COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 9462, 6 August 1894, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

The amount of revenue collected at the Customs house on goods cleared to-day for consumption was £8,022 4s tid. The export of coal from Westport last week was 4,280 tons (Westport Company, 3,504 tons), and from Grey mouth 3,999 tons. GRAIN AND PRODUCE MARKETS.

Donald Reid and Co. report that priocs ruled as follow at their auction sale today : Oats. Prime, Is GJd to Is 4?d to Is 5d (sacks extra). ,„-,,. Wheat.-Qnly medium milling offered, 2s 7Jd to 2s 8d (sacks in). Chaff.—Prime oaten, £2 7s 6d to £2 los; inferior, £l los to £ll7s (id (sacks extra).

NEW ZEALAND REFRIGERATING OQMMNV,

The following report by the above company will be submitted to the annual meeting of shareholders on the Bth inst.: -

In presenting the accounts and balanco-sheet for the year ended 30th June the direotors regrot that the operations have resulted in a loss of £%, m 17s Id, whieh, when added to £2,81118s 3d brought forward from last year, makes the balance to debit of profit and lobs £8,859 lfls 4d, whioh is carried forward. This unfavorable result is entirely due to the losses on stock purchased by the company, and which, owing to the disastroiJs and unforeseen fall in prices in England, caused by the drought there during last summer and autumn, left a very heavy loss, one-third of which had to be bqrne by the company. The arrahge ; ment for these purchaees was made by the directors in order to keep the works more fully employed, and as the company was only interested in the profit or loss to the exteut of one-third share, it was thought tliat in any event the loss could not be great. In the actual working of the business in the colony the company has about held its own, and this, notwithstanding that the works were altogether idle for about four months 0 f the year, and that the freezing on meat purchased was. charged at a reduped rato. The directors are pleased to state that for tho past five mentlis the works both at Burnside and Oamaru have been kept fully employed, and have been working at a fair profit, and the prospects of a continuance of this state of things are very good. There were frozen and sliipnod (luting the year 27,918 sheep and 17,127 lambs from Rurnslde, ar»d 5J,39f) sheep and 25,752 lamtyi from Qamapi, making a total of 77,lftf carcnwi from Oamft|'H and 45,045 carcasses from flurnaldo, and bomg an

increase of 16,873 carcasses over the number handled during 1893. The reckless competition for fat stock, which for some time was curried on between rival freezing companies, has now almost entirely ceased, jind the directors havo every reason to hope that ■ the works will have steady employment from tho districts of which Burnsidc and Oamaru are the natural outlets.

Prices in London at, present ar« not very imeouraginK, and in view of strong competition from Australia and South America care is being taken to ship nothing but first qiwlify meat. So long as producers aim at doing this they may still hope to receive a fair margin of profit for their stock, ___ MINING NOTES. The Reefton Battery returns for the past weekwere :—Progress, 17ik« of amalgam from 180 ton;;; Wealth of Nations, SOoz of amalgam from 111) tuns; Big Jiiver, 25Uoz of amalgam from IJO lows (clean up). Mr Thomas Callender reports 330z lfjdwt 12gr retorted gold from Sew Hoy Big Beach Company for week ended Saturday, the 4th inst. The secretary of the Dunedin Gold Dredging Company, Limited, received the following telegram from the dredge-master on Saturday:--"Washed up forß2oz gold." The mine manager Island Block Extended Ciold Mining Company, Limited, wired on Saturday:— " Washed up to-day for 9oz sdwt gold."