COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11871, 24 January 1902, Page 4

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald Office. , - f Thursday evening. Business on the Stock Exchange is still quiet;; with very little business • doing. In banks New Zealands; are weaker, and axe offered at £2 7a. There are sellers of Nationals at £3 '.16s 6d; buyers offer ; £3 13;-. lii insurances New Zealands sold at £3 8s 6d, and there are- sellers at £3 93 and buyers at £3 Bs. :. South British sold •at £3 lGs and £3 18s 6cl, and closed with buyers at £3 18s 6d. Buyers of Nationals offer "19s 9d, and for Standards 17s. Buyers of New Zealand Accidents offer: £3; sellers ask £3 ss. New Zealand and River Plate Land Mortgage, old issue, are wanted at £1 Is 3d. : New issue sold at £1 2s, and there are still buyers at that price. In gas stock Auckland, fully paid, sold at £14, and there are buyers at £13 16s. Contributing are offered at £12 16s, with buyers at £12 12s. There are sellers of Thames Gas at £1 13s, and buyers at £1 lis. In coals there are buyers of Hilcuransi at 8s 6d, cum div. announced. .'■ Taupiri Mines sold at 18s, and there .are still sellers at that price, with buyers at 17s 9d. There are sellers of Westport at £4' 4s and buyers at £4. In .shipping, Devonport Steam Ferry sold at £2 Os 6d, but closed with buyers at £2 Is. Northern Steam, paid up, sold at 18s Gel, and there are still sellers at that price and buyers at 18s 3d. Contributing sold at 8s and 8s Id, closing with sellers at 8s 6d and buyers at 8s 3d. D.S.C. sold at 8s lOd and 9s, and there arc sellers at 9s 2d and buyers at 8s 10d. ._ In mining stock there is very little doing. Waihis sold at £6, and there are sellers at £6 5s and buyers at £5 17s 6d. Waitckaims sold at 9s 3d, and Kuranuis at 4d. General business is fairly good, but some departments report that trade is rather slow after the rush of Christmas. ' In the grain and produce market many lines are still on the up grade, maize being firm at last week's price, with an unsatisfied demand. The total quantity to hand amounts to 1194 sacks, a good deal of this being of fair quality, although some, as usual, had to be sold at a reduction. There is a little inquiry from the South, and we understand that the Elingamite took to Sydney this week a shipment of considerable size ' from ■", Gisborae, where (lie price is a little lower, just sufficient to allow for export. This is interesting news, as all imports into Australia have now to pay the' heavy Federal duty, and it was feared that this would block our trade.

Potatoes are in heavy : supplies, the crop turning out better than was expected .after such a dry spring, the growth of this, and indeed of most crops, being phenomenal during the last six weeks. There has been a good demand to meet this, and kidneys have been placed at 3s 3d upwards, other kinds in Some eases being quitted at lower money, while consignments have not always realised what lias been the nominal market value. As the Imperial Government are again buying oats, these are very firm, in the South, and in Dunedin it is estimated thai; the local demand alone is sufficient to keep the market up to the presont level. It will be another . two or three months;,before their new crop is ' available. In the meantime; it is "difficult to purchase linos in. the South, and all to hand have been easily placed; in fact, most :of- the arrivals have gone into immediate consumption, and heavier • shipments could j have been absorbed by the local demand, as •we i understand ; that the whole i"of. the; oats on the Hawea next, Monday. have already been sold to arrive. ;;■ These are old grain, but the market for new grain has already opened, quotations being received this week • for a few early lots, for which delivery is not guaranteed till about the middle or the ■ end of February. The market opens strong, very little advantage appearing as against old grain, when probable shrinjjage is taken into accQUDtt..

