COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1177, 12 July 1911, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

IXVESTMENT SHARKS. Rales of investment than'.,- recorded yesterday were Nitioii.il Bank, at £6 Is. Oil., .«outh Driti.ih Insurance :U X 3 15s. 6ri.,New Zealand KMppim: at Xll 15e.. and Wnir.irana, Farmers at ,S7 s:i. The buying and selling ijuotatioiiii were as under:— Iliiycr?. Sellers £ s. d. £ f d National Hank 5 16 6 2 0 Union Bank 66 II) 0 - National Mortgage 3 8b — Wellington Investment ... 0 11 9 — Christclmrch Gas 9 15 0 - S.!!. Insurance J 15 S ~ Meat Export (£&. M.) ■ - \ •' \ Well. Woollen (ord.) '- 4 1 6 Well. Woollen (pref.) 3 10 - Wcitporl. Co:il 19 3 - Leylaml-O'Brien 1 < f> — Ik SSS- ™sr= 11 i iT| Taranaki Petroleum — 0 u i Taringaimitu Totara 26 J JJ J Well. Opera House 7 5 0 7 10 0 BRITISH NATIONAL DEBT. Particulars of the national debt at the end of the financial year, March 31 last, show that the aggregate gross liabiluio. durin" the year were reduced from .hloz,«3,0C0"t0 JE733.072.0C0. The decrease is prmeinnllv due to a Tcduotlon of £22,C00,Ct0 in tfe unfunded debt? of which £21.pC0,0C0 is attributable to the repayment <u temporary borrowings in 1939-10 on the credit of way and means, which were necessitated by the delay in passing the Budget in that. year. The remaining £I.COO,CCO was contributed by a part of the new sinking fund of 1909-10. The net decreas: of £29.BOT.CDO is the larsrcst reduction of debt ever recorded in any one year, the nearest, approach to the figures being in 1907-8, when, the reduction was £!5,996.». Dunne the period the permanent annual charge of the debt was reduced to ffl,M, the highest charge having been in ■WOI-β. when it was £29.500.000. The national debt at the close of the financial period of each of the past seven years shows as under :- March 31. * lorn 796,736,000 19C6 '.'.".". "". 788,990,000 1907 ■'" 774,165,000 1908 •' :..- 759.8Z6.0C0 •' 1909 754,121,000 1910 762.463.CC0 ' 1911 ; 733,072,000 In eix years the debt has been reduced.by the substantial sum of £63,664,000, and at the close of the last financial year the estimated assets totalled £55,157.000 of which Suez Canal shares'.account for £o(,ou»,iaju. KOYAL INSURANCE. The report of the Royal Insurance Company, Ltd., for the year ended December 31, 1910, states that tho premiums in the fire department, after deduction of reinsurances, amounted to £3.895,074 and the net losses. to £1.925.188. After charging commission, expenses of management, and hro brigade contribution?, the surplus of £580,852 h-is been carried to profit and loss, from which account the £um of £500,0011 has been transferred to the fire fund, increasing the ?ame to £2,800,KX). The employers, liability premiums were £J;*993, and the payments under claims £72,152. After charging commission and expenses ol ' management and crediting interest, less income tax', the fund earned forward amounts to £123.735. The personal accident premiums wero £36,682, and tho payments under claims £16.538. After charging commission anfl oxpensC3 of management and cred.itins intercut, less income tax, a. fund of ii 28,618 is carried forward. The pro-, minms of the general insurances account were .