COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 14631, 29 July 1911, Page 5

COMMERCIAL.

At a meeting of shareholders of the Pacific Starr-Bowkett Society, held last evening (Mr J. H. Hancock presiding), the 42nd appropriation of £SOO was offered by free ballot. The drawing resulted iu favor of cluster No. 8, held by on© shareholder with five shares. The secretary for the Money Club (Mr Hugh. Mitchell) reports that applications for several shares were received and loans to the amount of £560 granted at this week's meeting of trustees. In the Wellington Court yesterday several companies were charged with breaches of the Companies Act. The defendants were the North Island Brewery Company, the Patea Shipping Company, Nelson, Moate, and Co., the Rakanui Hall Company, the Nowhoulds Patents, and the New Zealand Fruit and Produce Company, and it was alleged in the informations that they each failed to make a return of a list'of members, together with a summary for the year 1910. Notices of defence were filed in the first three cases, and an adjournment was granted until Friday next. Decision was reserved in the case against the Rakanui Hall Company, hut fines of 10s, with costs (7s) and solicitor’s fee (£1 Is), were imposed on the Newboulds Patents and the New Zealand Fruit and Produce Company, each admitting a technical breach. CHRISTCHURCH MARKETS. There has been no change in the market during the week. Growers who still have wheat on hand are holding firmly, and there are no offerings at present. There have been several fairly large lines of oats on offer, but the prices asked wore beyond buyers’ limits, and no business has resulted. There is no change in oatsheaf chaff. Potatoes are very dull of sale in consequence of the Northern markets being still well supplied, ami the best offers to growers are £2 5s and £2 10s per ton, at country stations. MONEY AND MARKETS. Press Association —By Telegraph— Copyright LONDON, July 28. —Bank Returns and Discounts.— The Bank of England returns show the stock of gold coin and bullion to be £59,960.000; reserve, £30.422.000; proportion of reserve to liabilities, 54.50. The notes in circulation total £’29,189,000; public deposits, £9.190.000; other deposits, £46.525.000; Government securities, £14,957.000; and other securities, £28.427,000. The Bank rate of discount is 3 per cent. Short loans are negotiated at 1J per cent. ; three months’ bills, 2 1-15 per cent. ; at Berlin, 2,} per cent. Consols arc quoted at £7B 2s 6d. —Colonial Stocks.— The following are the quotations for colonial Government slocks, compared with those Tilling a week previous :

—Wheat, Flour, Oats, Peas, and Beans.— Wheat : The market is firm in face of adverse crops reports from Russia and Germany and the failure of the Indian crop owing to the monsoon. Buyers are cautious on account of the unsettled political situation. Holders are asking 34s for Victorian shipments off coast, 54s scl for South Australian and Victorian March-April sailer shipments and for Vic. tori an Julv steamer shipments ; and 33s 4J,d to 33s' 7id has been paid for parcels of July-August shipment. There is little demand for Australian spot at 36a. Best New Zealand long-berried is quoted 35b 6d, and 36s for Australian. Flour : A plentiful simply. A few sales of store have taken place at 245. Oats ; Scarce. Cartons, 21s 6d to 22s 6d ; sparrow-bills, 20s fd to 21s sd. La Plata July shipment. 16s. Peas : Naples. 39s to 40s. Beans ; New Zealand, 33s 6d. —Metals.— Silver, 24d per oz. Copper : Spot, £56 7s 6d ; three months, £56 18s 9d ; electrolytic, £SB 10s. Tin : Cush, £l9O. Spelter, £?5. Pig iron, 475. —Butter and Cheese.— Button : Very- firm. Tire drought continues. with only .slight, local rainfalls, in England. Danish is unchanccd. (hoirest Australian, 110s to 112s, and occasionally to 114s. Unsal ted does not command a premium owing to the large proportion of arrivals of good salted. Secondaries, 102s to 108s. First-hand stored is selling well, and many ret ail ere are restoring small quantities. Cheese : in good demand, with prices unchanged A —Sugar.— German, 13s 2d; first marks, 15s 3d. —Wool.--Tire Bradford wool market is steady. Sixty-fours, 27-Jd ; super 60’s, 27jd ; common 60’s, 26-[d; 56 s, 22jd; 50 s, 19d; 45’s, 15Id ; 40’s. 141 d. —The Sheapskin Sales.— (Received July 29, at 9 a.m.) At the sheepskin sales 8,000 bundles were catalogued. There was only a small attendance, and there wore fairly heavy withdrawals. Compared with Juno sales merino combines were practically unchanged, merino fine cross-bred clothings and fine croes-bred combings were Id lower, and coarse cross-breds (,d lower. THE ADVANCE IN SUGAR. The Colonial Sugar Company have advanced the prices of all sugars by £1 a ton. Syrup and treacle are unchanged. NEW SOUTH 'WALES SHEEP RETURNS. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDVRV, July 28. The estimates of the New South Wales autumn and winter lambinrs com-n-’i-e ’ fnvorablv with last year’s, though 200.000 fewer ewes were mated and 185 TOO fewer lambs droared. Probably the markings will show an increase of over half a million. In the autumn 7.961.000 were dropped, reorcsenting 80 per cent, of ewes, and the probable markings will rea.eh 6.97(1.000 or 70 ner cent. In x the winter 2.135 lambs were dropped, and the probable markings will reach 1.853 OO" 1 or 67 per cent, of ewes.

New South Wales 4's July 21. ... lOt July 28. 104 ,\cw Snmh W ' - 54’s ... 994 994 New South Wales 3’s ... 87 874 Victorian 4’s ... 1014 1014 Victorian 34’s 844 98 Victorian 3’s 844 Queensland 4’s ... 102" 102 Queen- and 34’s Queensland 3 ! s 98 98 ... 86 86 South Australian St’s ... 984 984 South Australian 3’s ... 82' 82 New Zealand -’3 ... 104 104 New Zealand Si’s ... ... 964 97 New Zealand 3’s ... 864 864 Tasmanian 34’s ... 97 97 Tsemaman 3’s ... 844 844 West Austalian 3-4’s ... 97' 97 West Australian 3’s ... 864 864