COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3088, 19 May 1917, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

INVESTMENT SHAKES. Yesterday's Quotations for investment shares were as follow:— Bayers. Sellers. £ s. d. £ s. d. National Bank 5 7 0 — .National Mortgage 315 0 316 5 N.Z. and E, Plate - 118 6 Well. Invest, T. and A.... 0 11 4 - Well. Trust. Loan, Ltd. ... 7 0 0 . — Well. Gas (£10) ■ — 14 2 6 fi. British Insurance ... 5 15 0 — Well. Meat Ex. (£2l2s. 6d.) - 219 0 Union *steam (ord.) — 2 7 6 Union Steam (pref.) — 114 Huddart-Parker (ord.) ... — 19 3 JCaiapoi Woollen (0rd.)... 6 12 0 7 0 0 Well. Woollen (ord.O ... 6 0 0 6 6 0 Well. Woollen (pref.) ... 3 16 0 4 0 0" Waipa Coal — . 019 0 Wcstport Coal 18 0 19 0 Westport-Stockton (pref.) 0 11' 3 — Customs duties collected at the port of Wellington, yesterday amounted to £3725 12s. 9d. ' SOUTHERN PRODUCE MARKETS. By Telegraph—Press Association. ''■ Christchurch, May 18. ' Practically no wheat fa offering locally. The oats market. has firmed in consemtonce of the probability of imports of this cetcal from Australia being suspended . through shipping space being required lor wheat. There is very little grain offering. .There is a good demand from Auckland .and Wellington for oatsheaf chaff, but the difficulty is to get it shipped owing to scarcity of space. For prime bright, chaff. £4 to £4 ss. is offered at country stations, but most of the samples coming forward are very light. The potato market is somewhat unsettled, some buyers staling they can obtain supplies nt £4. and others are paying £4 ss. at country stations. The market is not very active, owißg to large suDplies having gono ' forward to Auckland. UNION S.S. CO. Dunedln, May 18. •■ The directors of the Union Steam Company have declared an interim dividend of 2? per cent, on preference shares and 4 per cent, on ordinary shares. WEIGHT, STEPHENSON AND CO. Dunedln, May 18. At the annual meeting of Messrs. Wright, Stephenson, and Cj>. tos-day a dividend of 3J per cent, on the ordinary shoreß was declared, making a total of 7 per cent, for tie ycevr. The sum of £8736 was added to iSe reserve fund, and £7049 carried forward. Messrs. Hunt, Allen, Mackintosh, and Featherstono were elected directors. BREADSTUFFS. (Rec. May 18. 8.55 p.m.) London, May 18. Wheat is quiet, but firm. Flour is firm. There is litOe offering. v : Beans and peas are quiet. r Oats are firm, hut neglected; 68s. 6d, per '■ J2olb. is asked for Tasmanian oats on 6pot.— Cable Assn. VICTORIAN PROBUOE HAUKET. Melbourne/May 18. Barley. 3s. lOd. to 3s. lid.; Dane barley, 2s. lOd. to 35.: oats, milling, Algerians, 2s. sd. to 2s. 6d.; feed, 2s. 2d. to 2s. 3d; potatoes, £3 to £4 10s.; onions, £4 to £4 10s. — Press AsEn.

BANK OF ENGLAND RETURN. (Rec. May 18, 6.15 p.m.) London, May 17. The Bank of England return issued for tho week ended Wednesday, .May 16', is as under:— ISBDE DEPARTSrEXT. Kote Issue £70,9T0,000 Gov. debt... f 11,015,000 Other securities 7.434.000 Gold 52,621,000 «0.870.000 .t-70,070.000 Bankino Department. Proprietors' Gov.secuiicapilal £14,553,000 ties £44,663,000 Public de- Olhorsecuri- ■ » osit ] - 52,996,000 ties 108.831,000 Other deposits ... H7.-226.000 Notes 32.256.0D0 Best. 7-day and other bills ... 3,195.000 Coin 5.526.000 i 167,970,000 A' 167,070,000 The leadiug items of tho Bank of England return afford the following comparison :— This week Last week lastyear Bullion 52.621,000 52.777.000 52.601.000 se!5 e ! , ..- 31 '"6,000 34.745.000 43,873.000 Note Circulation 86,714.000 38.724.000 84,671,000 Public Deposits 52,986.000 64.173,000 60,645,000 Other Deposits 117.226.000 119,376,000 78,083.000 Proportion of reserves to liabilities 20.43 20.01 31.6 . GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The following are the latest quotations for Consols and Colonial Government Securities in comparison with those ruling last week:—

