COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2114, 3 April 1914, Page 10

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

INVESTMENT SHAKES. 'No business" was'• done in investment shares yesterday. The quotations were 4i3 follow:— - • Buyers. Sellers. . £ s. d. ' £ s. iL Bank N.Z./(663. 8il.) 9 12 0 - Hank,N.Z.'.{£6"'l3s.,4d.)... 15 12 .6 . — National Bank — 5 7 0 Metropolitan. Building ... — 1H 0 0 N. 1 /,. Loan and Mercantile (£IW slock) — 90 0 0 Wellinzton Investment ... — 011 3 Well. Trust and Loan ... 7 6 0 .7 7 0 Palmcr-ston N. Gas — 10 10 0 Well. Gas (pref.) 0 19 6 — Ohristchurch Meat 15 17 6 — Union Steam (pref.) ... 1 0 l< — Weil. Woollen (ord.) 4. 1 6 — Well. Woollen (pref.) ... 3 0 0 —' Taupiri Coal .' 12 3 — Leylaud-O'Brien — 14 0 Tarinjamutu Totals 2 6 0 2 7 0 Uolden Bay Cement 0 17 9 — Ward and Co - 5 0 0 — W.I'.C.A. (£1) 16 0 THE JIONEr MAIiKET. Tho situation in Ulster and the probability of an amicable settlement on tho Homo Rule question arc obviously viewed as favourable by the Stock Exchange, as prices' are firm, and Consbls have-, aivaced to £.76 10s. 'flic Ulster problem appears not to have troubled Ihe stock markets. 1 "The Economist" (London) of February 14, referred to the matter as follows:—"On the one hand we have a Government that will not or cannot abandon Home llule, refusing to go to the country, and on tho other a determined Opposition i committed to the support of Ulster in armed resistance to Home Kule and (if certain writers may bo believed), ;a German Emperor prepared to recogniee the static of tho belligerent army , so ebon as it takes tho field I In this situation wo have something more serious' and more terrible than a. "war cloud" of international politics. And yet the financial troubles that always mark the advent of war aro miesing. Thcro has been no rush to sell on the Stock Ejcha-nge, no hoarding of money till the atmftsphero is cleared, but, on the contrary, an animated

demand for stocks, a general feeling of cheerfulness and an all-round ■ rise in prices, which is nowhere more Teniarkablo than in the market/for British Government securities, and especially in Irish land 'stock. In January Consols rose over 4 points, Irish land stock by' nearly 10 points, and Home railway debentures by 3 to 5 point?, while the industrial markets have had the most' active settlement of the paefc two years. It would appear from; these facts. that. so. far as Great Britain is concerned, finance is not nervous. NEW FIND OF PLATINUM. A discovery which caused, no little surD"so wag recently made in- tho WestDhahan Sauerland. when extensive veins of platinum-bearing ore, the richness of which far surpasses that of the famous platinum mines in Siberia, were found in | a mountainous region-.' No time was lost in opening ud the formation, for as eoon ias tho Government had caused the necesto be made by mining : omflals, and. analytical chemists aud smelts ing experts, a company was formed in order ito proceed with tbe rational working of the new mine. The French company, which has Jong been working the TJral mines, 15 j j; 0 associated iu the new undertaking, a Si c lar £ e experience will thua be available for tho new company. As is well Known, the jpice of . platinum has been steadily rising for many years, and . this " now far more valuable than pure gold. : It owes this present Talue to the .extreme resistance which it offers to acids ttndhigh temperatures, which render ito uso indispensable, for crucibles used in the chemical industry; while for certain electric appliances it also offers special advantages. Furthermore, platinum is much .usedi in modern dentistry, and is of late also largely entering into tho manufacture of rings and necklaces, and other 2? w€ &££, work - It i 9 estimated that of .the 20,0001b. of platinum, vhich, in round figures, aro annually .-placed upon the mar- • J s ear, y one-half 13 used, by dentists, and the remainder for various industrial purposes. There in no fear of there beiug flny over-production of platinum, and anytiling tending to lower the price will further, the interests of various branches of industry. The ©hares in the new company' have been privately subscribed, and have not been listed on 'Change. CITY OP DTJNEDIN LOAN. •The prospectus of the City of Dunedin per cent. Waipori Falls electric power •loan of £150,000; issued in London in February, through the Bank of New, Zealand at par, shows that payments were to be 5 per cent.,on application, aud.9s per cent, on Alarch 20. Interest is payable halfyearly, on January 1 and July 1, while,a P=f. cent, will be payable *' .1 T i lero 13 - thus ao accrued interest in the price of issue. Principal w repayable at par, on January 1, 1934. P rov^ e funds for extensions ana additions to the electric light and U n ,^ erta^ln J of the corporation, and incidental expeheea. A sinking fuud of 1 per-cent, per annum is provided.

