COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 12624, 2 October 1905, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

THE LONDON MARKETS. PrM* Assoeadaoo—By Telegraph—Copyright, LONDON, October 1. (Received October 2, at 7.20 ajn.) Copper : Spot, £7l 2s 6d to £7l 7s 64; three months, £7O 2s 6d to £7O 7s 64 Lead, £l4 2s 6d. Silver, 2s 4d per oz. Tin plates, 12s 3d to 15s. Fencing wire, £6 10s. iron bars, £6 7s 6d. Angie steel, £6 Ss. Wire netting, 53 per cent, off list. Linseed oil, 19s. Babbits ; Firm. Extra large New Zealand, 15s 6d to 17s 6d. Frozen moat ; The Trade Association's Smithfield market quotations for the undermentioned classes of frozen meats are based on acton! sales of not less than 100 carcasses of ntottoa « lamh »s4 25

carcasses of beef of fair average quality. I These quotations are not. for selected I lines, but of parcels fairly representative ■ of the bulk of the shipment now on the market :—New Zealand sheep : Cross-bred wethers and maiden ewes, Canterbury I light, 48-S6lb, 4d; Canterbury medinm, 56-641b. 3Jd; Canterbury heavy, 64-721b, ! 3|d; Dunedin and Southland, none offering ; North Island, 55-651b, 3 13-16 d. New j Zealand lambs : Canterbury light,. 28-361b, 4 15-16 d; Canterbury heavy, 36-421b, | 4 5-16 d; Dunedin and Southland, 28-421b. 4Jd ; North Island, 28-421b. 4gd. Beef unchanged. River Plate sheep : Heavy, 3£d; light, 3 5-16 d. Beef unchanged: THE SOUTH AFRICAN SERVICE. TRADE WITH THE BAST. The Premier's reply to Saturday’s deputation regarding a continuance of the subsidy for the South African service followed the lines of tire reply he made to the Christchurch interviewers on the same subject. He said there had been & reaction in South Africa, and things there were now assuming normal conditions, and export in regard to given lines from New Zealand would be found to have improved ; and yet it was just at this time, when an improved market was offering, that they were about to cut the painter. It did not seem to him like business, but it those interested did not trouble about it, why should the Government? The farmers were themselves directly interested. Whore was the Farmers' Union? Not a word was heard from it. They had been paying £30,000 a year, but he did not suppose the shipping company had made anything out of it or was very anxious to go on, but when the company heard there was likely to be an improvement in trade, and beard about these increased orders, it probably would take the same view of the matter as the Government did—namely, that to reap the advantage of having sunk so much they must go on. If the company was agreeable to going on, and the people of the colony wanted the service to go on, he had 10 hesitation in saying that “ Barkis was willin’.” He thought the colony should keep up the connection, and, if backed up by the people and supported by Parliament, he was qnite prepared to have another “ go ” at it. Sufficient had already been said to warrant the Government communicating with the company to see on what terms continuance of the contract could.be arranged. If the company was not prepared to go in for three years it might go in for a shorter period. There had been a suggestion that the service be bi-monthly, but he did not think that would be any good. He could assure them that the Government, supported by the public and Parliament,,was prepared to submit further proposals, if the company could be induced to give them a further trial. They would remember the adverse criticism heaped on the Government owing to the colony’s losing the Vancouver service. Well, there was then exactly the same apathy among those interested as in the present case. If they bad moved or indicated in the slightest way that they wanted that service kept going, and had backed up the Government, the possibility was that they would never have lost that service. Since 1897 he had never been able to get Parliament or the people of the colony to look seriously at tie question of advancing their trade in the East, which lie considered waa the very best market they could get, and contained big possibilities. As to tbe appointment of a commissioner, as suggested, he was inclined to ask Parliament to appoint a Royal Commission of ready good men, who would be sent round the Islands, .Java, Japan, etc., to make an investigation, and he undertook that if they got a report of what had gone from Australia to the East it would open their eyes and show them they had been asleep. That there was a big and profitable market for this colony in the East he was certain. CHRISTCHURCH. October 2. A petition from poultry raisers in favor of the continuance of the South African service is being largely signed in the district.