MONET MARKET. The Bank of England discount rate was on January 2, 1914, reduced from 5 to 45 per cent., on January 22 it was reduced to 4 per cent., and on January 23 3 per cent. On July 30 the rate was. raised to 4 per cent., and on July 31 it was raised to 8 per cent, and on August 1 it was furtier advanced to 10 per cent. On. August 6 tho rate was reduced to 6 per cent., on August 7 it was further reduced to 6 per cent., on July 13. 1916. it waa raised to i per cent, on January 12, 1917, it was reduced to 5J per cent:, and on April 5 it was further reduced to 6 per cent. OPEN MARKET KATES. The open market'discount rate for three months' bill is„43 per cent, as compared with 43 per cent, last week, and 4 9-16 per cent, last year. Short loans are quoted at 4 3-8 per cent, as against 43-8 per cent, last week and 4 per- cent, last year. OOLONIAL AND OTHER PRODUCE. Butter.—The market w steady, but quiet. Australian and Neiv Zealand are unchanged. Danish is slightly firmer at 2065. to 2105.: Argentine, 184s. to 1945. Oheese is scarce and very firm. Pxicca are unchanged. Sugar is unchanged. METAL MARKETS. Tin.-On spot. £252 7s. 6d. per ton; thren months. £251 17s. 6d. Other metals are unchanged.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable ASBn. Different soils and different crops require different -treatment. Whatever the soil may be like, or whatever the nature, of the crop, the -use of "Eclipse" Fertilisers will result in maximum returns. These noted manures enrich the most /impoverished foil, and produce heavy crops of the finest quality. After more than twenty years' experience in the South Island, farmers aro loud in their praises of "Eclipse" Fertilisers — Advt.

Stock- This Last Week Week 2i% Imperial Consols f f- « d n fr h & \ .5 „ War Loan ' f, § % f. a ° g «1„ War Loan §{ .£ J »* ' £ 54,. War Loan 87 0 S m S S 4 „N.8.W.195JJan.Julj % S £ " 2 " 3J„iN.S.W.1930-501lr,Sp S!" g J I H „ N.S.W. Karly Ourr. S J 5 SI ,* S 4 „ Vic. 1920 Oan.-July i, o o 95 n S 3J„ Vic. 1921-6 Jan.-July f t ,i „ SJ! 3J., Vic. 1920.1949 ?S 6 0 raw 0 31 „S.A. 1916 Jan.-July 71 15 0 w 15 0 - 3 „ S.A. 1916 Jan.-July sa 0 0 w in n 4 „QTd 1915-24 Jan.-Jly i» 5 u hi 3 6 3j,.QTdl922-47JAn.-Jly 67 15 0 68 0 0 4 „ N.Z. 1929 JIay-NoT. 85 7 6 85 7 6 3i„ U.Z. 1912-40 Jan.-Jly 73 10 0 H 0 0 3 „N.Z.lS20April-Oct. 63 7 6 63 7 6 3i .. W.A. 1915,35 ITy-Nv 73 0 0 73 10 0 3 „ W.A. 1915-35 My-JfoT 68 10 0 68 0 0 35 „ Tas. 1920 Jan-July 72 16 0 72 16 0 3 „Tas 1920-40 Jan.-July U 1) 0 6i 15 0