12 6 Manning and' Co 4 — ■; 5-0 0 Golden Biy Coment .... . 0 18 6 1 0 i Consol. Dental •• — 13 0 N.Z. Drug 2 6 0 — Sharland (pref.) 13 6 —