RINDERPEST IN WEST AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 53, 27 November 1923, Page 10

RINDERPEST IN WEST AUSTRALIA

VERY SERIOUS POSITION EFFORTS TO PREVENT SPREAD Perth, November 26. Rinderpest (one of the most infectious and fatal diseases of cattle, sheep and many other animals) has broken out. The Chief Inspector of Stock (Mr. Weir) says that the position is very serious. The outbrc:iK siaitcd. wit’i a bull and a couple of heifers, which were confined in a vard nt a dairy for a considerable time. A diagnosis revealed features of rinderpest, but doubt had been caused at the time by the absence of ulceration of the stomach, which is characteristic of the disease. Press Assn. Melbourne, November 26. Tho Chief Veterinary Officer of Victoria. Mr. Robertson, and Professor Woodruff, of Melbourne University, have left for Perth to assist in the campaign against the outbreak of rinderpest.—Press Assn. Brisbane, November 26. An order has been issued prohibiting the introduction of stock, carcasses, fodder, or any fittings into Queensland from West Australia, in view of the outbreak of rinderpest.—Press Assn. COMMERCIAL ITEMS WELLINGTON STOCK EXCHANGE YESTERDAY’S BUSINESS AND PRICES A sale of Bank of New Zealand old issue shares at £2 Ils. 6d. made on ’change at the morning call was the only transaction recorded yesterday. The share market is very quiet, although prices remain firm. Yesterday only fourteen buying quotations were registered at the afternoon call. Buyers offered £96 10s. for the per cents., 1939, £96 12s. 6d. for the 4| per cents., 1938, and £lOO ss. for the 5£ per cents., 1933. There was no bid for any bank shares except Bank of New Zealand old issue shares for which buyers offered £2 Ils. Auckland Gas snares were firm at 255., and Wellington Gas preference shares at 16s. 9d. Waipa coal shares were steady at 17s. Timber shares were very firm with buyes of Leyland, O’Brien Timber shares at 395. cum dividend. Rotoiti Timber shares at 21s. 9d., and Taringamutu Totara, at 345. (Id. In the miscellaneous section thcro were buyers of Australian Glass ordinary shares at 285., Crown Brewery shares at £2 175., and Sharland and Co.’s shares at 225. 3d. Yesterday’s buying and selling quotations were as under: —

SALES IN OTHER CENTRES Br Tnr.BGHAPH—Press Association. Auckland, November 25. . Sales—New Zealand Insurance. Bs. 9d.; Auckland Gas (con.). 3s. 4d.: N.Z. Refrigerating (con.), Us. 2d.; Waihi, 308.. 295„ 295. 9d. 3d., 295. d.; Grand Junction, 4s. 7d. 4s 6d. Dunedin, November 26. Sales—New Zealand Paper Mills. 225. 3d.; Bank of New Zealand, 51s. ’d. IS WOOL TOO DEAR? MERINO OR CROSSBRED The “Wool Record” in discussing whether wool is too dear inclines to flie view that merino wool lias reached tlie jmak for the present. To all intents and purposes many Bradford users are out of the merino trade for the time being. They are not buyers of merino wool just now, and that means a prospect of light stocks of merinos in many Bradford warehouses this winter, and more unemployment among sorters, comber-, and spinners. The feeling that merinos should be cheaper is gaining ground in Bradford, the United States and the Continent, and this is shown in the increased interest displayed in fine crossbreds. Prices of fine wools are such that wherever substitution of a lower quality can be effected users do not hesitate to make the change. The public, it seems, have at last definitely turned from the expensive Botany cloths, the price factor being all imjiortant under present conditions. Wholesale fabric buyers are now demanding something cheap, and substitution of cheaper qualities is being encouraged at every stage. Generally speaking crossbred wool may be expected to boom when military requirements are abnormal. This was exemplified during the South African wnr, when crossbreds were greatly enhanced in value. The same thing happened on a much larger scale in 1914. The present interest in crossbred however, is due to an entirely different cause. The demand for crossbreds may be regarded as the natural reaction against the prohibitive values of merinos under ex'stino- economic conditions. Merino values continue to show firmness duo mainly to Continental buying, and this suggests that the wide discrepancy between crossbreds and merinos is likely to be adjusted more by a rise in crossbreds than by any serious decline in merinos.

CUSTOMS REVENUE

Customs revenue collected at the port of Wellington yesterday totalled £6552.

Buyers. £ s. d. Sellers. £ s. d. WAR LOANS— M p.c. Insc. Stock, 1939 96 10 0 97 0 0 41 p.c. Insc. Stock, 1938 96 12 6 97 0 0 51 p.c. Insc. Stock, 19.33 109 5 0 — 5? p.c. War Bonds. 1933100 5 0 — 5 p.c. P.O. Insc. Stock. 1927 — 98 ft 0 BANKSAustralasia — 13 5 0 National —-- 6 17 6 New Zealand 2 11 0 —— Do. (new issue) —• 2 10 6 Union —■ 14 18 0 FINANCIAL— Well. Trust Loan —— 5 18 0 GAS— Auckland 1 5 0 — Wellington (£10) — 14 2 6 Do. (pref.) 0 16 9 —- MEAT PRESERVING— Gear — 2-2 9 Well. Meat Exp. (£3 12s. 6d.) COAL- — 2 2 0 Waina 0 17 0 TIMBER-Levland-O’Brien (cum.) 1 19 0 —> Rotoiti 1 1 9 —— •Taringamntu 1 14 0 —— MISCELLANEOUS— . Australian Glass 1 8 0 Crown Brewery 2 17 0 2 17 9 N.Z Paper Mills —— 1 2 9 Sharland and Co 1 2 J — Wairarapa Farmers (pref.) 0 17 0