COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 675, 27 November 1909, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

•-.' INVESTMENT SHAEES. A sale of Gear Meat,. £4 .'paid. -at''£lo 10s.. was recorded yesterday. National Bank, buyers £S '19s. 3d.,, sellers '£6 is.; Bank , of New .Zealand, sellers £9 165.; -National Mortgage, buyers.£2 18s. 6d., sellers £3; Wellington Investment, buyers, lis., sellers lis."6d. Wellington-.Gas,-.£lo-paid; sellers £18 55.; - £6'155.: paid, sellers £14 55.; National Insurance, sellers i'l Bs, 6d.;_Standard InBurance,'buj'ers £1 2s. 61I1; Gear Meat, £4-paid, abusers £10 75..6 d.; £l paid, buyers £2 1Z5..6d.; Ne#,-Zealand Shipping, buyers £7,10s;; Wellington Woollen, buyers £3 35.; Taupiri Coal, sellers 19s. 6i1.; Manning and Co., brewery Bhares, buyers £i 13s. 6d. : Now Zealand Drug, buyers.£2 6s. s.Ward and Co., brewery sharc3, buyers £4 lis.; Wellington Opera House, sellers £7 17s. 6d. -' r -. ■ . : -.- 1 V '■■■■■. AUSTRALASIAS' GOLD, -.. . Tho gold yields of •.Australasia for : the : first ten months of-this year amounts to 2,£51,404pz., as against' 2,945,6E60z. for tho corresponding pdriod of. 1908. 'All-the'.States exhibit, reductions.'i'bo figures for this year compared witn tho two previous yeai'3 are as under:—, - •;••• ; : : 1907. . 15C0. 1909.. Oz. Oz.. ' Oz. Victoria ... ".L; 579,116 . 666.794 '530,711 Now South Wales ZU<U39 189,822 173.103 •Ott«n«® TIZ-L. 380,183 : 378,296 , 368,255 Western Australia 1.397,272 ' 1,371 W6.1.32502 South Australia JW™:. MO .. 6,2C0 Tasmania ■ 60.CC0 , 40,00) 50.C-00 Total Oommbnwcalth . New Zealand 383,233 39u,5t8 390,»K Total ' 2,945,6E6: 2,851.404 New Zealand chows to advantagei. in this , companson,. having increased -liev output, '.y ■ i "7~~. QUEENSLAND INSUHANOE CO. • Tho baiance-ohcet of tho abovo for tho year ended September 30 last shows that tho ijet; profit' amounted to £15,646,- J ind .there was brought forward £3360, raaJnng w19,0C6 • avaxlablo for Qistributiou. The dividena at the rate of 8 per cent, absorbs" £6CDO, tbe : reserve-fund,has been increased by. £5000 and ~£COC6 been carried forward. At the annual meeting of shareholders, the chairman (Colouel Burns) made an interesting reference to the relativo positions of the purely Australian flro offices, and those with their headquarters outside Australia,. The Queensland, he said, wa3 a purely Austrahan institution, all directors, shareholders, and officers of the company being in Australia, while the business generally was restricted to the Commonwealth, and heavy fire riß.lss wero not . taken in America, Europe, or anywhere away from the control of the board. Tho whole of' the i"v'estments were also Australian,: and much of tho sueccßfl of the company was duo to tho energy nnd ability of the officers in the, various States and the loyal support, caro, .andl inauonco.of the local directorates and agents. Out of the 50 or 40 fire and marine insurance companies carrying on :business in Australia, only about half a dozen were Australian companies, and when they considered how tho local life offices and banking institutions had como to the front, and how they had proved to give strengtlj and stabiUty-to this country, it seemed regrettable. that a, greater share of business had not also fallen to tho local fire, marine, and accident-companies..; It was, howover, an assured fact that local capital and enterprise were making rapid headway, and it must be admitted that it. was more beneficial to the-wholo community for Australian moneys to be invested in bank deposits and shares, returning interest and dividends, or in local. lire and marine companies paying dividends, or by Australian life, flro, and marine offices to swell their funds for the benefit of Australian policyholders than to ho drained away-by outsldo. companies' and- invested in othor , o£ the world. In this way every year, showed aa immonso:increase of Australian capital invested in Australian- institutions, and a corresponding decreass in outsldo money loaned or invested. '-" .- notes. - They do things on a big scale in i the .United States, and especially .so In. respect-to railway accidents. In 1907 the payments made by th«. jyUlwajrs m .connjeflsation for jjergonai jn.^.

