COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 298, 5 September 1918, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

! ' ; INVESTMENT . SHARES. ' :• A sale of Wellington 1 Woollen ordinary , snares at £7 14s. was rcnorted yesterday. The quotations were as "follow:—

Customs duties collected at the port of ! ' Wellington yesterday amounted to £8433 ! ITs. 2d. ■'

I COMMONWEALTH WAR LOAN. The prospectus of the Commonwealth's seventh War Loan was published'' some weeks ago, althoush subscriptions to the 'loan do not close until October 15. The amount asked for is JE-10.000.0C0 at 5 per cent., the currency of the loan being live years. Interest is payable half-yearly, on March 15. and September 15, and instalment payments extend over a period of 169 days. The banks will advance up to 90 per cent, of the subscription, where it can bo shown that, the repayment- of th» advance will bo made in eighteen months, and for this accommodation the banks will charge 4 per cent., or 1 per cent, less than the interest on the War Loan.. On this occasion the Federal Treasurer is being assisted by district committees, find the quota scheme has been adopted, that Is to say, the several States have been' allotted certain'minimum amounts which ihoy are expected.to subscribe. Thus Victoria is asked to' provide £15.500,000 • and New South Wales ,£16,000,000, leaving £10,500,000 to be found by the other four States. Sydney 13 to provide £10.500,005, and Melbourne is to find the bulk of the Victorian quota. By the six war loans and the sale oi' war earmgs certificates, the Commonwealth has raised £149.000,000. ; Thero has been borrowed Iroir- the Hritlsh Government £47,500,000, and in addition the Commonwealth owes tJis British Government, for maintenance' of troop? 'and supply of munitions £38X00,000, so that the war debt of Australia is £234.500,000. .

I . FIRE RISKS .INCREASING, i- Immediately after the war began and. i for some time 'afterwards, the number of I fires in New Zealand showed a remark-' abb decrease, but since 191G the position ,has changed. Last year's record of fires was greater than in 1916, and for the current year the number of fires to tho end of last month exceeds the total for the whole of 1917. Carelessness and accidents no doubt account for a great, many of the fires; at. the same time underwriters think that the moral hazard accounts for a- great many more. The increase in the number of flre6 is not ti very good sign.

Buyers. Sellers. £ s. it. £ 8. d. ! National Bank 6 3 0 — Bank N.Z. (old) 12 17- 6 ! Bank N.Z. (now) 18 0 0 — , ! Eauitable Buildine ......... 9 0 0 Metropolitan Building ... U 0 0 — i National Mortgage 4 4 6 — i N.Z.; River Plate ............ 1 18 0 2 0 0 } 'Auckland Gas — 3 8 0 ;; Well. Investment 0 10 -8 — I' National Insurance 3 10 — i N.Z. Insurance 9 18 0 — !':• S.B. ' Insurance' • 6 6 0 — !, Standard Insurance 2 5 0 — | ■ Meat. Export (£5) ......... 415 0 — F Jleat Export (£4) 3 15 0 4 0 0 u. Meat Export (52s. 6d.) .... 2 5 0 — ,• f Huddart-Parker (ord.) ... 2 2 3 2 3 3 | Huddart-Parker (pref.)... 10 9 113 j N.Z. Shipping 1012 6 — ;, 1 I'. and O. Def. Stock 372 0 0 378 0 0 i Well. -Woollen (ord.) 7 13 0 i Well. iWoollen (pref.) 4 10 ft • j Westport Coal .; 110 0 — ' Waipa Colliery — 016 3 I. Kauri Timber (33s.) 19 0 111 0 Kauri Timber (15s.) — 0 4 0 i ieyland-O'Brien 17 0 17 9 I O. M. Banka, Ltd. — 14 0 ; Colonial Sugar 23 0 0 — ; Crown. Brewery 19 6 — ' Golden Bay Cement .; 0 19 9 10 6 N.Z. Paper Mills 12 6 12 8 i WelL Cordage . 119 j .Wilaon'a 'Cement ,014.0 —