COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 751, 25 February 1910, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

.INVESTMENT, SHAPES. . Sale's of Wcstport-Stockton Coal shares at 7s. 6d, and Vs. 3d. were reported yesterday. National Bank, buyers-£6 2s. 6d., sellers £6 55.; Wellington investment, buy-' era'.Us.';'Wellington I'rust.-und Loan, isellers £7 45.; Wellington Deposit, sellers" Bs. 6d.; Oliristchurch Gas,, sellers £10.; Stan-' Sard Insurance, buyers £1 3s. ■■ 3d.;. Gear Heat, £1 paid, buyara £2 Us.;-Wellington' Woollen, buyers' £6. 15!; Taupiri Coal, sellers 10s.' Cd.; Wcstport'Coal, buyers £6 15..; Westport-Stockton, sellers 7s. 3d.; Kauri Timber, buyers . 15s. 3d.; Lcyland-O'Bfien Timber,"buyers £1 3s. l&.f New Zealand Drugs, sellers £2 7s. 6d.; New Zealand Port-, land Cement; buyers £1 19s. 6d., sellers £2 Os. 6d.;. New Zealand Paper, Mills, sellers £1 35.; Sharlimd's.preference! buyers £1 Is. 6d.; Taranalti , Petroleum, sellers Bs. 3d.; Ward-and Ob.; buyers. £4 13s. 6d.; Whltcombo.and Tombs, buyers £4 19s; ■''■' ■'. INSURANCE AMALGAMATION. ' 'The Colonial Mutual Lifo Assurance So. ciety, Limited, lias secured a preponderating, interest in the Standard Life Association; Limited. It is evident that the legal dinlculties in the .way' of a junction of. forces'between the two institutions have, been overcome,, and. tho former company is now prepared to takeover policies-and. rights in tne Standard Association .on conditions as nearly alike as is possible. The acquisition of interest, by the Colonial Society, however, ; will not prevent 'the Stan-. dard Association continuing to carry on business. ' ■ . . ■ ..'V • ." / UNION BANK.. ; '' The statement of accounts of tho Union BanK of. Australia, Limited, for the halfyear ended August 31, UW, was ■ presented to shareholders in London on January Hi., ■i'lie uaiance-slieet Ehows a net protit of £i3D,B/3 and, with tho balance from tho previous half-year, there is a sum of £1Y3,879 availaole. From this £Iu,WU is appropriated in reduction of premises account in Australasia,'and'£ai,utti as an adoition to the reserve fund, raising it to £I,iNU,Om. A dividend at' tno rate of ID per cent, per annum,. equal to Zss. per share, absorb £IU9,OUU, making tho discriuution to:. snarchoidcrs at the rate of 14 per ceuti per annum, and leaving a' balance, of £i8,879.t0. bo carried forward, in comparison with twelve mouths ago. , there are oonsidcrable movements. Deposits have increased by ±641,735, and advances have diminished by £1,186,M2. This accounts for too large expansion in mon«y at cail, such being jil,7Vu,i)oo higher than in August, vM. Inclusive of remittances in transitu and bills receivable, amounting to £I,V/U,132, liquid assets are £1,610,851). greater (at "iiIu,2JO,WW than they were in the preceding year at the same period, and represent over 48 per cent, of lotal'liabilities to tne public.. -. '■ . . ■

.; ~ GAS -UNDERTAKINGS. Many interesting facts as to gas conSumption in Groat Britain are.to be found in .the "Gas World i'ear Book for 1910." From the figures given in this. wdrlt it appears that witliiu the London postal district thero are 1,220,087 consumers, and they are supplied with 47,199,882,0C0 cubic feet of gas. In this area is produced nearly 25' per cent. of. the.-output of gas of the whole kingdom, supplying 19 per cent, of ■ the gas consumers. Tho largest of the London companies, indeed, tho largest in the world—the Gas Light a'nd Coke Company—makes 23,629,000,000 cubic feet ol gas in the year, and charges 2s. Bd. per thousand cubic'feet, while, some "of the smaller companies charge a good deal less notably the South Metropolitan Company! who , charge 2s. 2d., and the Wandsworth Company, whose charge is only Is. lid' The number of_ gas consuraore in the United kingdom has increased in the voar from 6,134,739 to 6,388,511. Gas undertakings havo two classes of oustomers-those who pay their bills .quarterly and those Avho piiy a-s they go, by means. of penny-Li-tlie-slot meters. New ' consumers come largely under the latter class, which Ins increased during the year from 2,621333 to 2,867,466, or at the ra.to of over 9 per' cent

while consumers in the first-named class increased from 3,513,416 to. 3,521,045. Gas cooking stoves seem to grow, steadily in public favour. The number now in use is given as 2,575,511, aa asainet 2.396,058 in 1908—an increase of 7.5 per cent. ;

