COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 104, 27 January 1919, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

-,- , INVESTMENT SHAEES. v Saturday's quotations for inveatvnont shares were as follow:— Buyers Scllere. £ s. d £ s. ii. National' Bank 6 110 6 12 0 Bauf; N.Z. (£3 6s. Bd.) ...1310 0 13 15 0 Vnlon Bank 6110 0 — Equitable Buildinc 9 7 6 - National Mortgage 4 10 0 — Loan and Mercantile (ord. stock) ;...„■.... 97 0 0 - ' Lonn aud Mercantile (cum pref. stock) 63 0 0 — ■' 'N.Z.. Diver Plate 118. 0 Well. Invest., T. and A. 0 10 0 - Well. Trust and. Loan ... 5 18 6 — lVclt. Deposit arid Mort. ■ — 0 8 9 Ohristchuroh Gas 6 2 6 — ■ Gisborne Gas — 016 6 Well. Gas (£10) 11 0 0 - Well. Gas (pref.) 0 17 6 — 8. British' Insurance 7 0 0 — •N.Z. Rofrigeratinc 2 10 0 - Well. Meat Export (£2 12b. 6d.) : 211 0 - Auckland Trams (pref.) 0 17 3 — Hudilart-Parker 117 0 117 4 Union Steam 110 — P. and O. Def. Stock ... 401'10 0 405 0 0 Well. Woollons 7 8 0 — Westport Coal 1 11' 6' — .Leyland-O'Brien Timber 17 3 — .Col. Suirar (Fiii & N.Z.) 20,5 0 — N.Z..DruK 2 12 6 /- Sharland and Co 110 6 —• Sharland and Co. (pref.) 110 6 — Ward and Co 1 10 6 — Well. Cordage 4 12 6 — N.Z. Inscr. Stock (1938) ... 97 0 0 , 97 10 0 N. 7.. War Bonda (1938) ... — 97 10 0 ■ N.Z. War Bonds (1930) ... - 98 10 0 *onm. -~',• , Customs dutiee collected at the port of , Wellineton o'n Saturday amounted to £11,013 5s 7d. ' • ■■ . ' ; ' SHEFFIELD MANUFACTURERS. A' well-known Sheffield firm of cutlers, writins to their Hew Zealand representative on October 23. said:—"lt Jβ quite possible that the war may come to an end by the time yon receive this letter, and wo think it will be as well to tell you our exact, position with reference to orders. At the preeent time we have on our books arrears of orders which amount pretty well to our full years' work with our full :=inir in every department, excent. uerhapE. files, for which we have .taken few orders lately except for the Government. All these orders are taken : at prices ruling on the time date of invoicing. For the last four years theso prices have been constantly on • the un grade, and. of course, if prices go down asain we shall give our customers the full benefit of whatever reduction there may be, but we do not anticipate- a fall in pricee for some time. There is a determined attempt on the part of the workmen to. maintain the present hieh level of wages after tho war is over, and as this goes through every: trade in the country it will alTcct the cost of such ■ material as wo have to buy, as well ae the goods we manufacture ourselves. Income tax and all other taxation; will remain upon a. high level, and the interest on monev looks as if it would be about : double the pre-war rate. It will take some time for the men to return to the var-

ious' factoricß, ivnci the demobilisation of the Army will Inst for months, and we are aorry to tny that about ten per cent. oC the men will never come back at all. 'Lite whole world is short of goods, and the shelves of the retailors arc practically empty. It will take years to replace their stocks, and in the meantime the demand will lie bo urtnt that it will not bt irafisible to obtain any reduction in costs owing to the competition between all manufacturers for the supply of labour. At the same timo we suppose that buyers who 'raay not have all this consideration present in their minds will try to obtain reductions, and may even ko as far i.c f.j cancel orders if prices are maii!tn\;ira. We think they will be very i badly advised if they do thie, as we <lo i not think the manufacturers can poseibly civo ivay. JThere will be' some relief in ! various directions, as we shall no doubt i bo able to obtain materials mors freely ! wliich have ueim held un by the Governi met::, for example, such as stainless steel, I ami we shall hicve more freedom in other I directions also, but this will not be in ; til* direction of lower prices, but H will ' mdiio Qie fcndilions of manufacture a 111 tic easier." MAXIMUM PRICES FOB APPLES. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. London, January 2-1. Tho Food Controller J>aa fijed the maximum prices of imported apples at 19s. Sd. .per case.—.A us.-*s r .&. Cable 'Aeen. AMERICAN WHEAT SUPPLIES. New York, January 24. Chicasro reporte the visible wheat supply cast of the Kockies at 132,9W,UC0 iMisheie.—Aue.-N.Z. Cable Assn.