COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2457, 10 May 1915, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

INYESTMENT SHARDS. In the investment market on Saturday sales were reported of Bank of New Zealand (new) at £17 3s. 6d., and Union Bank at £57. The quotations were as under:—

Customs duty collected at the port of Wellington on Saturday amounted to £399 Is. sd. GOVERNMENT .LIFE INSURANCE The bonus certificates of the Government Life Insurance Department were posted ou Siiurday.flnd by this time will be in the hands of tho majority of the policyholders. The valuation discloses the usual prosperous state of affairs, and although the market price of Government and oilier securities has naturally fallen owing to the war it is satisfactory that the Department has been able to write its securities clown to the lowest quotation, and at the same time maintain the high level of bonus allotted on tlio previous occasion.

while the sums assured amounted to £13,797,075, made up of £12,550,465 original sums assured, ana £1,246,610 bonus additions. Tho surplus (after adding £75,458 to the investment fluctuation reserve) amounted'to £222,065. The Individual bonuses have been allotted on the sum assured, and bonuses m force and range from 21s. to 335. per cent, on the original sum assured, according to the amount of previous bonuses, the total of the reversionary bonuses so allotted amounting to £338,760. Since the inception of the Department in 1870 .€1,800,000 has been distributed as cash profits amongst the policyholders, making additions to tho policies of £3,250,000. The funds of the Department on December 31 last amounted to £5,033,883, while in addition a sum of £189.12f has been set. aside to meet any possible depreciation in the assets.

