COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 8614, 7 September 1891, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

Tbe amount of re7euie oolleoted at the Oaitom-bouse on «oods oleared to-day for gonramption was L 790 lis Bd. Last week's coal export from Greymouth amouuti d to 1,700 tons. Business in the import mirket has shown some little improvement during the week. Sugars are weaker. The Auckland Sugar Company on Ist inst. reduced their quotations for No. 1 and No. 2 10s per ton and No. 3 20a. Oarrent quotation in trade lots for finest whites is L 26 10s, and grey to white L 25 to L 26. Theie is not much doing in teas, buyers of Chinas holding off. waiting the arrival of the new season's, now 010-e at hand. In fruits, currants move off at sd; elemes, 7d to 7i i; sultanas, 7£d to Bd, aooording to sample. Kerosene is dull, with prioe in favor of buyers. Fisb of all kinds continues in limited inquiry. Good samples of dressed rloe bring up to L2l; Patna, L2O. An average business baa been ; done Id spirits and beers at usual quotation?. The following circular has been posted to all ! shareholders In the National Insurance Company :-" Your directors think it proper to take the earlieu opportunity of advising you that the liquidation of the fire department of the London branob, which was the objeot of Mr H. B. Williams's visit to England last August, is praotically completed, and that the total cost of our retirement, including full provision for unsettled losses, amounts to L 24,123 in excess of what was in hand in the rererve to reinsure current riekc It has also been arranged that we retire from the general marine department at 30th June, 1892, and your directors regret that it is necessary to reserve the sum of L 12.000 as a provision against claims to come in btfore our liabilities are completely extinguished. To provide for tbe items explained above in fire and marine, your directors propose to withdraw L 58.835 from reserve fund, bringing that down to L 70.000. As the annual meeting is bo near at hand, they will not do more in this ciroular than supply this information without oomment; but it may be as well to add that as the capital and general reserve fund still amount to 11168,057, besides

the reserves to reinsure current risks, there Is an aotual value still represented in the assets of the company of 17s per sharp, exoluslve of goodwill ; and if the results of the past five or six years in the colonies are maintained your directors are justified ia expressing the opinion that the prospects for profits In the future are much better than they nave been for years.—J. M. Ritchie, chairman." THE LABOR MARKET. Mr Skene reports: —Spring weather and work are on with a tush, and country workers need have no fear of lack of work and fair p»y this season. Wages are all right for experienced people, MINING NOTES. The following wire was to-day received from Mr W. Hindmarsb, legal manager of the Keep-it-Dark:—"Dark stone met with low level; not yet broken into." The Reefton battery returns for the past week were:—B'g River, I,CBBuz of retorted gold; Fiery Oross, 509J0z retorted gold; Globe, 176dz of ama'gam from 170 tons; no. 2 Keep-it-Dark, 87oz of amalgam from 78 ton?. The secretary of the Dunedin Gold Dredging Company reotived the following telegram from the dredge-master on Saturday :-•" Dredging six days for lOloz gold." | The TuDstan Times' learns tint Mr Join! Allan, of Sp-ingvale, has washed up, the result being over 170cz of the precious metal for fix months' work. The previous six months' gava a return of 190oz—making a total for the year's operations of over 301b weight When it is considered that (his result was obtained by the labor of two mpn only, that ten weeks' time was lost during the late severe frost, and nearly as much last summer for want of water, the yield may be looked upon as an excellent one indeed. The Upper Waipori Alluvial Gold Dredging Company obtained 370z 12dwt Ggr of gold for six days sixteen hours' dredging last week, THE LONDON MARKETS The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company have received the following cablegram fro.n their London office, dated 4th iust.: -" Woo!: Tbe Antwerp sales closed on 4ib inst., at an average deoline of folly 5 per cent, on last sale's olo.ing rates.—Tallow is dull of sale Fine mutton is worth 27s 9d, and good btef 253 9d per cwt. Frrzen meats: Market unobanged.— New Zealand hemp continues dull of Bale, and market has a downward tendency,'' [Bt Telegraph.] Sydney, September 7.—New Zealand potatoes are quiet at LI 153. Butter: Dairy-made, Is 3d; factory, Is 6<l.