COMMERCIAL.

Evening Star, Issue 15537, 6 July 1914, Page 7

COMMERCIAL.

The West Coast coal export for the past week was as follows :—Brunner, 391 Urns 7ewt; Point Elizabeth, 2,352 tons 12ewt; Liverpool, 2,436 tons 3cwt; Blackball,, 5,958 tons 12«wt; Paparoa, 653 tons 6 Com! Uvnpany—Goal, 15,566 tons llcwt; coke, 35 tons 12cwt. Westport Stockton Company—Coal, 3,321 tons 14cwt.

! The old-established business of Aitken, Wilson, and Co. has been sold to Mr John Keir, of Wellington. The firm of Aitken, Wilson,, and Co. was started in Wellington in 1882 by Messrs John G. W. Aitken and George Wilson, as importers of general merchandise and exporters of wool, flax, butter, and other produce. The firm started with a number of valuable British and other agencies, which were added to from, time to time. Mr Aitken was brought up to mercantile life in the establishment of a large firm of merchants in Glasgow, but was subsequently transferred to the London house of the firm, and had an extensive experience in the English metropolis. *Mr Wilson had a lengthened period of service in London in connection with a firm which transacted a large ■colonial trade. It was during their stay in London that the partners became sufficiently acquainted with each other to decide upon entering into partnership and coming to New Zealand, where they established and carried on a successful business for a period of 32 years. FALL IN BUTTER. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. SYDNEY. July 5. The wholesale price of butter will be reduced by 4s per cwt to-morrow. ANTWERP WOOL SALES. ANTWERP, July 5. Th» third series of wool sales opened briskly yesterday. Very few cross-breds were "offered. Germany was tie chief buyer. As compared wi'th April, merinos were 5 centimes higher. There was a good selection of Montevideo merinos today, with fair quality to good cross-breds. Merinos were announced 3 to 4 per cent. higher, and fine cross-breds rather more. German spinners bought practically all the better classes of merinos and cross-breds. The tendency for spot and futures is towards very strong prices. THE MARKETS. LONDON, July 4. Frozen Meat : The following are the latest quotations for all classes' of meat. In the case of those not quoted tho price is unchanged :—North Island mutton, best brands, 56-641b, 4 l-16d; ordinary, 56-641b, 3|d. New Zealand ewes, 3jd. Australian mutton, light, 3§d: heavy. 3-Jd; ewes, 3§d. River Plate owes, 3Jkl. Canterbury lamb, light, 63d; medium, sgd; heavy, s§d. North Island lamb, selected, 6d; ordinary, s|d. Southland lamb, ordinary, 5 15-16 d. Australian lamb, best brands, 5 11-16 d; fair quality, s|<i; inferior, s|<l. River Plato lamb, first quality. s|d; second quality, sgd. New Zealand beef, fores, 3§d: h'inds, 4 7-16 d ; Australian beef, fores, 3jd ; hinds, 4 5-16 d. River Plate beef, chilled fores, 3|d; hinds, sjd. River Plate beef, frozen fores, 3|d; hinds, 4 5-16 d. Rabbits : Nothing doing owing to the hot weather. Copper : Spot, £6l 7s 6d; three months, £6l 15s. (Received July 6, at 8.10 a.m.) Wheat : Quiet and unchanged; 35s 6d is asked. The quantity afloat for the United Kingdom is 2,876,000 quarters, and for the Continent 1.850.000 quarters. Tlip Atlantic shipments were 573.000 quarters, and the Pacific nil. Totals : Europe, 1,290,000 quarters; Australasia, 33,000 quarters. Copra : Slow. South Sea bags unchanged. Cotton : July and August, 7.11jd. Hemp : Inactive. High point, fair, June and August, £23 10s. Rubber : Para, 2s 9,|d; plantation, 2s 2d; smoked, 2s 2Ad. Jute : August, £26 15s. Galvanised iron. £l6 and £l3 15s. Tinplates, 12s 3d and 13s 3d. Fencing wire, 137s 6d, loss 3 per cent. Anglo steel, 102s 6d, less per cent. Tram rails, 105s. BUTTER FREIGHT. The Union Company announce that, in accordance with the new contract, the price for the carriage of butter from Wellington to San Francisco and from Auckland to Vancouver has been reduced from Id per lb to jd, as from July 1. From out ports for ports other than ports of call and ports on the Pacific slope transhipment freight will be added. PEICE OF SUGAR. The price of all grades of refined sugar is reduced 10s a ton. GRAIN AND PRODUCE. Messrs Dalgety and Co.. Ltd., report as follows: —We held our weekly auction sale of grain and produce at our stores to-day, when values ruled as under: Wheat.-—Mery little milling wheat is coming under offer. Millers have fair stocks on hand, and any samples of prime milling offering are readily taken at quotations. Fowl wheat is in short supply, and meets with a good demand at quotations We quote: Prime milling velvet, 4s Id to 4s 3d ; red wheats, 4s to 4s Id; best whole fowl wheat, 3s lid to 4s; medium fowl wheat, 3s Bd. to 3s lOd per bushel (sacks extra). Potatoes.—The market is still supplied. There ■is still a largo quantity held iu store. Tho demand is very slack except, for choice, freshly picked Southern-grown tubers, for which there is a limited sale at from £4 to £4 10s: good tables, £3 10s to £3 15s; medium, £3 to £3 ss, according to quality and condition. Chaff.—Consignments during the past week have not been heavy. The demand is restricted to choice quality, which is meeting with a fair inquiry at quotations. Medium quality, of which "there still large stocks held in store, is not meeting with the same demand. We quote: Choice black oaten sheaf, £3 10s.to £3 12s 6d ; best whito oaten sheaf, £3 5s to £3 10s ; medium and inferior, £2 10s to £5 per ton (sacks extra).