FEILDIXG market report. Messrs. A. H. Atkinson and Co., Ltd., report having* sold a fairly largo yarding of pigs on Friday. Some good-weight porkers sold well, and for good weaners and filipe there wa-s better competition than of late. There is a considerably increased demand for poultry of all descriptions and , turkeys arc wanted. Porkers sold at 345., 555. 6d., to 445.; light-weights, 235. 6d. to 276 . 6d.; stores, 225.; weancrs, Is. 6d. to 10s.; slips, 13s. W. to 165.; small wcaners, 6s; to 7s. Hacks, 455. to £i ss. Poultry, at per - pair, hens, 3s. to 3s. 9d.; cockerels, 3b., 4s. 3d., to 55.; ducks, 4s. to 4s. 9d. Produce: Potatoes, 7s. to 9s. por sack; pig, 3s. 6d. to 45.; swedes, 4a. 6d.; cabbages, 36.; tomatoes, 3s. per case; apples, 2s. to 3s. 6d. per half-case; lemons, 3s. 3d. to 4s. od.; pears, .2s. 9d. to 35.; onions, 7s. to 10s. per cwt.; walnuts. 7s. per 141b. box; pumpkins, 7s. per bag. HIDE AND SKIN SALE. Messrs. Dalgcty and Co., Palmerston North, report:—At our usual monthly sale on Thursday we offered a good catalogue of all classes to a fair attendance of buyers. Competition was keen for all lots, but prices for hides showed a decline of last sale's rates in sympathy with other markets. Wool and sheepskins sold at about last sale's rates. . 1 Wool—Crossbred, bright, clean lines, 12d. , to 14d.; inferior and seedy, 9d. to lid.; , lambs, 12d. to 13Jd.; lambs' seedy and inferior, to lOd.; dead wool, lOd. to llld.; crutchings, medium, lOJd. to 103 d.; ditto seedy, Bd. to 83d.; locks and pieces, 6d. to 7id.; black wool, lOd. ' Sheepskins.—Crossbred full-wool coarse, 10Jd.; half to three-quarter-wool, 93d.; quar- 1 ter to half-wool, 73d. to 9id.; woolly lambs, 9Jd. to 103 d.; ditto, shorn, 7d. to 73d.; peltß, . 3id'. to 5d.; crossbred, damaged and broken, 6d. to 83d.; dead skins, 7Jd. to BJd.; damp, salted, and green, at each, best heavy lines, 6s. 6d„ 75., 7s. 3d., to Bs.; medium,'ss., ss. 10d., to 65.; light, 3s. Bd. to 4s. 6d.; lambs, 2s. 6d. to 45.; pelts, Is. to 2s. 3d. each. Hides: Ox, medium to heavy, 9d.; ox light, BJd. to &3d.; ditto, cut, Bd.; cows, best lines, Bid. to BJ-Bd.; rough and inferior, 7Jd. to Bd.; cut and slippy, 63d. to 75d.; yearlings, 7Jd. to 73d.; cut and damaged, sd. to 63d.; horschides, to 7s. each; calf sound, 9Jd. to 9Jd.; cut and damaged, B,ld. Sundries.—'Tallow, in tins, 2ls. to 235. 6d.; i cask, 265. to 265. 6d. LONDON SHEEPSKIN SALES. Messrs. Dalgety and Company, Limited, ; havo received the following cablegram from their London office, under date May 6:— "Merino combing skins are par to id. lower, and clothing id. lower. Fine and medium crossbred combings are id., and coarse W- to Jd. lower. Clothing skins havo declined Jd.; 8500 bales were offered and 6200 sold. The Bank of New Zealand has received , the following advice from its London j office, dated May 7:—"Prices for crossbred ; and merinos are 5 per cent, to 10 per cent, j lower." I LONDON WOOL SALES. I (By Telegraph.—Press A^sn.—Copyright.) 1 London, May 7. ] At the wool sales, crossbreds were fully i a halfpenny dearer than last week. There ' was better competition, and in the .tone ; of the market for both crossbreds and ' combing merinos. Priccs realised: Oran- 1 dumbia, top 16Jd. and average 15 3-Bd.; i Gingie, 15d. and 133 d.; Terrick, 14Jd. and t 14d.j Toorak, 27* d. and 265 d.; Kirikiri, 17Jd- ; and 16Jd. New Zealand: Titi, 17Jd. and 16Jd.; 17d. and 16d. ] LONDON MARKETS. ] (Rec. May 9, 5.5 p.m.) [ London. May B. ] Butter.—Danish is quoted at 148s. to 1545. i Cotton.—May-Juno snipments of American j middling cotton are selling at 5.174 d. per lb. Jute.—May-June shipments, £20 per ton. N.Z. Hemp.—May-July shipments, £33 10s. ' per ton. < Rubber.—Hard fine Para, 2s. sd. per lb.; plantation, 2s. 3Jd.; smoked sheets, i 2s. 3 3-Bd. Copra.—May-June shipments, £24 ss. per ton. Silver.—Bar silver is quoted at 23 9-16 d. per ounce standard. Quicksilver is quoted at £12 per bottle. HIDES AND LEATHER, (Kec. May 9, 5.5 p.m.) London, May 8. Hides are m rather better • demand. Queenslands are quoted at 93d., 9Jd„ end 9 3-16 d.; New South Wales, 9 9-16 d„ 9 3-Bd.. and 9d. Leather is fairly active, and values are unchanged. Stocks are heavier than usual. Basils are quiet, and prices are unchanged. ( WHEAT. (Rec. May 9, 5.5 p.m.) London, May 8. Wheat.—The market is firm. ChicagoMay options, 158 c. to 1605 c.; July options. 130jc. to 1338 c. ARGENTINE MEAT SHIPMENTS. London, May 7. Argentine shipments: Mutton, 95,250 carcasses; lamb, 84,500; frozen beef, 167,000 cor- . casses; chilled meat, 113,000 cwt. METAL MARKETS. London, May 7. Copper.-On the spot, £79 10s. to £79 155.; three months. £80 176. 6d. to £81 2s. 6d.: electrolytic, £87 10s. to £88 10s. Tin.—On the spot, £164 10s. to £165; three months. £164 to £164 IDs. Spelter, £67, £61. Silver, 23£ d. per ounce standard. FROZEN MEAT (Rec. May 9, 5.5 p.m.) London, May 8. Th» Incorporated Society of Meat Importers' Smathfield market quotations for the undermentioned classes of frozen meat are based on actual sales of not less than one hundred carcasses of mutton or lamb, or twenty-five quarters of hcef, of fair average quality. The quotations are not for selected lines, but for parcels fairly representative of the bulk of the shipments now on the market. The prices which follow are on the average a farthing per lb. more than the values ex ship, this difference representing the average coot in expense, handling, conveyance, and selling of the meat:—

EABBITS. The market is very dull, and supplies are very licvay. New South Wales blues, 17s. 6d.

Buyers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ 6. d. National Bank 510 0 — Equitable Building 9 10 0 — Well. Int. T. and A 0 11 0 0 11 6 Well Trust, Loan, Ltd. ... 7 8 6 7 12 6 Well. Dep. and Mort. ... — 0 8 6 N.Z, Insurance 6 0 6 - Canterbury Meat -- 8 12 6 Union Steam (ord.) — 14 6 Kaiapoi Woollen (ord.) ... — .5 2 0 Well. Woollen (prcf.) 3 5 6 — Golden Hay Cement 10 9 — Ward and Co — 5 15 0

Mutton— d. North Island, best 6a North Island, ordinary 5} Australian, light 5j Australian, heavy 5i New Zealand, ewes 5 946 Australian owes 5J South American, light 53 South American, heavy 5916 Lamb— Canterbury, light 7X Canterbury, medium 78 ' Canterbury, hea7y 7ji North Island, selected n North Island, ordinary 7s .. Australian, best 73-8 Australian, fair 7k Australian, inferior 7jj South American, first quality 71 South American, 6ocona quality... 7i BeefNow Zealand, ox fores 6i New Zealand, ox hinds 68 Australian, ox fores 6J Australian, ox hinds 6i Argentine, chilled fores 6J i Argentine, chilled hinds l\ \ Uruguay, chilled fores * I Uurguay, chilled hinds * I *None offering.