COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 729, 31 January 1910, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES.

A sale of Cliristclmrcli Meat shares at £11 7b. 6d. was recorded oh Saturday. National Bank, buyers £6 Is.; Bank of Now Zealand, buyers £9 Bs., sellers £9 lis;; Wellington Investment, sellers lis. 6d.; Wellington Trust and Loan, buyers £7 As.; Wellington Deposit, sellers Bs. 3d.; Wellington Gas, £10 paid,', sellers. £18 55., £6 155.. paid, sellers £14 55.; Now Zealand Insurance, buyers £3' 155.; Wellington Wool-: len, sellers £3 45.; Hiknrangi Coal, buyers £1 Is. 6d.; Wcstport-Stockton, buyers 6s. 9d., ,sellers 7s. 3d.; Kauri Timber, buyers 14s. '7d.; Leyland-O'Brien Timber, buyers £1'- 35.; Sharland's' preference, buyers £1 Is.; Taranaki;Petroleum,,sellers 7s. -,

'['■: DEBEEBS CONSOLIDATED MINES.The reportof Do: Beers. Mines, Ltd.; for the--twelve months .ended Juno 30, 1909, states that the. balance brought forward was £563,810. ■ During . the , past. twelve months the diamonds sold, together with tho value of the stocks' on.hand, at cost of production, amounted to £3,074,911, while miscellaneous revenue, produced a further £143,549. .In addition, '.there has , been transferred from, reserve, account for decrease in blue, ground/stocks since July. 1, 1908, at. cost of on floors, £313,602;. together: £4,095,874. This has' been appropriated as follows:—Mining.and other expenditure, £1,648,263;' .depreciation, £237,142; amount-of debentures and obligations redeemed during, year written off claims, £224,400;. interest on company's debentures" and obligations,-and on capital of leased companies, £256,244; total ordinary expenditure, £2,366,049. Blue' ground. on hand Juno 30, 1908, at nominal values now written off in order to bring stocks on hand July 1, 1908, into accounts at cost of depositing, £619,809; Oapo v incomc tax,, estimated amount■ payablo for.year,.'£lo7,ooo; British income tax,-balance of assessment for year ended June 30, ,1908, ~£26,742; preference dividends paid and provided for, £600,000;, balance : carried forward,' £176,272.. The revenue.from;diamonds compared with the: previous year is: less; Tula is due chiefly to'.the.serious, fall;in tho market price of the inferior' qualities and to taking '. the Btock on hand at cost of; production only. ■ Tho stock of blue' ground and lumps on the floors at Juno 30, 1909, iwas 9,526,531 .loads;. a : decrease of 1,100,000 loads:."-During,.the-'- year, the company hauled and deposited 3,686,239 loads of blue and lumps ■ and/washed (4,781,286; loads as against - 5,682,965 .loads -hauled , and -6,046,461 loads, washed the previous : yoar. •• The re; ductiou.iu-the hauling'is due to Do Beers and. Dutoitspan mines .being . shut - down. In tho balance-sheet the blue ground stocks now appear at £1,954,664,-and aro'included under the headingof ''Reserves" The depression in the diamond market; referredto in last year's. report,' .although keenly felt during -the -greater part of this year,has since the end of June, 1909, considerably decreased, so much so that in August last they considered it advisable to declare an interim dividend of 10s. per' share on the' deferred sharoa ; in anticipation of-the dividend .that would be .declared : in■■'■ December, , 1909. Necessity. compelled the - directors. :tb : continue.: the closing- down of De' Beers and-Dutoitspan mines during the. • year:nnder-: review, but they now hope the' improved condition of tho diamond marketwill justify a resumption'of 'work "at-Du-shortly.,' ■; .- «■'

