COMMERCIAL ITEMS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2766, 9 May 1916, Page 8

COMMERCIAL ITEMS

INVESTMENT SHAKES. . On the Stock Exchange yesterday a ealo of Wellington Investment shares at lis. was made. The quotations were as follow: Buyers. Sellers, i- £s. d. . £ fl. d. National Bant 5 4.0 — . Bank N.Z. (£3 6s. Bd.) ... 11' 0 0 - Bank N.Z. (£6 lis. 4d.) ... 17 .0 0 - Equitable Building 9 15 0 — N.Z. and River- Plate- 2 0 0 — Woll. Trust, Loan, Ltd. . — . 7 10 :*VVoll. Dep.. and Mort. ... 0 7 9 0 8 6 Obrstchurch Gas (£5) 7 7 0 — Gear Heat'(&)•' .4 '4 0 — Well. Meat Export (525. 6d.) 2 17 6 - N.Z. Shipping (ord.) ...... 20 0 0 — Union Steam'(ord.) 113 6 114 0 Union Steam (pref.) : 10 116' Huddart-Parker . (ord.) 113 — Well': Woollen (ord.) 5 10 0 - Well. Woollen (pref.) .... 3 10 0 - Waipa Coal 0 18 0 0 18 9 Wcetport Coal ... 1 9 C • — N.Z. Drug : 2 4 6 —- Golden Bay Cement 113 12 0 Sharland (ord.) 15 0 — Sharland (pref.) I*o —. *Bx dir.' Customs duty collected it tho port of Wellington .yesterday amounted to £6983 2s.' Ud. . . . . -. ' NEW ZEALAND I'APtR MILLS. ■ Tho directors of tho New Zealand Paper Mills, Ltd., report for tho year ending March 31 that, after making provision for all bad and doubtful debts, and providing for depreciation on plant, machinery, and stocks the balance of profits for the year amounts to £6356 12s. 4d. Adding to this the balance at end of last financial year, £1431 14s. 7d„ tho .total is £7788 65.". lid. Deducting interim dividend paid on October 29, 1915, £2369 7s.' 6(1., there is left available £5418 19s. sd. Tho directors recommend 'that this bo dealt with as follows:—Payment of : dividend at tho rate of 3J per cent, for the six months (making 6' per cent.-for the year), £3317 2s. • -6d.;. addition to reserve fund, £1000; carry forward, £1101 16s. lid. The business of. tho-company has, despite tho abnormal, conditions existing during the year, been well .maintained, though tho shortage of raw , material has at times caused some concern. .■

. TAUPIM COAL MINES. A loss on tho, year's operations of tho Taupiri Coal Mines, Ltd., amounting to £6763 Is. 4d„ is shown by the seventeenth annual .report of the directors. The directors state that "they regret that tho operations for the year, havo resulted in a loss. There was, however, a balanco to the credit of profit and loss account at March 31,1915, of £3449 16s. 10d., so that the actual position on March 31,.1916, was as follows:— Loss for the year, £6763 Is. 4d.; balance Drought forward from last year, £3499:165. lOd.; leaving a debit" balance to be carnea iorwara to next'year's profit and loss account of £3263 4s. 6d; Perusal of th' 3 accounts will show that disaster - compensation claims and legal expenses in ,connection therewith amounting to £25,762 7s. lid. have been met. There is still one ' claim outstanding.. During the year, as the result of nroceadings instituted by the Mines Department against the. company, legal and other' unavoidable expenses were incurred to the extent of £2125 2s. 3d. Close attention- has been given by the directors to the-question of opening upend developing the 'Ayraroe, coal-field, and their proposals -for effecting this purpose will be submitted for tho considcratin and approval of shareholders."

•■■■'' HIDE AND SKM REPORT. Dalgety and C0.,-Ltd., Palmerston North, report-.—At our usual monthly sole on Friday we offered a full catalogue. Competition was good for skins and wool, prices realised showing a slight advance on last sale rates; hides and tallow sold welt at last sale's rates. The following prices were realised:— ' . • > Wool.—Crossbred, medium to good, 12d.: do -inferior and seedy, 10d. to llid.; lambs, . •' ' inferior and seedy, 6d to _10d.; crutchings, 10d.; dead wool, iOd. .to Ud.; pieces, M. to Bid.; locks, 7d. to 7!d.do., inferior and dirty,. 4d. to sid. ,„?? e l ep , l 3 ' t " !s - —^ Crossbred, full-wool, MM. to <v. : C and 'hree-quartcr-wool, Sd; to llkl.; snorts and quarter-wools, Bd. to B}d • lambs, 9Jd. to lOJd.!; do., short and shorn, !* V, crossbred, broken and inferior, «3d to B}d.; seedy, 53d. to 7id. ; butchers' pit dry ana salted, at cach: Best heavy lines to Bs. Id. ;j:medium to good, 6s. -Id. to 6s! 6d.; light, 3s. 6d. to 4s. 7d.; lambs, to ss. 6d.; shorn lambs,.2s. to 25.-6 d.; pelts. Is. to Is. 2d. each. , Sides.—Ox, medium to heavy, lOld. to J'dL ' ''ght, 9td.; oow, best lines, 9}d. Bood, 9d.: farmers'-lines, 81d. to 844.; do., cut and damaged, 63d. to 85d.: yearlings,Bd. to 83d.; do., cut and'damaged, 6d. to 65d. ; horse"hides,*63.,to Bs. each;

