COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 15065, 23 December 1912, Page 6

COMMERCIAL.

Pregi Allegation—By Telegraph—Copyright,

ADVANCE IN FREIGHTS.

LONDON, December 22. (Received December 23, at 8 a.m.) Owing to dearer coal, the German-Aus-tralian, Nordeutscher, and Lloyd Companies are adding 1£ to 2 marks (Is 3d to 2s) to freight rates to Australia and New Zealand on different classes of goods. THE BUTTER TRADE. MELBOURNE, December 23. (Received December 23, at 8.5 a.m.) Sir G. Reid's report on the Australian f* tr *de in England has been tabled in the House of Representatives. It shows that the conditions are very unsatisfactory, and unless the unscrupulous practices which are universally followed are checked the result will be permanent injury. _ A large quantity of Australian butter is retailed at a big profit along with the inferior stuff manufactured in Great Britain Fifty per cent, and more of the It if l USe - d for DlencJ ing purposes, and the balance is disposed of under names approved by the salesmen. Sir George urges the necessity of a sound svstem of, trading and marking similar to "those in vogue in New Zealand and other countries. While other butters are well-known, he does not believe that 20 per cent, of the people of Great Britain are aware that Australian brands are purchasable. THE MARKETS. LONDON, December 22. (Received December 23, at 9.25 a.m.) . At the hide sales there was a small supply. Leather : Firm, and stocks small. Best heavy Sydney, 13d to 14id. Basils are firm First Sydneys, Ud to 15$ d; New Zealand, to 22d. Hares : Firm, at about 2s 6d. Rabbits :_ Quiet and unchanged, the trade devoting al its attention to poultry Frozen meat: Sheep, Canterbury light and medium nominallv sd; N Z ewes none, offering; lambs, 'light s£d, medium s|d, heavy 5J;d. South American, chilled fores, 3id, hinds sd. All others unchanged. THE WHEAT MARKET. rru x. , LON DON, December 22. .The total quantity of wheat and flour anoat for the United Kingdom is 2.170,000 quarters, and for the Continent 1.650,000 377 r nm S - T t he Atlant ic shipments total 577,000 quarters, and the Pacific 28.000 quarters. The totals are Europe 1,170,000 quarters, and Australasia, 7,000 quarters. GRAIN AND PRODUCE. Messrs Dalgety and Co. report as foliows :—We held our weekly auction side at our stores to-day, when values, ruled as under : Oats—Very little business is passing. There, is very little inquiry on the part oi shippers and merchants, except "for bright, heavy oats, which are offering very .sparingly Unsound and inferior" quality are almost unsaleable. We quote :-Prime milling, 2s 2d to 2s 3d; good to best feed, 2s to 2s Id; inferior x$L i ™ d P €r bushel ( 6ack 's extra). market remains unchanged. Any samples of prime milling quality are taken up by millers at market rates. Best whole fowl wheat meets with most inquiry on the part of buyers, while medium and inferior is hard to quit. Quotations :—Prime milling, 3s 9d to 3s lid • medium 3s 6d to 3s 8d; best whole fowl wheat, 3s 2d to 3s 4d; medium, 3s to 3s lad; inferior and damaged, from 2s upwards per bushel (sacks extra). Potatoes.—Old season's are practically done. .New season's have been arriving freely from _ Auckland and surrounding districts during the past week, and are being quitted at from £8 to £8 10s for best.

Chaff.— Market moderately supplied with prime quality, which meets with a ready Bate at quotations. Inferior and discolored lines are practically unsaleable. We quote :—Prime oaten sheaf, £3 2s 6d to £3 7s 6d ; medium, £2 15s to £3 : interior, from £2 per ton (sacks extra).