Very fair sales of oatmeal hare been made at the recent advance, and this week another advance of 10s is announced. '■'~--;■ Wheat is, as ■ usual,* causing troublo to importers ifrom;the South, as it is difficult to understand ; why ! the market should_ be so high, being above the price at which it could be shipped Home. A Southern paper states that there is an impression there ' that pricesof milling wheat have been forced up unnecessarily high, for it is said that some millersthere have, offered high prices for all small lines procurable in order to; take them out of the market, but have not been prepared to operate on large quantities. But the ; market is in a similar - ! state in Australia, where although the harvest is in the value' is given at 2s lid t0.33, so that there is evidently some strong : influence to keep it ,at this level lin the face of what they describe as a "grand harvest." The wheat;- market will bo followed with considerable interest during the nest few. weeks,' especially in its relation to tho price of flour. ■ ' ' Since last week another advance has taken place in Southern flour, the Auckland price being still below what the FlourmiHera As-: sociation are reported to be getting in the South, so that merchants are awaiting the possibility of further moves, seeing that some brands are already in short supply. All the local brands of flour have now advanced. -Our price list in another column shows an advance in both bran and pollard. These are in good demand, and difficult to obtain, as stocks of bran have been depleted by heavy shipments to South Africa, and pollard is always short at this time of the -year, and likely to be for the next few months. In the South a large quantity is used for rabbit poisoning. : ' . . , New onions.are now coming in, and there aro also some from" Australia. There is a good inquiry at 7s to 8s per cwt. _ Ryegrass is very firm, owing to the demand expected from Australia" on account of the drought." Cocksfoot and white clover have also advanced. Colonial cowgrass is in short supply.::.;. ,'■'•■■ .. . , '.' . .:- The reported advance in rice is of special: interest after the strong downward tendency of the last few months, and a second cable to hand this week makes it another 5s higher, with the market strong at full prices. ' ; Tin plates are quoted firmer, aftor. declining during the last few months, so that bedrock has apparently been passed.' Resin is also higher, and America is quoting some chemicals } at an advance, cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda, etc. -. - Canton dates by the Tekoa arrived to a somewhat bare market/ Loose dates of last season are plentiful at lower rates. In Sydney the market has been upset by the Federal duty, which is expected to curtail tho de-: mand. A cable from London notifies a substantial rise in sultanas, and currants are also a little stronger. . Deliveries of flax continue light. The market could absorb moro at present prices. The latest Loudon cables show that tho market has recovered some of the weakness that lately appeared. Millers are working at a disadvantage owing to the short supplies of green flax available, and there is strong competition amongst them in ; securing sufficient. Encroaching on each other's preserves does not seem. to us to improve their position. Owing to the increased cost of flax and Manila hemp tho local Ropeworks Company have advanced the price of all grades by £3 per ton. Glass fruit jars are in strong demand, owing to the heavy'supplies of cheap fruit. Cheese is now in plentiful supply and of excellent quality. In the local dairy produce market the price of butter remains unchanged as follows:— Factory butter, lid; separator, 7d; >:' dairy, 6d; second quality, sd. Eggs have advanced to 8d per dozen wholesale. GROCERS' MARKET QUOTATIONS. The following are the quotations for butter and eggs for the week ending January 20, 1902, as quoted by the Auckland Grooers' Association : —Factory butter, lid per lb; separator butter, 7d per lb; farmers' butter (best), 6d per lb; farmers' butter (second quality), 5d per lb; eggs, 8d per dozen. .■ ~ - . -;,■.;'■ ————i 1 -■ ..-. KAURI GUM MARKET.

The following are our quotations of kauri gum for the week ending January 20, 1902: —White gum: Poor ordinary. £30 and. upwards; fair ordinary, £50 and upwards; bold three-quarter scraped, free from nuts, £78 and .upwards; East Coast, best quality, £72 and upwards; re-scraped, £118 and upwards. Black gum: Nuts, £12 and upwards ; medium, free from sugar, £18 and upwards; good, £52 and ivnwards. Remarks on market: Supply for 20 days of January, 390 tons. The market is quiet and steady, with a fair amount of business doing at about former rates. LONDON. ". By TeleeraiJfe-—Press Association.—Copyright. London, January 22. The total quantity of wheat and flour afloat for the United Kingdom is 3,250,000 quarters, and for the Continent 945,000 quarters. Shares are unchanged, y Copper, spot, 48£; three months, ,48|, Tin, spot, 108 i;" three months, 105. Lead, 10 11-16. At the tallow sales 1024 casks were offered and 400 sold. Fine mutton,, 39s 6d; other sorts unchanged. _* . ■ FROZEN MEAT. . . [BY TELEGRAPH.PBKSB ASSOCIATION'.] ; Napiee, Thursday. Messrs. Nelson Brothers have received the following cable: —"No . improvement in the frozen mutton market. Second quality lamb declined id. To-day's quotations are: Best Canterbury, 3|d;>. Napier, Wellington, and North Island, £0. Lamb, first quality, 4£d; second, 4gd." AUCKLAND STOCK EXCHANGE. BUSINESS DONE.— Coal Mines, 18s; Welcome Jack, contributing, 3d; Waihi. £6; Waitekanri, 9s 6d. ■