Oats.—Offerings from the country of late .have not been heavy, and as shippers r.vo not operating to any* extent the market remains quiet and values unaltered. We quote: Prime milling Gartons, Is lOd to Is lid ; good to best feed,' Is 9d to Is lOd ; medium. Is 8d to Is 9d per bushel (sacks extra).

Donald Reid and Co. report:—We held our \veekly auction sale of grain and produce at our stores to-day, when values ruled as under : Oats.—The market shows no change. Prime Gartons are the only clacs meeting with any demand from exporters. The local demand is not brisk, but prime lots are saleable at late values, and lower grades move off slowly in small quantities. We quote: Prime milling, Is to Is lid ; good to best feed, Is Gd to Is lOd ; inferior to medium. Is 6d to Is 8d pelbushel (sacks extra). Wheat.—'Hie quantity on offer is not large, 'and any lines "of prime qualitv coming on to the market are readily placed at quotations., Best fowl wheat is scarce. and meets with a good demand, but indifferent qualitv is not in request. .We quote: Prime milling velvet, 4s 2d to 4s 3d; Tuscan ; etc., 4s Id to 4s 2d; medium, 4s; best whole fowl wheat, os lOd to 3s lid; medium, 3s 4d to 3s 3d: broken and damaged, 2s 6cl to 3s 3d per bushel (sacks extra). Potatoes.—Prime freshly picked lots haev bad some inquiry during the week, but few sales have been made, and no improvement in prices can be reported. Choice lots—chiefly from the Taieri—realise £4 to £4 10s in small quantities; best table potatoes, £3 5s to £3 15s; medium, £3 10s to £3 per ton (sacka included). Chaff.—The market is fully supplied with chaff of medium to good quality. The demand at present is almost entirely "or prime lots, which sell readily on arrival at £3 5s to £3 10s, and for choice black oat, which sells at £3 12s 6d ; medium to good is more difficult to place at £2 15s to £3 2s rxl; inferior, £2 5s to £2 10s per ton (ba£S extra), "