COMPANIES EEGISTERED. The following appear in tlio list of com•Pamfis registered published in this week's ■Mercantile Gazette":— • Imperial Silent Flushcr Co., Ltd. Ke<*isJSffJ ■ S T. a .^ r ' v^ a company March "zi. ?„ i ? c ?A,£o :ll ? st^s._S t reet. Wellington. Capital, £5500 m 55C0 shares of £1 each. Sub- ™ Gold. 1500 fully P aid "P a » d l J'*- A. Xliott, 1505 fully paid up and 450 con.: J Iliott. 200 con.; J. V. rurnbull, 1500 fully paid up and 150 con.; Mack, ICO con. Objects: To acQiiiro T?,rnhn?i m^P C 0?v e fr inve ntion of Wm. fl ' U Wellington, architect, of a sclent flusher,and extensions thereof, etc.. relating to the said invention. . fast Coast Fellmongers, Ltd. (The). He?latere March 20. Office, at the office of Gisbornc. Capital, •£sooo into WOO shares of -£l ©aoh. Subecnbers~F. J. Lyenar.'2so; K Cameron, 50; J. .0. Nisbett, .50; J. Little,. 50: D P Cameron 50;. W..-Howard; s<); W..1 Petl cheil. Objects: To'acquire from W. I. Pefcchell the-freehold property known as tho Awapuni Wool and Felimongery works, and to carry on business of felimongery and tannins, dealing in akins. wool washing, and scouring, ctc.

Customs duty collected at the port of 13s Sd E * Sttola * amounted to £2811 LONDON MAiKETS; ' ' ®ie New Zealand loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Ltd., have received the following cablegram from their London house under date April 1 :-Tallow: .Wo quoto present spot values for tho following descriptions Good • mutton, 35i3, per cwt * good beef, 335. Sd. per ctrt.; mixed, 316* 9d. per cwt. The market is firmer. Wheat: . » a m° soW an Australian cargo at 365„ c.i.f. There is very little demand, owing to favourable crop reports. The market is steady. American market prospects— outlook is discouraging.

N.Z. SHIPPING CO.. LTD. _ . „ , ' , London, April I. The New Zealand Shipping Company has declared, an interim dividend of 6s. ; TALLOW SALES, ' Lcndfln, April 1. At the tallow sales, 1631 <casks were offcrcd and 1160 sold. Prices realised*— Mutton, fine, 355. 9d.; medium, 33a, Beef fln«, 345,; medijua, 325. 6d. SILVER. London, April i. Bar 6ilver is quoted gi 26 3-16 d. per ounce .standard. • LINSEED OIL AND TURPENTINE, . Linseed oil, £25. Turpentine, 325. 3d. WHEAT. v Utec. April 2, 9.45 p.m.) _ London, April' 2. The wheat market is. easier; buyers are apathetic. . ' AUSTRALIAN PRODUCE MAEKETS. CRec. April 2, - 9.15 p.m.) ■' , Sydney, April 2. Wheat, 3s.- 9d. to 3s. 93d. .Flour, £8 2s. .6(1., £8 ss. Oats, Algerian feeding, 25., 2s. 2d.; milling, 2e. 3d.. 2s. <d. Barley, Cape malting, 2s. 7d., 2s. 9d. Maize, 4s. 3d. Bran and pollard, £4 10s. , Potatoes, Tasmanian, £7; £7 10s. Onions, Victorian, £7. Butter, selected, 100s.; secondary, 945. Cheese, 73d. Bacon, 9d. . Adelaide, April 2. •Wheat, 3s. 9d.. 3s. 9Jd. Flour, £9, £9 ss. Bran, Is. Id.. Pollard, Is. lid.

HIDES. (EeC. April 2, 9.15 p.m.) , ■ Melbourne, April 3. The' hides markets report good lots, in steady 'supply; id. dearer.