jurios £4,373,351, and for 'lofes and damaßOvto gooda . £5,262,401; ma!:ing together . ' £9,640,75 L That, by tho way, was the highest total on rc» cord, and represented 1.82 per cent, on tho grosfl earnings.',

Sinco 1880 the Stato of .'Tasmania has-pro* I duced metals and minerals of tho valuo of over £29,011,000. Tin heads the list with an output; valued at £9.010,761, -blister copper. comes next with £7,711,850, and silver-lead oro third; with £4,379,000. Luring 1908 the aggregate value of the mineral and metal production of tne stato was £1,650,077. This is a decreaso of £627,132 'OU the figures for 1907, and arises not from a shrinK* age in yields, but from the fall in the price of tho principal metals. Copper-mining is tho most buoyant industry in the Stato at the present, moment, owing to the failure of the lead, gold, and silver-lead mines to open up well, at aeptn.

According to the statistics published by -tho International Federation of Master Cotton Spin-, ncra* and Manufacturers' Associations for tho year ended August 31 last, the world s tion of cotton during the 12 months. totalled 16,667,400 bales, as compared with balcb for the preceding year, and 14,909,200 bales for 13C6-7. Of this quantity 12,098,300 bales werc American cotton, 2,4'/9,300 bales East Indian, and 7oi,lcu bales Egyptian, w'liile 1,308,700 bales were derived from-various sources; Great Britain consumed 3,153,500 bales during 1908-9, as against, 3,394,400 bales in the preceding year; and ■ Germany 1,748,500-bales, a,s against 1,759,600 bales; but.Russia consumed 1,337,600 bales, as compared wltb. 923,100 bales. As regards, stocks, of cotton at August 30, according to • the spmaers roUma, there were 3,183/00 bales in hand tliroußhout the world, as against 2,728,000 bales at tho end of August last year, and 3,334,400 bales in 1907.

Preparatory to the negotiation of trado g^ re ®' ments with foreign • countries, the united States Government has served formal notice on tho Governments with which commercial agreements are now in-force. The notices thus served have set the following dates for the-expiration of' JjJJJ commcrcial agreements negotiated, under the.. . Dingley -Tariff Act :-Octobcr 31, 1909. the agree-, mcnts with France, Switzerland, and. Bulgaria expire. On February 7, 1910, the agreements with 'Germany and Great Britain expire. On August 7, 1910/ tho' agreoments with Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, expire.- In each case it is assumed new treaties will be entered into. In addition, it is probable that tne department will enter' into negotiations with JJ&Dy other countries, particularly # those _of South America, with a- view of securing mutual advantages.