i. Customs ■ revenue; collected at Wellington on' Saturday amounted to. £1091 ss. lid. The total for.the week was £20,335 12s. lid., beer duty 1 : amounting to £376 17s. 6d.':.:. ■'■:/< -/'y/ibraoN wooirsales.'/ ■ . '/ : j 4 ':.: COMPETITION' SPIEITED. ! ';.''•■. By Telegraph—Press Assbclatiori—Oobyrlcht: :'';.,:"•;..' ':■■' London, January Competition atrthe wool sales continues, spiritod; :,to-day's salo : being. on'o : ,- of' tho best.of tho|series.. -.:■-.- '.:., ' ■;;:;.' \- : '-'.--.' ,: '~[' THE,FROZEN''MEAT MARKET;":'' i •By TelceraDh—Press Association—Cooyricht ■'■", ' i i,(Eeo: January .30, s_. p.m.) , . '."''.,"■'.. v-london,,'January/.M, ' ■ The : - Frozen Meat " Trade, Association's' Smithficld. market quotations, for. tho: undermentioned:, classes.'oflfrozen, meat are based on actual sales of not' less ■ than ono hundred carcasses of mutton or lamb, or. twenty-flvo Quarters' of.: beef ■' of' fair average,quality.' The • Quotations are, not for .selected ilincs,. but', for : . parcels 'fairly representative .of .tho.bulk of. the shipments now. on the market... .The-pi-icca which ifollowaro on an ;average a; farthing per lb. more'than',the!valuo ex. ship,' this' .din*ercnCß'representing:.;aa','avcr4go'rcbßt'in 'eipenseSi J shandliag,fconv"oy'ahc6|'.:'and sell-, ing the:meat:—:- .■.'.."....v -A •,'.'■ '■■■~■''; '■■'.i. y .\.'■■:■:■'■■■'■■:'--.i",::',:. , v ; i: ;'. ;, '''Jah:'22 'Jan-29. Mutton—; ; ■ '■'■'" ■• '-'■" ■'■'' ■■'■ '•'.■.'' ii;.' ; d.'.' ■ '.- Oantcrhary, light ..'..'..'.._.:.:,— ~ ■—. Canterbury,' medium :..: .• -7 -. ~- —,'. Canterbury,-heavy ..]....'„.;..''—", , — ' ..Southland-.::.......................... 3J . " ; '3J '•■ ■! North Island, best .32 .'3ll-16 'North Is'land.'-ordinarydru'H-s:"'" ,~V'":' : Australian;'':light >~v.'.v.f... i !..i,C3i'" y; 3 3-16 : ■" Australian heavy ........;..'.. 3 3-16 31 ■' V ■Eiver. Plato, light ..U..;;;;. -31' '- ■■:■ : 3i,S"- , Eivcr - Tlate, heavy- ...„„..; 3J .."... 3 7-16 Lamb— ■ ■ ... ; v.Oanterbriry.', .'V''•" ; 4i:■':' • mc'diumi'£s:!...:,4i^.',.■;,i^Jj.i.i : .'f!Oantdrbu^y,^'Kcavi,s,&i;.':;^:fil.■^■■.! l |•i"ft;;i.!^J, , . "• 50uth1and."'.:.:r..::.'....':.'.V..:..'„'...""4 .' ~"' '"4 '"'"■' : North Island, selected ......' —' '—■ . ■ North Island, ordinary ..;..- — —.V;Australian, 33. , ; '3 3-16' .'Australian, fair....:...::..........- 3J < 38'. : , •"■ Australian, inferior': „i.',.:.'- 33 ' 3 7-16 V.Biver Plate ..........„: ;'- ■ * > '■ '—'■-..- '-.'-■'■ .'■ r , Now Zealand, ox fores'..;;. 23•: ... 'New Zealand, ox hinds .... -33 . i\ Australian, ox f0re5...:.....'23 1% ■' Australian, ox hinds .......;.- 23:' ■ :3 ; ■.Eiver Plato,: ox,'fores '....; 20 : . '27-16 .Eiyer Plate:; ox hinds : :....:.-3 : '-3Ji. FEOZEN. PEODTJOE: 1 GLUT.' IN MUTTON.' .The' New Zealand.Loan arid Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, have received the following, cablegram from their Lon-don-house, under . date January .23;— .'Frozen Meat: Mutton' market glutted; lamb market steady;: beef market-slightly better.".

• ;' DAIBY PEODTJOE. ■'.. Cargo, taken from Now Zealand j?ris by the .Shaw,. Savill and Albion Company's Oorinthio, which left', for Loudon on Saturday, included, a big shipment', of butter and cheese, made up ai- follows:— .:. .'•'.-, .■'•'. ;'/.":' Boxes Orates ■ ■■'-" ■'.- .'■'•;. ' Butter. . Cheese. ( :Now Plymouth ;.;....;..;..... 11,405 ' 3,136 ■'■ Patea •'• .;.....:......._._...V...„. 3,650 ■ 6,000 ..Wellington ,■ ,11;121 . . 4,579 .• ■'■■ Auckland ~.- ™:.;.;.;;..:„i,":.. 16,809 . '■' 23J Lytteltbn \J~..:.„....:..^.„ . ,3,529 :■■■■■.—■ ' /.'.'■.■•/ T0ta15........ 14,009 '-,_', GRAIN ANB.PEODTJOE IIAEKETS, '"'. :'/ .Chrlstchurcli, 29. Harvest -work is still claiming the lull attention of .farmers throughout the' province/; and it is not surprising that the amount of grain placed on the market' so far has been within very narrow limits. Offerings have been confined to a, few lines of wheat and Algerian' oats. Scarcely, any white oats havo j-et been on sale. Samples offered during the week have- on the whole been, of a very satisfactory class, although ,in some' instances tho grains were very slightly pinched,; as tho result of unfavourable weathor 'conditions during the ripening process.. • Since last! report salts of new season's grain have been mado up to 3s. 9d. per, bushel on trucks at country stations, but salos' at this prico have been tho exception, not the rule, current prices boing from 3s. 7d. t0.35.8d. It is expected that tho wheat crop will,: on the whole, prove rather more, satisfactory : than tho oats, but the returns will in most cases bo below what was anticipated, a, couple: of. months ago, when' everything pointed ;to phenomenal yields. With tho .exception of Algorian oats,.' tho is practically bare; lines placed : during few days having been exceptionally small. At present there are no milling oats on the market. 'Reports continue to comb to hand to tho effect. that the crops threshed up to the present are turning out unsatisfactorily, tho returns being much hclow the 'estimates: '■•■'■:■■' ' '■ : :■ ■ .'" ' Fair business is being'donor in potatoes for shipment northwards. Generally speaking, crops are satisfactory,. and up to the present' thcro. has been no blight.