calfskins, sound, 9id. to 10d.; cut and damaged, 6id. to Sid. Tallow and Sundries'.—Tallow, in casks, 275. 3d.;"d0., in tins, 20s. to 245.; rough fat, 14s. . Rabbitskins,. BJd. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLED MARKET BEPORT. The Department of Agriculture, Industries and Commerce has received the following cablegram, dated London May 6, from the High Commissioner for New Zealand. (Note: Quotations, unless otherwise specified, aro .average market prices on spot) Meat.—A good demand continues for all descriptions. Home-grown is dearer owing to short supply. There is no/change in pricc'a for New Zealand, but higher prices are anticipated during next week, partly in order to regulate the demand. Tho average. price toKlay for Cantrbury and North Island mutton is 7id. per lb.; ewes, 7id. ; New Zealand lamb, all descriptions, 8ld„ the demand being greater than the supply, and Australian supplies being nearly exhausted. In the case of New Zealand beef thero is only a small quantity of bull beef offering. -Hinds 6id., fores 6d.; chilled, in very limited supply; hinds IOJd., force 83d.

Butter.—Tho market is very firm. Danish is firmer at 168s. to 1725.; tho market for New Zealand is stronger for both salted and unsalted; prices 1635. to 1665. There is a 6tcady market for Australian at 1565.' to 1605.; Siberian, 1265. to 1345.; Irish creamery, 160s. to 1625.; Argentine, steady. 160s. to 15Zs.; unEaltod, 1565. to 160s. Cheese.—Tho market is very firm. Oana-. dian, per cwt., 112s. to 1145.; New Zealand, of which the supply falls short of tho demand, is firm at highest quotation, 110s. to 1125.; English' cheddar, 118s. to 1225.; United States, 106s. to 108s. Tho estimated stocks of Canadian and United States ohecse at London,. Liverpool, and Bristol on May 1 wcrft 74,C00 boxes, against 87,C00 at the same time last year. New Zealand and Australian oheese stocks on the samo date, 13,C00 crates, as against 19,000 last year. Hemp.—Market is very unsettled for New Zealand owing to tho great uncertainty with regard to freight 1 deli vories: Buyers show no disposition to operate, except for parcels on hand or actually afloat, and thos« unsold are very few. Prices aTO nominal.. New Zealand, good fair, on spot, per ton, £50; fair,' £48; February to May quotation, for good fair, £48 10s.; for fair, ;£46 10s. . The market for Manila is firm, with a hardening tendency. For May to 'July delivery fair is quoted at £54 10s.; 'coarse, £52. The output from',Manila for : tho week was 26,000 bales. Wheat.—The market .is steady and holders are firm, buyers being cautious. Canadian, arrived, 595. per quarter; April to May quotation, 565;: Australian, afloat, 625.; Argentine, afloat, 60b. Oats.—The market .is quiet and, 6maU business doing. Argentine, 335. per quarter. Hops.—Tho market, is quiet but steady, and stock is small. English, per cwt., 130s. to 1505.; Californian, lOte.' to 120s. \ FROZEN MEAT MARKET. . Messrs. Gilbert Anderson and Co. (Messrs. Mellsop, Eliott and C 0.,. Palmerston North, local agents) report on the frozen meat market, under'date London, March 17, as follows:— -

Home-grown,—"With no chillcd Plate beef on the market all .through the week tho arrivals of Home-grown (consisting of 50 per cent.' of. the total Smithfield supplies) met with a good demand. The season is being prolonged far beyond expectations. # jf-rozen. -Ooinpapftd with the correspondmg week last yeaT, produce arriving on Smithfield showed an increase of 542 tons in U.S.A. frozen-and. chilled, and a decrease of 1724 tons South American, and 510 tons-Australasian and South African. Tho U.S.A. meat is chiefly pork, but bee! also figures in the supply. Mutton,—Demand unabated, arid, no prospects of any relief in tho'position for 60mo weeks. Lamb.—Position no less acute, and buyers living hand to mouth., AUSTRALIAN. PRODUCE. By Telegraph-Press Association-Copyright \ (Rec. May 8, 10.40 p.m.) '. Sydneyi May 8. > The new rato fixed for flour is at £11 per ton; bran and 'pollard, £5 per ton.