CUSTOMS BEVENUE. .. ' Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted lo x £2055 Bs. 3d. WELLINGTON MARKET REPOET. V The New Zealand Tanners' Co-opcrativo Distributing Company,' Ltd., report as follows :~Maize, 4s. to 4s. 3d.; wheat, wholo fowl, 4s. 10d.; -barley, Capo seed,. 3s.- 6d;; barley, , feed, bushel; barley, meal, £5 per tou; oats, 2s. 3d. to 2s. 5d.; oats, seed 6parrowbiUs, gartons, duns, Zs. Bd.: Algerians,. 2s. 4d.; oats, crushed, 2s. 7d. per bushel; horse beans, 4s. 6d. per bushel; partridge peas,,ss. 6d.; prussian bluo peas, ss. 6d. per bushel; hay, prime, £4 per ton; straw, wheatcn, £2 55.; oaten, £2 2s. 6d.; bran, £4 to £4 55.; pollard, £5 to'£s 55.; sucrosine, 200's £7, 100's £7 sb. per ton; superphosphates, best, £5 per ton; rye-1 grass, dressed, ss. per bushel,-cocksfoot, dressed, Bd. lb.; linseed oil cake, geniiine, . £13;: prime oaten sheaf chaff, £3 ss. to. £3 10s.; now potatoes;; 12s.' to 14s. 6d. per cwt., good demand i potatoes, old; £4 10s. to £6; selected Canterbury ,up-to-dato seeds, £5; onions, Melbourne,. £11 per ton; butter, separator, BJd.' to 9id.; dairy, 7d. to Bd. per lb.; eggs, fresh, Is. to Is. Id. jier dozen,'good demand; honey, 60' a 3Jd. to 4d., 14's 4id.; beeswax, Is., 6d.; fungus, sid.; walnuts,- 'sjl. to per lb.; cheese, best factory, mediums, sjd. to Cd.; bacon, factory, sides Bd., rolls 9d., per lb.; porkers, 70's to 90's 4Jd., 90's to 100 s 4Jd.; baconcrs, 4d;; heavy pigsi,3d. per lb.;, green peas, IOJd. to Is. 2d. per peck; cabbage, ss. 6d.; parsnips, Is.; carrots, table, 7s. per, sack; marrows, Ba.; pumpkins,. 10s."per sack; swedes, unsaleable; rhubarb, 2s. to 6s. per'dozen; asparagus, ss. to Bs. per dozen bundles; cucumbers, ss. i to 7s. 6d. per dozen; tpmatoes;' 9d. to-lid. per lb.; gooseberries,: ss. 6d. ,to 6s.'6d. per halfrcaso; strawberries, 2s. per lb.; red currants, 65.,4 d. per I half-case; apples, dessert, 155.; apples, cookers, 14s. 6d. per case. Poultry—Tabic roosters, 4s. 6d. to 55.; cockorels, 6s. 6d. to 6s. 6d.j table hens, 4s. 6d. to 65.; ducks, 65.; geese, 6s. 6d.~a1l at per pair; turkey, gobblers 9d., hens Bd. per lb. , LONDON TOOL SALES. " ■• ' BUYERS OPERATING FREELY. (IJy TclcerapU.—l'rcas Asfor.lhtl.on.—OuD*rlffht.) London,'. November 25. •. At ,: the wool sales ithero was an. excellent, de-.-mand in all 1 sections, buyers, operating at full opening rates. ; . - :«• • ■ ■ ' LOAN' AND MERCANTILE COMPANY. (By.' Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.) ' {Rec.* November 26, 10, p.m.), . ; ,/ : . > London, November-26. ;, After paying debenture interest, and'adding £55,000 to reserve accounts, tho Now Zealand Loan-and Mercantile Agency Company , showed, a credit balance of £6730. • A divider.d of. 5 'per, cent, was declared,and • £360 was. carried for■ward. ;.- •'' '

■ ' ;/;■ BOTTER EXPORT;. ', }■, V ! (ByV Telegraph—Press' Association.) i, v. /.. . Auckland, November.-26. J The export of butter from Auokland 'Xof'.thoj past fortnight totalled 497 tons,'"of a value of nearly £48,700, which is. £16,710 more than for the corresponding fortnight of last .year.. The -increased export this season so far over thO: whole of last season is 567 tons, of a/value of ;£55,500. . . ' CANTERBURY GRAIN MARKET/ ' . (By Tolegfaph—Press. Ass>.ciat!on.) ' Christchurch, November; 26; ; ' During the"week thcro has. been/more inquiry for wheat by somo of the local millers, and aIBO by North Island millers. .-. .Thoro 'Is, .howbver, little offering by growers, and.'vfhat "sales, havo taken'place have .been mac!o"''by -merchants: Faraors have b.een asking up to 4s.i 3d: .at conntry stations, but ' offers of. whea,t athave not been accepted; and the. Balo reported was that .of a'small'.lino of Hunters at 45.. lid. < at a country station. ■ Therois fair inquiry for oats, principally for shipment to the North Island. -No stocks, however, ara held in town, . and what ; has ■ beenshipped has come in direct ■ from * tho country; There-is no demand for export in consequence of further space not bcinc available. , :; V : ' ■ ' ■'■ . , LONDON "MAEKETS. Messrs. Dalgety and Co!, Ltd.,' report having received the following cab'.c messages . from their Londor. house, under data of November 25:— Frozen. Meat-Limited demand for mutton and lamb, for which prices aro id. to Id. lower; For b*ef any chango in priccs is in favour of Tallow—Prices for mutton tallow'are unchanged, /and there is a very flraalldemand for other de : scriptions. Prices aro- nominally. 3d. lower..-