COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2440, 20 April 1915, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. Two sales were reported on. the Wellington Stock Exchange yesterday, when National Bank were sold at £5 10s. and Bank of New Zealand (£6 13s. -4d.) changed hands at £17 3s. Other prices were as follow:— Buyers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ s. d. Bank N.Z. (£3 63.81) - 11 2 0 Equitable Building 9 8 0 — Wn. Trust Loan, Ltd. ... 7 8 6 — Wellington Gas (£10) 16 7 6 — Gisborne Gas 114 6 — N.Z. Insurance 6 16 — Gear Meat (£4) 14 7 6 — Gear Meat (£1) 3 16 0 — Meat Export £212e. 6d.)... 3 5 0 — Westport Coal 1 13 0 114 0 Leyland-O'Brien 12 6 — Golden Bay Cement 10 0 — Sharland (ord.) 13 9 — Sharl&nd (prof.) 13 9 — Ward and. Co — 6 16 0 GERMANY'S SUGAR CHOP. Germany's sugar beet year, from the factory point of view, has been a fairly favourable one, in spite of the war. Licht'e report, as given in an American letter to the "Louisiana Planter," dated February 3, says that 244 factories in operation ground up 10,533,000 tons of beet, compared with 287 factories in 1913 and 10,986,000 tons, or a decrease of 4.13 per cent. The report conxinucfi "The distribution of all the sugar produced. in Germany is still a big puzzle. The 6tocks are- enormous, and up to now only 40 per cent, of the contingent of each factory is permitted to be sold to refineries. The price was fixed at 9.50 marks per 50 kils 31 with an addi-

every month after that date till a. maximum price of 10.25 marks. The refineries fire eager purchasers of raw sugar now, not eo much because they actually want that sugar, but because they can get it cheaper at present than later on. "The st-ocks of sugar in Austria are 6till large, t as the exportation is much smaller than in ordinary years. The Austrian Governmont hae acknowedged that fact by permitting tjic use of sugar as raw material for the distillation of spirit, and that with a .T I ? w k° £avo the potatoes and corcaJs which serve for that use ordinarily and now may be wed Jon- food. CREAM OP TARTAR. The following is an extract from a. 3et"tar received by a commercial firm in the city, with .respect to cream of tartar:— "It is our belief that the market will go higher. It appears that tho chemical required for the reduction by the French process to 95 per cent, or lower, i 6 running very short, and is made in Germany. This ! accounts for recent favourable offers of 99 per cent., which is not reduced. Then, again, argols, which is the raw material from which cream of tartar is made is also scarce, and when one remembers that go much of the wine-growing area in France i 6 now in German, occupation, it follows that argols are going to he scareo for a considerable time. Should Italy go into the war a further source of supply of argols will probably be much reduced. \7e hear that the French manufacturers are I endeavouring to obtain Italian workmen, I to keep going."

■WELLINGTON MARKETS. Laery and Co., Ltd., lUlcn Street, report wholesale prices as follow Fowls' wheat, 7s. 6d. per bushel; fowls' barley, 6s. 3d.; Cape barley, 75.; feed peas, 6s. 6d.; Prussian blue peas, Bs. 6d.; maize. 6s. 6d.; chaff. 0.5., per ton, £8 10s.; hay, £6 to £7; flour, in eacka, £18; oatmeal, £23; bran, £8 155.; pollard, £9 155.; rice pollard, £8 10s.; onions, ss. per cwt.; potatoes, £6 ss. to £6 10s.; bacon, all best factory sides, 9Jd. per lb.; haras, all best, factory, 9id.; rolls, all best factory, 103 d.; shoulders bacon, all best factory, 73d.; cheese, factory medium, 9d. per lb.; superphosphates, £5 ss. per ton; bonebust, mixed, £6 15s. per ton; linseed meal, £19 10s. per ton; linseed nuts. £14 per ton; linseed ground cake, £14 per ton; hens, 2s. 6d. to 3s. per pair; heavy birds, 4s. to 4s. 6d.; cockerels, Is. 6d. to 3«. s ducks, Runners, 4s. to 55.; large ducks, 6s. to 7s. 6d.; turkeys, gobblers 10(1. to lid. per lb., live weight; hens. Bd. per lb. Customs duty collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £1562 lis. 4d. COAL EXPORTS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.l Creymouth, April 19. Last week's coal export:—Point Elizabeth, 1794 tons 9 cwt.; Liverpool, 1701 tons 19 cwt.; Blackball, 3877 tons 17 cwt.; North Brunner, 283 tons 12 cwt.; Paparoa, 124 tons 5 cwt.; total, 7803 tons 8 cwt. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLED MARKET REPORT. The Department of Agriculture, Industries, and Commerce has received the following cablegram from tho High Commissioner for New Zealand, dated London, April 17. (Note: Quotations, unless otherwise specified, are average market prices on spot) . Mutton —The market is steady, and a fair business doing. North Island, 6d. per lb.; ordinary quality, 5 7-Bd. Lamb.—The market is quiet, but moderate business doing. The chief feature in tho market is the demand for heavy-weight. Canterbury, twos, Bd. per lb.;, medium weight, 8 l-Bd.; heavy-weights, fours, 81d.; other than Canterbury. Bd.; second grade, 7Jd. Beef—The market is very firm, and there is a better .demand owing to small supplies of American chilled. New Zealand hinds, 6Jd. per lb.; fores, 6 l-Bd.; chilled hinds, 7 3-Bd.; fores, 6 3-Bd.

Butter.—The market is quiet, and pricee have been irregular durine this week. Banish, per cwt„ 1425. to 1445.; New Zealand, 1325. to 1345.. and up to 1355.; unsalted, 138s. to 1405.; Australian, 128s. to 1325.; Siberian, 1286. to 1305.; Argentine, 12Bs. to 130s.

Cheese.—There has been no alteration in the market since la6t week. English Cheddar, 104s. to 1065.; Canadian, white, 965. to 985.; coloured, 945. to 965.; New Zealand, white and coloured, 935.; occasionally 945.: Australian, 88s. to 905.; States, flats and doubles, coloured, 86s. to 88s.; "white, 88s. to 905.; chcddar shapes, white, 95a. to 925. Hem]).—The market is quiet, with tendency in favour of buyers. New Zealand, Rood-fair grade, per ton, £33 life.; fair, £31 10s.; fear current Manila, £39; forward shipment: good-fair, £32 155.; fair, £31; fair current Manila, £38 10s. The output from Manila for this week was 25,000 bales. < Hops.—The market is weak and inactive, in anticipation of Government liquor legislation, and buyers are scarce. English per cwt, 80s.; California*, 70s. . Wheat.—The market ds firmer, aad there is more demand, partly owing to the Government not buyiug at present. Canadian and American, on passage, 645. per quarsage foetid May ' Hs '' ArffCn^n€ * 011 P as_ Oats.—The market is. quiet, but rather steadier. Argentine, on passage, 295. per Quarter. WHEAT AND FLOUR. (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) ™ » *, . ■ .London, April lfi. The wheat market is firm, but quiet The wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom totals 2,710,000 quarters: for the Atlantic shipments 693,000; Pacific, 10,000. The total shipments jwi ope during the week amounted to from todia