COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11275, 19 January 1900, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

Wew Zeaiakd Herald Office, Thursday evening. Business on the Stock Exchange lias beer quiet during tho past week. National Banki are wanted at £2 15s 6d, but there are m sellers. New Zealand Insurance sold at £3 li and £5 Os 6d, ex div., and there are sellers at £3 2s, and buyers at £3. Sellers of Soutl British ask £2 14?, with no declared buyers. Nationals sold at 163 sd, and there are seller! at 16s 9d. Sellers of New Zealand Accidents; £1 4s 6d. In gas stock, Auckland, old issue, sold at £13 ss, and there are sellers at £11 10a, and buyers at £13. Contributing sold al £9 15s, and there are sellers at £10. In ship ping shares, sellers of Northern Steam ast 7s .Id, with buyers at 63 10d. Sellers of De voiiport Steam Ferry ask £119s, buyers offer intr £1 17s. Coal snares are a shade weaker Hikurangis nro offered at 7s 9d; Taupiri mines at 18s, with no declared buyers ol either. Sellers of Northern Boot ask 10a; for Sliarlands 11s, and for Union Oils, £1 Of 6.1. Buyers of D.S.C. offer 10s. Tim minini! market is lifeless. Waihi South sold at Is 5d and Is 3d; Waihi Extcndeds from 10£ d tc B}d; "Waitekanris at £2 2s; and Koroata Reef: at 2s. Crowns are offered at 15s, Talisman; sold at 12s. and thero are sellers at 12s 6d, In Lower Thames stock. Mnv Queens sold at 4s lid. and closed with sellers nt 3s lid; New Whaus sold at 6Jd and 7Jd, closing witli sellers at Bd, buyers 7d; Barrier Reefs sold at fa 10d, and there are sellers at 7s. This week has shown a slight improvement on last, and more activity is noticeable in nearly all lines. In general goods kerosene remains firm at 12s, and stocks are still very light. An advance lias taken place in America, and future landings will cost 6d per case higher fir the next two shipments in any* case, with a probability of the price being maintained. The Virawa. has arrived with cornsacks to a bare market, and sales are being made freely at 6s 6d per dozen for 48-inch, and 6s to 6s 3d for 44-ineli. The Knight Templar has also arrived from New York with supplies of American goods. Sago and tapioca are almost unprocurable in this market, and supplies on the way are costing heavy advances on last importations, and selling prices cannot be under £18 and £19 respectively. The incrcasod price of American fruits has to some extent retarded sales, as consumers do not care to face an advance of 2s to 3s per dozen. Canned meats are moving off very freely, in spite of the advanced prices. Hams and bacon are in good demand. Sheep tongues and ox tongues are especially in demand, as is usual during the holiday Benson. Potatoes are somewhat scarce this week, owing to farmers being too busv , with their other crops to give the time to digging. Today's quotations may be given as £3 109 to £4 per ton for prime quality. The main crop of onions is now coming to hand, and as high as £6 to £7 is being realised for best varieties', while potato onions bring from £5 to £6. Imported globes are also moving off at from £5 10s to £6. Flax show" no alteration on last week, but deliveries are coining to hand better now that the mills have pot their holiday spell over. Tow shows a glutted market, and'is almost unsaleable. Oafs are still verv brisk in the South, fnd the War Office still continue to draw their supplies to a verv great extent from > 7 f-w Zealand. Up to the present they Isavo tnken about 200,000 sacks, and private orders hue taken another 100,000 to 150.000 in P(Wi:ion. Several sailing vessels have been loadol. rnd at the moment supplies are barely able to cone with the demand. Ryegrass crops in the South are looking very well, and an average crop is expected. Prices should be reasonable as comrwred to previous years, and growers here will no doubt benefit, as a good burn is expected after thfl dry weather which has been experienced. . Cocksfoot supplies of old crop are almost exhausted, but the new crop promises