COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3024, 10 March 1917, Page 12

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

INVESTMENT EPTARES. Yesterday's quotation's lor investment shares were as follow:— Buyers. Sellers. £ 6. d. £ b. d. Bank N.Z. (£3 6s. Bd.) ... 11 2 6 11 7 6 Bank N.Z. (£6 13s. 4d.) ... - 17 3 0 ioan, Mercantile (ord.) 80 0 0 — N.Z. and River-Plato ... — 119 0 Well. Invest. T. and A. 0 11 0 011 6 Well. Trust, Loan, Ltd. 614 6 - Well. Gae (£10) — 14 5 0 Well. Meat Export (£5) 6 5 0 6 7 6 Well. Meat Export (£2 12s. 61) - 3 5 0 TTnion Steam (ord.) 216 • — Huddart-Parkcr (ord.) ... 1 5 6 16 0 Kaiapoi Woollen (0rd.)... 6 6 0 — ■ Well. Woollen (pref.) 3 15 0 - Waipa CoaJ 018 0 Westport £oal — 17 9 Loyland-O'iirien 14 0 — tN.Z. Dru£ ..; 2 8 6 — N.Z. Portland Cement ... 0 11 6 - tOura di'i KEJIPTHOKNB, PHOSSEE, AND CO. The thirty-eighth annual report and balance-sheet of Kcmpthorne, Prosser and Company's New Zealand Drus Company, IM., sliows that tho unappropriated balance brought forward from profit and loss account last year was £7692 18s. 4d., to ■which is to be added the net profit for this year, amounting to £25.575 '12s. 5d., making a total of £33.268 10s. 9d. Tho interim dividend for half-year to July 31. 1916, at H per cent, was .£9275. leaving £23,993 10s. 9d. to bo dealt with. This amount it is proposed to anply as follows :-To the payment of a dividend of 4.V per cent,. £11,925: to ndd to general reserve, £<!000: and to carry forward to nest year, £8063 10s. 9d. Dr. Frank Ocston and Mr. P. W. Mitchell rtre tho retiring directors, and offer themselves for reelection. The auditors retire in tho nana! course, and offer their services for reappointment. A dividend of 44 per cent, is now recommended on tho shareholdings on the register on March 6, making, with the interim dividend already paid, a total of 8 per cent, for tho year.

Customs duty collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £10,771 16s. _ SOUTHERN MARKETS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Chrlstchurch, JTarch 9. There is very little fresh to report In tho wheat market. Offerings are small, though one merchant states that he has got all lie requires readily enough. The demand is firm and steady at Government rates, and any lines of good average quality find ready purchasers. Oats are very firm indeed, and rumours of prices ■up to 3s. 9d. at country stations arc current. This price is probably greatly exaggerated, but authentic sales at 3s. 4d. to 3s. 6d. have been made with tho utmost ease, and this price represents about tho true state of the market. Onions have risen to 85s. to 90s. per ton, tho price having hardened owing to the demand from Tancouver and the North Island. ' BANK OF ENGLAND RETURN. Rec. March !), 10.5 p.m.) London, March 8. The Bnnk of England return issued for the week ended Wednesday, March 7th is as under:— Issue Dkpabtment. Note ISBne £70,780,000 Gov. debt ... £11,015,00 Other securities 7,484.000 Gold 52,331.000 £10.780,000 £70,780,00 Banking Depabtmest. Proprietors' Gov. securi- . capital i14,553.0C0 ties JE31.06G.000 Fubltodo- Otboreecuriposits ... 120.850.000 ties 196.020.000 Otlior deposits ...123,165,000 Notes 32,543,000 liest, 7-ile.y and other bills . ... 3,501.000 Coiu 1.570.000 JC-2fi-2.105.000 .£'262,10;i,00G The leading items of the Bank of England return afford the following comparison:— Th is week Last week Lnftyeui- £ £ a Bullion M.331,000 5-2.718.000 fKi.o9li.oOo Bescrvo ... 31.113.000 34,161.000 41.i-24.0U0 Koto Circulation 35,-:37.0OO 33.585,000 3:1,104,000 Public Deposits 120.859.0011 -t7.8in.000 52,175,000 Other Deposits ls3,]|ia.UUO 167,69-J.OOO 97,035,000 Proportion of reserves to liabilities u.03 15.51 27.70 GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The following are Hie latest quotations for Consols and Colonial Government Securities in comparison with thoso ruling Inst weeks-

HONEY MARKET. Tlio Hank of England discount rate wus I oil January 2, 1911 r<. diwd from r, to k'-< ! per cent., on Jtiniury 2J it »a» reduced i to A per cent., and or, January 25 3 per • cent. On July 30 the rate ivas ruta-d to 1 ! per cent., and on July ol it was raised to 8 -per cent., aud on .August, i it ivas furI tJior auvdnoed to 10 per cent. On August 6 the rate was reduced to 6 per ceut., on ! August 7 it was further reduced to 5 per ! cent., on July 13, 1916, it was raised to 6 ; |jcr cent. ; OPES MARKET KATES 1 The open market discount rate for three imoatha' bills ia 4% per cent,, aa com-

pared with 51-16 per cent, last week and. 51-16 per cent, last year. Short loans are quoted at 42 per cent., as against 4J per cent, last week and 4J per cent, last year. THE METAL MARKETS. Copper.—'Spot. £137 15s. per ton; three months, £136 ss. Lead.-Spot, £30 10s. per ton; three mouths, £29 10s. Speltcr.-£55 10s. Tin-Spot, £201 12s. 6d. per ton; three months, £201 2s. M. Bar Silver.—37{d. per oz. standard. COLONIAL AND OTHER PBODTJCE. Bradford Wool.—Strong 19110. Orossbreds, nominal; merinos, hardening. Wheat.— Nominally firm, with' prices unchanged. Flour.—Strong demand, supplies short. Australian patents, 645., 655. Oats—Firm. Beans.— Tending upwards. Peas—Quiet, prices unchanged. Sugar.—Unchanged. Butter.—Choicest salted coloninl, firm at lato rates; unsalted, slow demand nt about 4s less; secondary sorts, slow. There is much uncertainty regarding Danish shipments. None have yet arrived. Oheese.—Scarce. Canadian nominally 1745.

' Stofi- Tin's lJast bloclv Week Week ii% imperial Consols £ f <' r, <*: 4*::KAAVJSW.lati.Jul, « 2 I ?' J » 4 „ Vic. 1920 Jan.-July ° S JJ i. n 5J,,Vio. 1921-6 J HU.-Juiy if }f " ! J „ Vic. 1929-49 Jan.-Jly j !,' J yl !i :i ! 31..8.A. 1916Jan.-July I n, 6 ,' „ n 3 ,,S.A. 1916 J«ai.-July i «' „ !';: J |' " 3 ,,«JTd 1922-47 Jan.-Jlj ei" c 6 1 '• U 4 ,,N.Z.1929May-Kov. I 82 15 « si 0 U 3 ,,N.Z.1920April-O(!t, lii) lr, 0 6112 6 3} .. W.A. 1315-35 Xly-Nv 75 0 0 74 if, 0 3 ,,W.A.5S15-35JIy-N(ivi 70 5 0 El 17 0 34,,Tas. 192O.!an-Jul}' I 7[| I) (I a> 10 0 3 ,. Tas 1920-40 Jan.-July! (ins 1)1 IB 0 u