COMMERCIAL

Evening Star, Issue 20372, 2 January 1930, Page 14

COMMERCIAL

REVENUE RETURNS. [P*R United Press Assocm.ttok.l • CHRISTCHURCH, January 1. The Customs' revenue in 1929 was £1,182,206 6s 2d, compared with £l,021,513 18s lOd in 1928. Other figures ' are as follow (figures for 1928 being given in parentheses) : Beer duty, £91,441 9s 6d (£82,905 13s 4d); meat export levy, £6,261 15s 4d (£6,328 12s): dairy produce, £662 17s (£699 Is 8d); motor spirit tax, £178,159 14s 9d ‘(£146,139 5s 8d); tyre duty, £17,267 15s 10d ; (£18,348 6s sd). WELLINGTON, January 1. The Customs revenue collected at Wellington last year totalled well over. £3,000,000, and showed an increase of £467,347 compared with that for 1926.. The revenue for December was 267,659, compared with £229,062 for December, 1928. Each quarter of 1929 showed an increase of well over £IOO,000 in the -net Customs revenue collected, compared with the corresponding; periods'of 1928.’ The second quarter of the year, when •there is a seasonal falling off in imports’, had a' Customs revenue of nearly £692,851, or £132,426 more than that ■ for the ■ corresponding quarter of 1928. The' revenue for the third quarter (£885,416) was by far the heaviest for some years, if it is not a “record.” Collections . of.. duty on motor spirit ’last month were £27,149, compared with £23,210 for December, 1928, and of tyre tax 4,545, compared with £3,.920. The. motor spirit duty last year totalled £37,915, an increase of £48,079 compared with 1928. • The tyre tax last year totalled £58,135, a decrease of £3,498 compared with 1928. Beer Excise collections at Wellington last month were £7,382, the figure for December, 1928, being £6,149. The total for the year was £54,411, an increase of £1,194 compared with 1928. AUCKLAND, January 1. . There was a marked expansion in the Customs revenue collected, at the port of Auckland during 1929 in comparison with the figures for 1928. This is partly accounted for by the doubling of primage duty from the beginning of last August. An increase of nearly 50 per cent, in the yield from the motor spirit duty indicates the _ continued growth in use of motor vehicles. Customs revenue and tyre tax for December, 1929, totalled £211,372, compared with £180,443 dn 1928. The total for the year was £2,449,831, compared with £2,195,320 in 1928. NAPIER, January 1. Customs revenue collected in Napier during 1929 totalled £302,465, compared a record year. UNION BANK OF AUSTRALIA. Pres* Association —By Telegraph— l Copyright. LONDON, December 31. The Union Bank of Australia has declared an interim dividend of 12J per cent., tax free. ’ ! ; ' [WHEAT MARKET, I Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, December 80. ; Wheat: Cargoes are, .firmer, in sympathy with American quotations, being 3d ,to 6d higher. Buyers are inclined to respond. , Parcels are in quiet demand at an advance of 6d. Futures: London-Decemher 50s 6d, January 50s 7d, March 51s 4Jd; Liverpool—December 9s s§d, March 9s 10|d, May 10s o|d. METAL MARKET. Pr»*s Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, December 30. Copper; Spot, £67 ss; forward, £66 16s 10Jd. Electrolytic: Spot, £B2 10s; forward, £B3 10s., Wire bars, £B3 10s. Lead: Spot, £2l 13s 9d; forward, £2l 10s, Spelter: Spot, £l9 16s 10Jd; forward, ,£2O 7s 6d. Tin: Spot, £175 3s 9d; forward, £l7B 13s 9d. Silver: Fine. 21 5-16 dto 23d per oz. DAIRY PRODUCE. ■ ' 1 Amalgamated Dairies, Ltd., report receipt of the following cablegram from its London office: — Butter prices now firm; “Anchor,” 1645. Market firmed before holidays on 'steady demand. Little business passing, as buyers still absent, but anticipate renewed demand next week round these prices: Danish closed 176 s spot; now asking 178 s f.0.b.; retail unchanged. Cheese prices: White 89s, coloured 87s; market steady, little business passing. Canadian, 96s to 100 s; market quiet; retail unchanged.