COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 11700, 4 October 1902, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

The Natal Government are offering a bonus for the home production of hams and bacon. Messrs Donald Reid and Co.. in conjunction with Park, Reynolds, and Co., Today held a salvage sale of jute goods and bonemeal ex Apanma. Gunny sacks, 775 sold, realised 2s 7d per bundle of 25; ore bags, 624 sold, Is per bundle of 20; 177 bales of woolpacks (slightly damaged). 37s per bale; 141 do (more damaged), 27s to 29s per bale; 97 bales Hessians, £5 15s per bale; 84 bundles Hessians, 14s per bolt. Of bonemeal 500 tons were sold at rates varying from £2 19s to £3 per ton. The Import Market—Town trade Las been quiet this week, but the country business keeps up well. Practically little or no alterations m price have to be recorded. The Dunkeld is now discharging shipments of Castle fine and big coarse salt; and a considerable portion of her cargo has been sold to land. Fine salt is quoted at 57s 6d and upwards, according to quantity, and coarse at 52s 6d upward. The Waikato, which, among other things, is bringing a quantity of warehousemen's spring goods, is again overdue, and her non-arri-val is keeping the market bare ol some lines, such as sultanas, Jordan almonds, etc. Portion of the sago which arrived by the Aparima is damaged, but as stocks are of moderate compass prices will not le affected by this shortage. Coarse castor oil ex the same vessel is quoted at 3s 3d. Included in the Monowai's cargo from Sydney were 364 cases of fruit aud 250 crates of onions. NEW SOUTH WALES LAMBS AND SHEEP. Frew Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY, October 4. (Received October 4, at 9.49 a.m.) The autumn Jambing returns show that the estimated number of lambs marked for the present year is 1,662,000, from 8,115,000 ewes put to rams, as against 9,115,000 ewes and 6,529,000 lambs for the same period of last year.The percentage of lambs marked is against 69A last year. The estimated number of sheep" including autumn lambs, at the end of August, was 33,716,000—a decrease of 8,141,000 on the number returned at the end of December last. The cause for these decreases is almost solely due to the unprecedented drought. THE WOOL SALES. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, October 3. At the wool sales 176,000 bales were catalogued, of which 97,500 were sold for the Home market, 61,000 for the Continental, 7,000 for the American, and 26,500 were held over. Compared with the July sales,' good greasy merinoes closed 10 per cent., good scoureds 5 per cent., and New Zealand scoureds par to 5 per cent, higher. Faulty merinoes were unchanged, but occasionally in buyers' favor. Fine greasy cross-breds closed at 7$ per cent., medium 10 per cent, coarse 7£ per cent., scoureds par to 5 per cent., and lambswool 5 to 10 per cent, higher. The Hinarua clip sold at 4§d and the Gear at s|d.

The New Zealand Loan and MercantUo Agency Company have received the following cablegram from their London office:— " The sales closed firmly, at an average advance on last sales' closing rates of 5 per cent, for medium to good scoured merino and coarse greasy cross-bred, 10 per cent, for medium to good greasy menno, and 12£ per cent for medium greasy crossbred."

Dalgety and Co. report having received the following cable from their head office, dated London, October 2:—"Wool sales closed fiim, without further change. As compared with rates of last serioss, prices ior greasy fine, light, free descriptions merino wool are higher by 2£ per cent, to 5 per cent., other descriptions higher by 5_ to li, per cent., scoured merino wools higher by 5 per cent., short burry and seedy descriptions scoured merino wool are on a par with closing rates last series, fine cross-bred wools higher by 5 to 10 per cent*, medium cross-bred higher by 10 to 15 per cent., coarse cross-bred at par to 5 per cent, higher. Out of the net quantity of wool available for sale, some 97,000 bales have been sold for Home consumption, 61,000 bales for the Continent, 7,000 bales for America, leaving 27,000 bales to be carried forward to the next series, consisting mostly of New Zealand wools. We have a favorable opinion of the immediate future of wool."

CATTLE AND SHEEP FOR SYDNEY.

WELLINGTON, October 4. Over 1,000 head of cattle and 400 sheep have been sent from Wellington to Sydney during the last few days. Large shipments are to follow next week, ana prices »re likely to be low at the next Sydney sale.

THE WAIPORI FALIS ELECTRIC

POWER COMPANY.

The monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the above, held yesterday afternoon, was attended by Messrs F. Oakden (in the chair), Howard "Jackson, W. Burnett, J. Loudon, C. Speight, and the Hon. T. Fergus. The tender of Messrs A. and T. Burt for pipe line and Pelton wheel for the saw-mill was accepted. The Manager reported that, in response to schedules sent out to users of steam and gas power in the City of Dunedin, returns had been received by the secretary totalling 2,500 odd horse-power, and as a number of returns were yet to come in, it would be safe to estimate the power used in Dunedin .at about 3,000 horse-power, exclusive of lighting. Plans for the fluming were received, and referred to the* engineer to report. The contractor for sawmilling stated that he hoped to have his milling plant in running order at the power site in about a fortnight. The" company decided to proceed at once with their major scheme. THE AMERICAN INVASION. Sir Christopher Furness's little book on 'The American Invasion' is well worth reading. For one thing, while honestly facing the situation and finding in it many warnings and many dangers, Sir Christopher Furness is frankly optimistic in tone. One of our greatest dangers, according to Sir Christopher Furness, is that our resources are so handicapped by excessive mineral rents and royalties, and by excessive railway rates arbitrarily levied by monopolist railway companies. Sir Christopher Furness quote figures on the incidence of mining rents and royalties, showing that whilst in France the burden on p!£ iron is only 8d per ton, in Germany 6d, ra England it is 4s 6d; in the case of ship plates it is in France Is. 1 -£d, in Germany Is, in England it is 5s 9d, and in the case of steel rails, whilst it is only lid per ton in France and B£d in Germany, 'England pays to the extent of 5s 6d. In America, he says, the minerals are owned, as a rule, by those engaged in working them, and they thus escape royalty charges and all vexatious covenants and restrictions such as those to which the iron and steel trade is exposed in this country.— * British Weeklv.'