COMMERCIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 214, 19 December 1910, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

BANK OF ENGLAND RETURNS. By Cable—Press Assomttea—Copyright. London, December 16. The Bank of England returns for the week ended Wednesday last are as follow : Reserve, £25,531),000. Gold Coin, £33,800,000. Note Circulation, £27,099,000. Public, deposits, £9,808,000. Other deposits, £41,263,000. Government securities, £ 15,900,000. Other securities, £27,387,000. Proportion of reserve to liabilities 50. THE MONEY MARKET. Three months' bills, 3 7-16 per cent.; Paris, 2% per cent.; Berlin, 4% per cent. iShort loans, 2% per cent.; bank rate, 4'/ s per cent. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The following are the latest quotations for Government securities: Zy g per cent. Consols, £79. Un> changed. 4 per cent. New South Wales, £lO4, Unchanged. 3»/ a per cent. New South Wales, 98, Unchanged. 3 pet cent. New South Wales, 3BS 17s Cd. Rise of 7s 6d. 4 per cent. Victoria, £lOl 10s. Rise of OS. 3y 2 per cent Victoria, £9O 10s. Unchanged. 3 per cent Victoria, £B4. Unchanged. 3y 3 per cent South Australia, £96 10s. Fall of 455. 3 per cent. South Australia, £Bl 10s. Fall of 40s. 4 per cent. Queensland, £lOl, 10s. Unchanged. 31/0 per cent. Queensland, £96. Unchanged. 3 per cent. Queensland, £BS. Unchanged. 4 per cent. New Zealand, £lO3 10g. Unchanged. 3% per cent. New Zealand, £95 7s 64 Rise of 7s 6d. 3 per cent. New Zealand, £BS. Unchanged. 3% per cent. Tasmania, £97 10s. Unchanged. 3 per cent. Tasmania, £BS. TJtf changed. 3y 3 per cent. West Australia, £96 10s. Rise of 2s 6d. 3- per cent. West Australia, £B6 10s, Unchanged.

London Markets. Received 18, 5.5 p.m. London, December 17. Cotton, 7.89 d. Copper.—Spot, £57 17s 6d; thre# months, £57 2s 6d; electrolytic, £59. London, December 16. Wheat—The market is inactive, ml the demand limited, as buyers ure continuing a hand-to-mouth policy owing to the continuance of heavy shipments. There is rather more inquiry for Au»tralian cargoes. Two sold at 36s and 35s 9d respectively. Holders ask 36a for mew crop January-February shipment. There was slow sale for Australian on spot at 37s to 37s 6d, New Zealand 32s to 33s Bd. Flour.—Limited demand at 25s 9d for spot, and 24s 6d to 24s 9d for cargoes on passage. Oats.—Quiet. Gartons 17s fid to 20s, sparrowbills 17s to 19s, La Plata Jan-uary-February shipment 12s. lOVid. < Butter.—The market is lifeless, with a downward tendency. Australian 100% umsalted 104s, secondary 96s to 98e, choicest New Zealand 100s to 108s, Danish unchanged. Cheese.—Dull and unchanged. Copper.—Spot £56 17s Gd, three months £57 12s 6d; electrolytic £59. Tin.—Spot £174 7s 6d, three month* £174 15s.

Spelter, ■ £23 17s 6d. Sugar.—German 9s Id, first marks lis

Id. Bardford Wool.—Quiet; forties 14d, forty-sixes 15y 4 d, fifties 19y 4 d, fifty-sixes 22% d, common sixties 25d,-super 26d, sixty-fours 20 l /2d.

INVERCARGILL WOOL SALES.

By Telegra-ph.--Press Aftwxiiatton. Invercargill, Saturday. The first wool sale of the local season was held here to-day, when a small catalogue of 3405 bales were offered, about 500 of which yrere passed in. The top price was ll%d for crossbred hogget. A feature of the Southland sale is the large quantity of hoggets' wool offered, and because of the limited quantity of this wool offered elsewhere it always commands good prices. Mr. Hill, secretary of the Wool-growers' Association, states that to-day's sale was, one of the most spirited in the Dominion. Competition "was as keen as ®t other centres, and prices were as high and even higher in some instances. A drop of from Id to iy 4 d per lb was not in any way the result of ft decline in the market (in the ordinary usage of the term), but was principally due to the poorer condition of the wool. There was a lack of brightness and lustre about the lots offered, owing mainly to a dry and dusty spring and summer following a particularly mild winter. A feature of the sale was the unusually hfah prices of pieces, as much as B%d being paid for pieces from fleeces which fetched &y 2 d. This is accounted for by the fact of Continental buyers making special competition for that class of • wool. The majority of the wool offered to-day was good to medium strong crossbred, and the average price was from 9d to Bd, as against 9%d to 9d last year. These prices are, however, about Id in advance of the average rate of recent years. Other classes of wool also showed about Id per lb reduction, but, as has been said already, this i« not taken to mean a weakening of the market.