COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2444, 24 April 1915, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Customs duty collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £2259 10s. 6d.

SOUTHEEN PRODUCE MARKETS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

Chrlstchurch, Awil 25. The local wheat market is lifeless at present. Merchants arc not operating, and only an occasional sale is made to the miller. . Offers ol 6s. 3d. at country stations havo not been accepted, but sales ha.ro been made at 6s. 4d. for Hunters and Tuscan. "The Southland oat crop is now oil the market, and is being offered at lower prices than those now ruling in Canterbury, and consequently any business that is doing with the North Island is going to the South." Although some of tho Southland crop In the late districts is not ypt ripe a considerable amount of threshing has been dono in the earlier districts. As with the wheat crop in Canterbury the oat crop in Southland has made a wonderful recovery since tho New Year: One farmer who then tried to sell his crop lor sheap feed has since threshed 60 bushels per acre, and two other farmers have yields of 123 bushels per acre, while there ore a number of instances of 90 and 100 bushel orops. The ruling price now in Southland Is 3s. 6d. on trucks. The efforts that aro being made to secure tho potato crop whilii the weather is fine .have caused an overEupply to come on the market, and the. price is consequently weaker. The Auckland market is easier In oonsequenco of supplies going forward from Canterbury, and sit the same time local growers aro Discing their late crop on the market. Bales have been made this week at £3 15s. and £3 17s. 6d. by North Canterbury growers. Oatsheaf chaff is firm and is now ciuoted at £6 per ton at country stations. Factory butter has advanced another Id. per lb„ and is now quoted'at Is. sd. wholesolo. LONDON MARKETS. Messrs. Dalgcty and Company, Ltd., have received the following cablegram from'their London Office dated April 21Tallow: At the auctions only a small quantity was sold; the market was nominally .6d. to Is. per owt. lower. Wool: For the fourth series of wool sales our own dates have been fixed as follow—April 27, May, 3, 7, 15, oind 20. MELBOURNE PRODUCE MARKET. By Teleeraph.—Prees Association—Oopyrieht Melbourne, April 23. ■Wheat, Bs. Flour, £17. Oats. Algerian feeding, ss. 4d. to ss. Bd.; seeding, 6s. to 66. 6d. Barley, English, ss. 6d. to ss. 9d.: Cape, ss. 4d. to ss. 9d. Maize, ss. 6d. to 6s. Bran, £10 ss. Pollard, £11 to £12. Potatoes, £4 to £4 10s. Onions, £5 10s.

BANK OF ENGLAND RETURN. London, April 22. The Bank of Enpland return issued for the week ended Wednesday, April 21, is as under :-rIgsue Depahtment. Note Issue £P2i703,000 Gov. debt ... £11,015,000 Otber Bccun- • ties 7,434,000 Gold 54,254,000 £72,703,000 £72,703,000 Banking Department. Proprietors' Gqy.sccuricapital £14,553.000 ■ tics £47,810,000 Public do- Other securipositß ... 125,414,000 ties 144,323,000 Other deposits ••• 88,750,000 Notes... 38(371 *000 Rest, 7-day and othor bills ... 3.174.000 Coin 1,387.000 JE231.59i.000 £231,891,000 The leading items of the Bank of England return afford the following comparison This week Last week Last year Bullion 54.251,000 53.010,000 35.250,000 Reserve ... 39.756,000 39.176.000 26.719.000 Noto Circulation 34,332.000 34.568.000 28,632,000 Public Doposits 125.414.000 104.167.0C0 18.604.000 Other Deposits 83.750.000 10-2,060.000 42,418.000 Proportion of reserve to liabilities 18.56 18.91 43.62 GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The following are tho latest quotations for Colonial Government securities in j comparison with those ruling «last week:—

MONEY MAItKET. The Bank of England discount- rato was on January 2, 1914, reduced frum 5 to 4i nor cent., on January 22, it was reduced to 4 per cent., and on January 28 and 3 per cent. On July 30 tho rate was raised to 4 4 per cent., and on January 28 3 per cent., and on August 1 it was further advanced to 10 per cent. On August 6 the rato was reduced to 6 per cent., on August 7 it was further reduced to 5 per cent., at which rate it now stands. The Bank of Franco rate is 7 per cent., as against 4 per cent, last year. OPEN MARKET HATES. The open market discount rate for three months' bills is 215-16 per cent., as compared with 31-8 per cent, last week, and 2 316 per cent, last year. Short loans arc quoted at 1 7-8 per cent., as against 1 7-8 per cent, last week, and lj per cent, last year.

COLONIAL AND OTHER PRODUCE. The butter market is quiet. Quotations are practically unchanged. A few thousand boxes will probably bo resliipped to Australia and New Zealand in May. Cheese—New Zealand, 935. to 945. . .

Sugar.—Market steady and pricfes unthanged.

The Bradford market is easier and business is limited at 315., 301 d„ 29Jd., 29Sd„ 28id., 26Jd., and 25d.

Wheat is steadily held. The market is very quiet. .Walla, March, 645. 6d. '

Flour is firm, with an upward tendency. Oate.—Market firm. New Zealand, o£s. 6d. to 375.

Peas and beans ore quiet, and prices unchanged. THE METAL MARKETS. Cojpper— On the spot, £77 10s. to £77 153.; three months, £78 ss. to £78 10s.; electrolytic. £83 ICS. to £84 10s.

Tin.—On. the frpot, £163 10s. to. £163 155.; free manths, £164 to £1M ICS. •Pig-irori.—6ss. 4d. Lead.—£2o 15s. and £21. Spelter.—£s2 and £50. . Bar silvor is quoted at 2J 15-16(1. per oz. standard

Stock 2h% Imperial Consols i , N.S. W.1033Jan.-July 34 ,N,S.W.1030-50Mr.-Sp 3?. „N.S.W. Early Cm;r 3" N.S.W. 19-25 ApL-Oct 4 Vic.l02UJau.*Jtt]y 3 J ,Vic. 10-21-6 Jau.-.July 3 Vio. 1929-il)Jan.-July Si „S,A. 101G tlau.-Jvily 3 S.A. 1J16 Jan.-July 4 „Q'rdl01.>24 Jan.-July 3i ,lQTdl92:M7Jan.-July 3 i „'N.Z. 10:t> May-Nov. bi ,.N.Z. MiMOJan.-July 3 ..N.Z, 1\j3!i April-Oct. 3$ ..W.A.iOlo-'do May-No* 3 „\V. A,1915-35 May-Nov % ,,1'as. MOJan.-July 3 ,,Taa.lfi20-10 Jan.-July

Variation compurccl Price. . with last week. £ s. (1. (35 8 0 Unchanged 97 10 0 R7/6 higher 07 15 0 r>s higher SI 5 0 «2/6 lower 81 5 0 5s higher S815 0 Unchanged 91 5 0 Unchanged 0 0 5s lower Hf> 7 l> '2,6 lower 70 0 0 Unchanged 08 0 0 15s higher Hi 7 6 10s higher 74 10 0 Unchanged 07 0 0 10s higher 84 » 0 10s iiifihe 76 0 0 '215 lower 87 10 0 5s lowor £•2 0 0 Unchanged 65 5 0 Unchanged 76 10 o Unchanged