BUYERS.— Bank, 73s 6d; New Zealand Insurance, 68s; National Insurance, 19s 9d; South British Insurance, 78s 6d; Standard Insurance, 17s; New Zealand Accident Insurance, 60s; Row Zealand and River Plate, old.-21s 3d; New Zealand and River Plate, new, 223; Hikunmgl Coal, 8s 6d; Taupiri Coal Mines, Limited, 176 9d; Auckland Gas, new (£4 10s), £12 12s; Thames Gas, 31s; Northern Steamship, contributing, 8s 3d; Devonport Steam Ferry, 41s; Kas*ri Timber, contributing, Is 7d; D.S.C., Limited, 8s 10d; Milno and Choyce. Limited, preferential, 225; Mine and Choyce, Limited, ordinary, %& 6d; Northern Boot, 89 6d; Saarland and Oo v Limited, 225; Tonson Garlick Co., Limited, 153 9d; Kuranui, 3id; Kuranui-Caledonian, 3Jd; May Queen Hauraki, ■ sd; Welcome Jack, contributing, 2'd; Crown. 10s sd;-Komata Reef 7%5 ; Maratoto, 2'.d: Pride of Waihi, 2d; Tairua .Broken Hills. 2s lOd; Talisman Consolidated, ' Ate 6d; Waihi, £5 18s 6d; Waihi Beach United, 3d; Waihi Consolidated, lid; Waihi Consols, Jd; Waihi Extended, 2s su; Waitekauri, 9s 3d; Manana, deferred. Is 6d.

SELLERS.—Bank of New Zealand, 475; National Bank. 76s 6d; New Zealand Insurance, 695; New Zealand-Accident Insurance 655; New Zealand and River Plate, old. 225; Taupiri Coal Mines. Limited. 18s; Auckland Gas, new (£4 10s), £12 16s; Thames Gas, 335; Northern Steamship, paid lip. 18s 9d; Northern Steamship, contributing, 8s 6d; Kauri Timber, contributing, la Sd; Leyland-O'Brien Timber Co., Limited. 335; Avondale Brick and Pottery. 235; D.S.C. Limited, 9s 2d; Northern Boot, 9s 6d; Union Oil, 20s; Broken Hill, 3id; Kuranui, 4sd; Kuranui-Caledonian, 9d; May Queen Hauraki, ssdi Monowai, 2s 8d; Victoria 3d; Waiotahi," 265; Welcome .Tack, contributing, 4».d: Chelmsford. lOd; Crown, lis; .IComata Reefs, lOd; v Pride of Wauii. 3d; Rising Pun. 4d; Tairua Broken Bills, 3s 2d; Talisman Consolidated, 16s 6d; Waihi. £6 2s 6d; Waihi Beach United. 4d; Waihi Consolidated. In 2d; Waihi Consols, 4d; Waihi Extended, 2s 7d; Waihi" South. 9d: Waitekauri, 9s 6d; New Four-in-Hand, Is 3d. . O. A. BUTTLE, Chairman. W. H. 0. Johnston, Secretary. 3.15 p.m.. January 23, 1902. CALL AND DIVIDEND LIST. Calls made. , £8. d. Date Young New Zealand, Jan. 3... 0 0 1 Feb. 12 Victoria, January 14 ... ... 00 1 Feb. 12 Dividends: ■ , . DueNew Zealand Insurance Co. 0 3 6 Now. Harrison's Taupiri Coal Co. 0 2 0 Now. New Zealand and Kiver Plate / ■■■'■ t , Land Mortgage Co. .... 3£ per c't. Jan 23 SET* .rrr:~:r^^rlrr^^r'r^rrrr^^'",-■^r: l -^