well, and should keep prices down to a normal level, unless something unforeseen occurs. The London wheat market renin ins inactive, but the ffitnipe, which is reported in some districts in Tndin. mav. to sonv extent, strengthen it. The advance in freights prevents shipping at present, but millers iiml that growers are strong holders, and prices on tho whole have not shown any marked decline, ns far as New Zealand is concerned. Mail advices just to hand from a leading London house give the following interesting report on the butter and cheese trade under date of December ItButter: There hns been no rain in 'he greater part of England during the last fortnight, although storms and much rain have been experienced in Scandinavia. The weaher hns become warmer and some days are spring-like in their temperature. The domand for Australian and New Zealand butter continues to improve, although prices hove not moved up in sympathy with the increase of business. Them is a pretty big inquiry fnr butters to retail at Is per lb. but some difficulty in finding (roods that will fllow 0! a good profit at this figure. Very "cioicest" quality is scarce, but the higher giadcs ol "finest" are plentiful. The complaint ol " fishincße" continues from the retailer, whe discovers that *his disagreeable flavour develops very rapidly in some of the bosi brands nnd is pretty common in other qualities, " Choicest" brands are makine 100s and 101s, "fancv" brands bringing lOfii. "Finest" may be hud from 94s to 99?. There are many reports from the retail trade about the de crease in tho amount of business doing, mil it is alleged that the war is the indirect cause of this restriction, ft is very interesting to note the great amount of Australian and New Zealand butter that is arriving this year in comparison with Inst. The following tnble shows this nt a glance: — Year. Sept. Oct. Nov. ■ Dec. Totfil CwK Owts. Cwts. Cwtfi. Owts 1999 491 24 V 4 fi6.RSS 67.50(1 1«2.4(Y 1398 - 5.994 20,476 45,794 72,26' Increase... 13.<"H 19.K60 36 379 21.705 90.131! Thn figures for December this year ore esti meted, but will be found practically correct It will be noticed that the increase in No vemher ovor last year was 36,379 cwts, while in December it will be only 21.706, so thai the projects for December are fairly favour able, The Copenhagen Committee has raiser tho official quotation by two kroner, am' it now stands at 114s 6d for "choicest, , against 119s for the corresponding week ol last year, and 105s 64 for "finest." against 134s M 12 months ns»o. The total import; of butter into the United Kingdom last weel were 71.015cwts, consisting of 42,766 foreiajr and 28,319 colonial. It is interesting: to fine that Australasian imports wore 21.247 cwts, while Danish were only 23,816. Tf the co lonial and Danish be added together, the) come to 52,135cwt5, out of a total import ol 71,085, so that the colonies and Denmnrli supplied over two-thirds of the butter im ported last week. Cheese: Thero has been a very active mar kot, and fho demand has been principalis for goods at 53s to 54s ner cwt, but there has also been a considerable amount of busi ness passing in Augusts and Septembers al 56s to 58s. The position is strong, and then is every probability of values showing fur ther improvement. Maize has shown a quiet market in the ab sence of any Australian demand. Sales art ' being made slowly at 2s 6d on the wharf , but oven at that figure buyers are not anxious I Reports'from some of tho country district , advise that the recent frosts have damagoi