■ The number of gas undertakings under municipal ownership forms a comparatively small part of the total in the United Kingdom. Thus, in England there are 1044 gasworks owned by companies, and only 223 by local authorities, in Scotland 206, against 55, and in Ireland 87 against 24. The annual malto of gas in England is , given as 172.507,389,000 cubic foet, in Scotland 16,561,071,000 cubic feot, nnd in Ireland 5,396.133,000 cubic feet, making a total of 194,«4,591,000 cubic feet, as compared with 193,825,797,000. in 1908, and/ this was distributed among 6,388,511, consumers. ' ,

Customs revenue collected at, Wellington yesterday amounted to £2803 Is, .'■ ' . TALLOW. - ' London, February 23. At the tallow sales 650 casks wero offered and 483 sold. Mutton—Pine, 375.; medium, 335. 6d. Beet—Fine, 365. 6d.; medium, 335. 6d. • , ... The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited,, nave received the 'following cablegram from their London house under date February 23:—"Tallow—The market has advanced 6d.•--. per cwt." / . . ' ' "' .- HIDES MAEKET. \ '.! Dy Telegraph—Press Association—CoDrrleht ~' (Eec. February 24, 11.30 p.m.) ' Melbourne, February 24. In the hides market supplies were moderate. Competition was active. Prices favoured Bellere. , , . . i AUSTRALIAN PBODUOE MAEKETB. By Telegraph—Press Aesociation-Oo.byrieht (Bee. February 24, 11.30 p.m.) / Sydney, February 24. Wheat. 4s. - OJd. Flour, £10 10s. Oats, Algerian feeding 2s. Id."to 2s. 2d., seeding 2s. 3d. to 2b. 4d., Tartarian 2s. lid. Barley, 3s.'to 3s. 3d. Make, new 3s. to 3s. 3d., South African, 3s. 3d. to 3s. 4d.: Bran, £4 ss. Pollard, £4 10s. Potatoes, Tasmanian £5 to £6... Onions, £3 to £5. Butter, 965. Cheese, Sd. .to'Sid. .Bacon, 03d. ■ Melbourne, February 24. Wheat, 4a. Hi. Flour, £10. Oats, prime. milUng 2s. Bd., feeding 2s. Id. Barley, good English malting 4s. 4d., Cape malting to 2s. 9d., feeding 2s; Maize, 3s. 2d. Bran, £4 Jss. Pollard, £5.. Potatoes, £3 10b. to £4 53. Onionß, £3 t0.£3,155. > ■-• .', -'■ . • Adelaide,' February. 24. • Wheat, 4s. OJd. Flour, £9 ss. Bran, IZJd. Pollard, :13id. ..' .i- ■ 0.0. AND D. CO.' ■ (By - Teleßraph.—Press Association.) Napior, February 24. The 0.0. and D. Company'cables the following report on the frozen meat market: —"To-day's prices: Mutton—Napier, Wellington, and North Island, 3gd.; lamb, sd. Beqf—hinds, 33d.; fores,.3d." -.; ■ ■ . HtON. AND . STEEL' MAEKET. , . Auckland, February 24. There is apparently likely to be.a strong movement in the' iron 1 and steel market in tbo near future. A cablegram- has been received from d leading ironmaster in England by his representative here to the effect that iiron and steol are. advancing in price, and orders must only bo taken subject to -fluctuations'; Within the week »■ similar upward movement has been reported from American and Continental iron and steel markets, and.it has naturally reacted on copper. .' . . . ■ .EisE nr. s-tjgae. ...--, Messrs. - Lovin and C0.,-Ltd., have been advised by the Colonial Sugar Company, Auckland, that the price, of all grades-of sugar has been raised 10s. per ton. • . ' .-'