COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1202, 10 August 1911, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS.

INVESTMENT SHARES. A sale of Wellington Jleot Export shares (£5 paid! at £6 Ss. cum dividend was tho only transaction recorded in investment shares yesterday. Tho buying and celling quotations were as under:—

Customs duties- collected at the port of Wellington yesterday amounted to £4630 17s. lid.

SIURE AND DEBENTURES. By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright

_ , , London, August 8. Bank shares are quoted as follow:Australasia, £119 -fa. to £120 IDs.; New South Wales, £43 to £44; Union. £61 to £62: National of New Zealand, £5 12s. 6:1. to £5 17f>. 6d.; New Zealand, £11 15s. to £12. 2\ew Zealand Loan and Mercantile debentures, £98.

SILVER. By Tolflsra.Dk—Press Asscciation-Oooyrieht London, August 8. Bar silver is uuotod at 24 1-ied. per ounce standard. PEODUCE EXPORTS. The publication of the .lulv returns of the principal products exported from NewZealand, enables us to make a comparison of the exports for ten months of the produce year. The figures aro as under:— 1910-11. 19C9-10. £ £ October 720,363 822.248 . November 1,041,183 1,070.461 December 2.161,769 1.8i6.625 January 3,025,016 2.845,421 February 2,346,741 2,952.778 March 2,W„3i8 2.669,221 April 1,459.351 2.213,2J)9 May 1,824,216 1.566.947 Juno 1,038,173 1,494,587 July 1,053,687 1,295,487 17,164,020 18,797,044 There is a. decrease of £1,633,020, and by tbe end of the produce year on September 30. the shrinkage will be approximate to £2,000,000, which is a, far larger deficit than was t anticipated. With increasing imports agiiii3t this decrease of exports there are unfavourable possibilities in tho situation. AMERICAN CONDITIONS." To many it may seem that the conditions prevailing in the United States are of no moment, seeing that our trade relations with that great country are insignificant. Such assumption is very erroneous, because American trade is of world-wide importance, and, indirectly, exercises an influence over New Zealand. If the conditions in the United States arc satisfactory the world's prospects aro better and briirhter. For a ..-onsiderable time past, the outlook in America has not been favourable, but an improvement has now set in. Mr. Henry Clews, the New York banker, in his circular letter dated Juno 17, states that, while F.-ome decree of irreEulirity has resulted from a disposition of fortunate' holders to realise profits, nothing of importance has occurred to change the outlook in the financial markets. Tho winter wheat crop has proven a particularly early one, and is for nil practical purposes "made." Reliable reports from the leading soring wheat roctions contain little of a discouraging character, though some damage by drought and hent ha,s been reported in a limited area.. Interest now centres, so far as harvest prospects. are concerned, upon tho condition of corn. There is no reason to be'i-".-o tb.-U lite result will he other than a highly favourable, one. Cotton prospects will also bear the same favourable intornrclation. Thus the rron situation which is the fundamental factor in tho stock market, at the moment, is ono of excellent promise, and the ' udcrlyrag firrancfn in Stock Exchange values may be considered a- reflection of this imporlaut feature. This is undoubtedly an optimistic view, hut it is fully borne out, by reports from other competent authorities. It meaHs that, presently, there will he a. great revival of industrial activity in the TTnitPd States, and, furthermore, '.lie cost of liviug which ha.s been a. restraining factor Ihroueh being oppressively high will be greatly reduced. Such a movement -trill spread throughout tbe world, and we have thus to bear in min.-t that, while some products mnv be high, the majority of commodities will rule at. reasonable prices.

Buyers. Seller?. £ a. il. £ a. d. Ba.nk New Zealand ......... 12 7 6 N ptioii.il finnl; 5 19 6 — X.Z. Loan and Mercantile — 0 18 0 VelliiiKton lnvo?tnipnt .... 0 11 6 — "Well. Trust- and Loan ... — 7 11 0 Clirietchurch Oris — 9 i7 fi FvililiiiK (las — 12 6 S.I?. Insurance — 3 15 6 Standard Inv.irencc 1 11 6 Canterbury Frozen Heat — 8 17 6 Christrlnireh Moat — 16 2 6 Meat Export (£5) 6 7 G — Meat Export (52s. CiU — 3 J 0 Well. Woollen (ord.) — 4 0 0 Taupiri Coal 116 12 0 W'estport. Goal 18 0 19 3 Le.vland-O'Brion 10 3 — ir.'iraiinir and Co — 4 6 0 N.Z. Drug 210 0 Jf.Z. Paper Mills •- 1 1 ) Sliarlaud's ordinary ... ~ i 5 a Tarmaki Petroleum — 0 15 3 Well. Ocsta Home - 1 i i