COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 14118, 22 July 1909, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

At last night's meeting of tho Dunedin Starr-Bowkett Building Society the 195 th appropriation of £SOO in No. 1 group was balloted for, and was drawn by cluster 339, hold by one shareholder, who has three shares. 'The 196 th appropriation, aJso of £SOO, in the same group, was submitted for sale, £IOO finding a buyer at £5. There being £2CO over from the b:\llotand £4OO from tho sale, another appropriation was made, and was balloted for, and fell to clutter No. 177, held by two shareholders. The 79th appropriation in No. 2 group was drawn by cluster held by one shareholder. THE MARKETS. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copynglit LONDON, July 21. (Received July 22, at 12.10 a.m.) Frozen Meat : Lamb—The price of cross-bred declined id to Id. Copper: Spot, £SB lis 3d; throe months. £59 6s 3d. Tin: Spot, £l3l 15s; three months, £133 ss. Lead, £l2 12s 6d. THE TALLOW SALES. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, July 21. (Received July 22, at 10.53 a.m.) At the tallow sales 12,000 casks were offered and 550 sold. Prices are unchanged. THE WOOL SALES. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, Julv 21. Home buyers took 73.000 bales and the Continent 32,000, while 16,CC0 bales were held over. Average to superior greasy combing merinoes fully maintained May rates, but seoureds declined 5 per cent, and short faulty sorts 7-i per cent. All the fine cra-e-breds and best parcels in the medium and lower grades were unchanged, but shabby and faulty sorts declined from sto 7J, per cent. Slips sold well at a decline of about 5 per cent. Best merino and lambs' wool were unchanged, but short faulty sorts declined 5 per tent., and lambs' wool showed a decline of id to Id. DEATH DUTIES. In revising tho Finance Bill now boforo the House of Commons tho ' Economif-t' concludes with a referenco to a subject treated at length bv Dr Findlay last night. It says :—" The death dutie's have been revised _ once again, but this time with the object -of obtaining more revenue from moderate estates rather than of laying further taxation on millionaires' estates. The steps in graduation begin much earlier than in Mr Asquith's scale, but they do not go beyond his limit of 15 per cent., which is now Teaehed at a million. _ A much-needed provision that exemption and abatements on income-tax shall not be allowed to persons resident outside the United Kingdom (for hitherto such persons could claim if their income from sources in this country fell short of £7OO. however large their real income might be) is modified in the Bill, so as not to penalise persons employed abroad in the service of the Crown." THE FROZEN MEAT TRADE. [Special to the Star.] CHRISTCHURCH. July 22. In connection with the recent slump in frozen-meat values, Mr F. G. Horrell stated n.\ _ yesterday's meeting of the Farmers' Union that he had seen letters from Home, one of which declared that the big meat men w/re jubilant at being able to bring prices down to tho present leve'. Thev were satisfied that there would be no large consignment from New Zealand in the near future, as the. farmers had "come to heel." Mr Horrell added that he had it on the authority of a gentleman recentlv arrived from Home that the whole thing "had been faked. Mr R. Evans, while not doubting tho statement in the letter to which Mr Horrell had referred, pointed out that manv of the buyers at Home had lost very heavily. There were not many importers who had not "fallen in." Mr'W. T. Lil! said that some of the shrewder importers had scented trouble from afar. One of the largest buyers operating in the speakers district formerly had not bought 1,000 lambs this year. He said ho did not intend to purchase at this end, because before long he would be able to buy New Zealand lambs cheaper in London. Such had proved t) be the case. SKIN REPORT. Messrs Dalgcty and Co. report as follows : Rabbitskins.—We held our weekly auction of rabbitskins on Monday, when we submitted a large catalogue to a full attendance of buyers. The feature of our sale was the record price brought by super winter does, 35£ d, which shows a "rise of id per ib on last week's prices for this of skin. Our catalogue was cleared under spirited competition at prices as under:—Super winter does, 54d to 35£ d ; second winter does, 28d to 34d : outg. winter does, 17d to 20d ; prime winter bucks, 18d to 21d ; second winter bucks, 16d to 18d; outg. winter bucks, 14d to 16d; spring, lid to 13d : incoming winter, 16d to 18d ; autumns, 14d to 16d ; racks, 9d to 10£ d ; first winter black. 24d to 31d ; second winter black, 20d to 24d ; autumn black, 1W to 18d.

Sheepskins.—We held our weekly sale of sheepskins on Tuesday, when we offered a large catalogue to a' full attendance of buyers. Our catalogue was cleared under strong competition at prices on a par with late quotations. We quote :—Fu!l-woolled half-bred. 8d to B|d; full-woolled fine cross-bred, 7Jd to 8-|d ; full-woolled crossbred. 6Jd to 7Jd ; full-woolled merino, 7d to 8d : half to three-quarter wools—halfbred 7Jd to Bd. crots-bred 6jd to 7-1 d, merino 5Jd to 6Jd; quarter wools—halfbred 6d to 7d, cross-bred 5d to 6d, merino_4'd to 5Jd ; lambskins, 7d to 7;jd ; pelts, 3d to 4d.