i" the growing crops ' very seriously, and will affect the yield for next season very heavily. 1 The feature of the week may be said to have been the second wool (ale, at ' which there was a good attendance, and strong bidding throughout. Prices realised were very good, and growers are well satisfied with the result. , : In the local produce market grocers report the following* prices:—Farmers' butter, 6d; second quality, 4d to Sd per lb wholesale. Eggs are 8d per dozen wholesale, and the «■ tail price varies considerably. KAURI GUM MARKET. The following are our quotations of kauri gum for tho week ending January 16, 1900: —Whito gum: Poor ordinary, £38 to £42; good ordinary (unpicked), £54- and upwards; superior ordinary, £75 and upwards; East Coast (good quality), £76 and upwards; rescraped. £115 and upwards. Black gum: Nuts, £14 and upwards; mixed, £25 and upwards; good, £48 and upwards. Supplies for 16 days of January, 460 tons. Thorn is no change in tho market to report. The quality of gum arriving is deteriorating. LONDON. JBy Telegraph.— Association?— London, January 17. At tho tallow pales 1700 casks wero offered and 1550 sold. Mutton, fine, £1 9« 9(1; medium, £1 8s; beef, fine, £1 8s 3d; milium, £1 7s. Messrs. Buxton and Co,, diaries Balme, 1 Jacomb, Son. and Co. submitted catalogues aggregating 8471 bales of wool. The offerings included a fair selection of merinos. Tho attendance was only moderate, and the Bales were slow, buyers operating very cautiouslv. Prices generally were barely maintained, inferior and faulty lots ruling 5 per cent, below December rates. American buvers competed for crossbred wools. _ ; The Amnrioan visMe wheat supiply is estimated at 88,992,000 bushels. [Per L. and If. Acencv Co. (Limited)/! Losdov, January 18. Tallow: Market brisk. Medium and inferior has advanced 6d per cwt since- last report. Wheat and Flour: Market inactive. New Zealand wheat has declined 6d per 4961b since last ropor.. WOOL. Lonhok, Jnnnary 17. Wool is sir xv of sale, there being largo withdrawals. CHMSTCHtracn. Thursday. The third wool sain of the season was Md to-day, when 12,429 bales wcro offered. There was a. full attendance of buyers, but those representing Home and foreign houses bad evidently received cables reducing thoir limits in a far greater degree than appeared to be warranted by private and press reports of the opening of the London rales, Mm consequence was that the snip, wns extremely slow, and owners being disinclined to accept expert buyers' idpnß of values, a vcrv lnr?o proportion was withdrawn. Compared with the December sale merino was k\ tn Id lower: fine clean hnlf-brcd', Id to 2d lower (most of iftase heinor bought in); erossbrnds, about id lower, Merino sold lit) to Is 2Jd; I'nlf-breds, to Is OJd. The salo is still proceeding. AUCKLAND SHAKEMARKET. Business nnNE.-Nntinral Insurance, ■ 163 M: AnoVnnd Gas, new (£3 I(M, £9165: New Whan, H<l: Now Zealand Talisman, 12s. BnynßS.-Nationnl Bank. s*B 6d: New Zealand Insurance. 6(19 fid: Auckland Gr.«, new (£3 10s), £9 nn: Northern Steamship, 6s 10d; Devonnnrt Steam Fern-. 375; D.8.C1. Co, (Limited), 10.?: Broken Hill. Nd: Victoria, 3d; TCnrnatc Reefs. Is 7d: Waibi Extended, 7d; IVnilii Grand Junction. 30': Wnihj Silvevton, 7s 9(1; Woodstock, 2fi; Bunker's Hill, old, 10(1. Seller," —New Zealand Insurance. 625; National Insurance, 16s 9d; South British Insurance New Zealand Accident Inmir» ancp. 24a 6rl; Auckland Gns, old, £13 10s ; Auckland Chs, new (£3 109). £10; Northern Stciirrs'nn, 7? Id: Devonport Pfeam Ferry, 395: H'kurnnei Coal. 7a 9d: Taupiri Coal Mine'! (Limited). 18s , Sharlnnd and Co.. Uβ: Northern Boot, 10s; TTnion Oil, 20s 6d: Broken Hill. 3d: Kuranui, M: Kuwnul-Cnledonian, la Id Mflhara Rival. ]': Mnv Queen HaurnW, 3<; lid; Kay Qnpen Extended. «}d; Wono> wai, If 3d: Now Allwnia, Is; New Wbrui, Sri: Victoria, 6d: A\\>H, 1s: Crown, 15s; Tltliel Beef. fid: Oracs Darlinpr. paid up, 2e Id; Imnorinl, 3W: Komnta Peek ?,s 6d; New Zealand Tnlismnn, 129 6d; Oliinemun, 4(1: Ohinemnri Rvndipn+fi. ?<s; Wnihi, £11 Wnilii Oonsniq. 3d: Wailil Grnnd Junction, #<!: Wnihi Silvertnn, «■> 6d: Wnilii South, la 3d: Wnitplcouri. 4C«; Bnnker'o Will, old. Is: Foiir-in-IFnn'l. &i ?A; Hairalt' New Zenlnnd Associated Gild Mines. i\r\- F"i-l)our View, Sd : Proerees-Ongtie Bock. 3d ; Welcome Find. 3d: Barrier l?pef». 7g; Great Barrier Gold nnd Silver, Is Id; Whansamata Gold Corporation, si. ,T. Wowbhay. flliairman. ALFRED Or.riHAM. Secretary. 15.15 p.m., Jamiarv 18, 1900.