£127,107, and the claims paid and outr standing £44.186. After charging commission and expens2s of management the fund carried forward amounts to £119,858. Customs duties collected at the port of ; Wellington yesterday, amounted to £94/0 18s.'8d, TRADE IN ALLEN STREET. Fruit—The Jloaria, from Sydney, is duo to-day with the. usual weekly consignment of pareion fruit, pineapples, • oranges, etc. The first shipment of apples of llobart to come in under the reduced • duty of id.' per lb. is expected to reach Wellington on Friday. Dessert apples, choice coloured, 93. to 10s. £d.: Stunners, prime nullity, Bs. to Ss.; good, 6s. to 7s. 6d. Cooking apples are in gcDtl demand, prime green realising ss. to 6s. Vegetables— Cauliflowers arc in-firm, dcmanil, and sales have been made at 16s. to 203. per sack; cabbages arc steady at 7s. to 11s. for prime sorts; carrots, <s. to 55.; parsnips, 3s.'-6d. to 55.; swedes are dull at Is. 6d. per cwt.; pumpkins are firmer, and sell at ie. to 65.; marrows continue steady at 55.; to 6s. Butter is in short, supply.; prime bulk is quoted at le. 2d. to Is. 3d. per lb. OhecEC.—A fair business is passing, with values unchanse4. Margarine meets with ready sale at BJdto 9d. per lb. for Australian manufacture. It is a pity margarine is not retailed in lib. pats, for with butter at the present high level many consumers would turn to thi-s .substitute for relief. - Eggs show a further decline, and fresh eggs are now Quoted at Is. 3d. to Is. <d., with preserved at Is. Id. per lb. Bacon and hams are unchanged. Sides, Bd.; rolls. 83d.; hams, 9d. per lb. Lard in bulk is Quoted at Bd., and in lib. pats at B}dPoultry .-Hens, 3s. to 4s. per pair; cockerels, 3s. to 55.; ducks, 4s. 6d. to 65.; turkey gobblers, 7d. to Sd. per lb., live weight; hens, 6d. to 7d. Onions.—The market, is well sunplied.'The current Quotations are: Tictorian, £5 to £5 10s.; Kew Zealand, £4 to £4 10s. Potatoes are unchanged; seed potatoes, £6 to £7 per ton; prime table potatoes, £4 17s. 6d. to £5 ss. Oat 3 are steady. "A" grade Gartons, 2s. 7sd., and "A" grade Pparrowbills. as. 7d. per bushel, f.o.b. south. Fowls' wheat meets with steady demand at ss. to 4s. Id. per bushel, ex store. Flour is unchanged at £8 10s. per ton, f.o.b. south, less the usual discounts. .Rice meal i? Qiictcd at £5, and rice flour at £6 per ton. Bran has declined further, and is now quoted at £5 10a. per ton, ex store Maize is selling at 3s. 3d. to 3s. 4d. per bushel, ex store. Baled Ktraw.-Prime whealen, Ms. to 6Cs per ton. B ? kd /.c n f/~ Prime q"" 1 JM 10s.; choice £5 to £5 10s. per ton. FEOZE.V MEAT. MARKET. (By Tc!ograph-Pre=3 Association.! Cliristchurch, July 11 The British-New Zealand Meat Company has received the following London cable- ?, ram :_ t Mutton-Canterbury. 3Sd. to 4d.; North Island, Hi. to' 32d.; Lamb-Canter-bury, 4?. d. to SM-; North Mand U tn sd.- Becf-flinds, !&.; fores, 2gd." GRAIN AND PRODUCE. (By l'elezraph-Prcss Association.) ™ . CUristchiirch, July n. There is a good inquiry for wheat, but very little business is doing in consequence ot growers holding firmly. There is more turnover among merchants, though not to a great extent. The net price offered at country stations for other varieties than A'ch-et is 3s. odvbut furmeru are asking up to-33. 6d in most cases, and only odd lots for which the current price is accepted change hands. A small quantity of Hour still continues to come into the Dominion from Australia. During the first four months of thi3 year 9610 sacks were receiv-ed-from that.source, all of which, except 726 _ sacks trorn Sydney, came from Vic island ° f il COiDE t0 th ° Nort ' l Oats arc without change, but chaff fa easier, and as low a? 755. at country stations is the best oJfer that some buyers will make. Tho potato market is dull, and prices have given way still further. The highest price that most buyers will cue is 50= at country stations as they cannot quote more than 555. f.o.b. for shipment. There are few sellers at present, as grower-, are now deciding to hold till next month