Messrs Donald Keid and Co! report :- iWe-neld our weekl auction sale of grain and produce at our stores to-day There was a small attendance of buyers who were not disposed to operate, and as there was .httle bidding the bulk of the offering was passed in. We have to report as

Oats.—The demand for all classes is Black, and no business is likely to be done until after New lear. Quotations are, nominally :-Pnme milling, 2s 2d to 2s jd; good to best feed, 2s to 2s lid: intefcrfe,. 1 * 6d to ls nd per Wheat.—Prime milling lines have rather more inquiry. Stocks" are not heavy! and on this account there is not much business to report Medium quality is fnf Ja V °v J° W1 w - heat is fair V Plentiful, and slightly easier in value. We quote --Prime.milling, 3s 9d to 3s lid; good to best feed, 3s 6d to 3VBd; best whole fowl wheat, 3s 3d to 3s 4W; medium to good, 2s lOd to 3s 2d/broken ffSf 2S 3d t0 2s 9d P« bnriS Potatoes.-01d potatoes are now off the market, which is being chiefly supplied with consignments fronTAuckland. These are worth about £8 to £8 10s ner ton (sacks included). per ton C la ( 2 a fr;~l Prilne i oate " ? is the only freelv a^ mand> ? his is not freely and any consignments are readily placed on arrival. Medium and inferior qualities are neglected. We quote "Meat oaten sheaf, £3 5s to £3 7s 65; choice to «;r e^ lUm to ,Sood, £2 15s to £3; light and discolored, £2 to £2 10s per ton (sacks extra). p

HIGH COMMISSIONER'S CABLE. [Peh United Press Association.} The HiT¥ J^N ' Wmber23 " aJ*t\ g ? Commissioner cables under W B / J, eoem . b «2l-. (Note: Quotations, xZ Kt^r^ are *™* ™** Mutton.-Market very firm owing to Short supply. Quotations: Canterbury, average price 4*dper lb ; North Island m ; Argentine 4|d; Australian, 44d. SL^L qUal u 16S - average tine, s§d; Australian/sgd Beef.—Market firm, with hardening tendency. New Zealand hindquarters average price 3|d; fores, 3£d. Butter.—Market quiet, with tendency in favor of buyers. The Christmas demand u C t a^ d - Tratle ™ ll be q«iet until after holidays. New Zealand first grade, life to 124s per cwt; Australian, 115sArgentine, 115s; Siberian, 110s: Danish, 131s. '

Cheese.—Market quiet; little but B ,? 1 0od v/ eclln S Prevails. New Zealand tfhite, 61s per cwt; colored, 625. Hemp.—Market steady ; prices well maintained, and a fair demand continues" Good fair, £33 per ton; fair grade, £3i a , n y Position Manila, fair current, £33; forward shipment, £34 10s. The output from Manila for the week was 18,000 bales. > The wool market remains firm. Wheat.—New Zealand long-berried, ex granary, 36s 6d per quarter of 4961b. Kauri Gum.—Dark brown selected, £4 - to £5; dark brown chips, drossy, £1 10s to £2 10s; rescraped pale amber, £lO to . £11; three-quarter pale scraped, £8 10s to £9; diggers' chips, good, £2 to £3. Market quiet, but moderate business doing. The ertock at the end of November was 187 tone. COTTON-FIGURE GAMBLING. Cotton-figure gambling has now assumed monstrous proportions in Calcutta (says the 'Englishman')- Its intricacies now require careful scrutiny beforetheyare mastered. Cotton-figure gambling booths are found by the score in almost every big street in the city; almost every other petty shopkeeper has the cotton-figure quotations exhibited at his stall. From -a simple .betting on the first 10 numbers a most ; A

complex system has been evolved by the keepers of what are big establishments for baiting public money. When the evil first made its appearance the transactions were based on the five New York cotton quotations wired out daily by Reuter. These were added up and divided by 5, and the last figure in the quotient was taken as the winning number. The process of finding the winning number still remains the same, but the betting is no longer confined to the one number. At some of the booths money is also accepted for place betting—that is, on the number one less or one more than the winning number. To give the transactions- a semblance of genuine business, some establishments give figures known as Bechan or cotton bales sold, and ready figures as well.