COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12478, 23 January 1904, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Hep.ald Office,

Friday evening. The shareinarket was quiet to-day. In investment line? there were. 110 transaction*, prices being about the same as recently. In mining lines there was also an obs«?iteo of business. OKI Alburnia.; bad buyers at 10],'-!, sellers Is Z*i. Komata Reefs were offered at Ik sd, buyers Is 4d. Talismans improved, buyers quoting at 2s Id, sellers withdrawing, alter quoting at 2s 4d. Wailii Grand Junctions were slightly easier at 44-, buyers 40s. In other lines late prices ruled. A portion of tho original Sylvia Park Instate, near Otahuhu. containing 9,-ia. Jr. Bp., together with the dwelling- stables, and other buildings erected tin-reon. was .-old by auction by Messrs. Gabriel Lewis and Co. today. The property, wliith carries tho commodious concrete stables erected by the New Zealand Stud Company, was bought by the mortgagees for £5700. Messrs. Samuel "\ aile arid Sons held a successful laud sale. at their rooms to-day. A '"fin of 1324- acres ft \\ imtuwh&ta was sold for . £1-159. All the liilerslie lots were disjKised of except. one. Two of them realised £1&5 each, one £181 10s. and one £198. Each had a frontage of 66ft. An allotment in Shaddock-street, brought 58s uer foot. Tho ,I'ovonport and Woodhill properties only were passed in.

AUCKLAND STOCK EXCHANGE. The following are Friday's closing prices, the business done being nil: — Seller*. Buyer?. BANKS— JC I. d. £ 9. i!. New Zealand ... ... — 3 is u INSURANCEXeff Zealand ... ... 4 7 1; -15 0 National 1 'J 0 110 South British _ o 13 ti Standard 0 IS 0 FINANCIAL— N.Z. and River Plate, new 15!) — COAL— Hikurangi — 0 11 3 Taupiri Mine.*, Limited ... 0 17 3 0 10 !) GAS Auckland 14 0 0 It 0 0 Gisborne lIS 0 — SHIPPING— Northern Steam, paid tip 0 If. 3 0 15 9 Northern Steam, coil. ... I) 7 -1 Jevonporl Ferry ... ... lis (j THIBET. Kauri Timber, contributing (13 3 Leyiand-O'Brien Co., Ltd. 2 3 0 Mitchelson Co. ii 15 o 0 11 0 Mountain Rimu Co., Ltd lit, MISCELLANEOUS — Avondale Brick and Pottery .1 0 .li 0 1J li D.8.C., Limited ... ul2 3 • Union Oil 1 1 (i — MINING— Kuranui ... 0 i> •»': Kuranui-Ca'.eduuisn ... o u — Mahara Royal, con. ...0 13 — May Queen Extended ... 0 (I 4 New Eclipse l> 0 JuV — Old Albumia o l * 0 0 lt>\ Victoria ... ti o — > Crown ... ... ... it s Golden -Belt, contributing U 3 2 _ Komata Reel's ... ...0 1.". l) ( 4 Talma Broken Hills ... u -1 'j Talinnan Consolidated ... -- 0 2 1 Wailii ... ... ... ,i 7 i; Wailii Consolidated ... 0 I 3 0 12 Vaihi Consols 0 0 V.'aihi Extended ... ... ti 2 3 11 2 0 Wailii Grand Junction ... 2 4 u 2 (1 0 Waihi South 0 ti t;j _ Bunker's Hill 0 1 t>" Hauraki Freehold ... • ... 0 u 0 Harbour View 0 ii i 0 l) 3 Old llauraki, contributing 0 3 7 Big Beetle, contributing... o u tl -— Mineral*, Limited, pref. ... 0 3 11 It. a. buttle. Chairman. W. H. O. Jouxsto:;, Secretary.

3.13 p.m., January 22, 1!'04. CALL AND DIVIDEND ST. Dividends. Dae. N.Z. and liiver Plate Land Mortgage Co. 7 p.e. Jan. 21! N.Z. Insurance Co. (J 4 (J Xow. Eikurangi Coal Nov/. Tairua Broken Hills (J 0 3 Jan. 25 Calls. Due, Sunbeam, January 13 0 0 1 Feb. -1 New Chelmsford, January 19 ... 0 0 1 j-yli. o Waihi Beach, January 21 ... 0 0 1 l-'eb. 10 FRUIT AND PRODUCE MARKETS. The local fruit and produce markets in every department have been heavily overstocked during the past week, and in must cases prices ruled low. The potato market lias been swamped, the result being that low prices ruled, and prospects of a rise are considered poor. Local onions of !-piendid quality were seat in, and met with a good demand. No material change is reported in grain or fodder, Poultry was in particularly good supply, but the general quality of the birds was small. The supplies of dairy butter were about, the same as last week, with no change in prices. Cheese was fairly plentiful, but was dull of sale. Hams and bacon of second quality were a glut, and sales difficult to effect at auction at low rates. Eggs were in short supply for the demand, and sold at high prices. The fruit market has been fairly swamped this week, and sales had to be held daily in order to clear consignments. The low prices ruling in the South has had the effect of driving enormous consignments on to the local market, the effect of which has been that about two-thirds of the Japanese plums sent in have hurt to be sold at prices leaving no margin to the grower over cost of picking and freight. English varieties of phimo sold at satisfactory prices. Peaches were mora plentiful and sold at low rates. Lemons of good quality were in better demand. The l'otokino landed a record cargo of bananas from Fiji on Wednesday, the shipment being about 13,000 bundles in excess of market requirements. The consequence was that several thousand bunches could not be placed at any price, and the majority were sold at a price, barely covering cost of freight and charges. The following were the ruling prices at the auction sales to-day : —

Field Produce.Potatoes: Local, £2 to £3 ton; poor samples, £2. Kuinarns, 3s to 4s cwt. Onions: Local seed, 6s to 7s; potato, 4s to 6*. Vegetables. kinds of vegetables are scarce and dear.

Dairy Produce.—Dairy and separator butter, in prints or rolls, first quality, Cd to 7}d lb; pastry, 4d to Sd; fanners', keg, firsts, sd; seconds, 4d; milled, in bulk for expert, ssd; factory, rolls, ' 10.} dto lid. Eggs: Fresh, Is 2d to la 2-i'l dozen. Cheese: Farmers', 4d to -ljd lb; factory, 5d to 5Jd; loaf, s}d to Gd. Bacon: Farmers', 4d to Gd; factory, 5d to 7Jd. Hams: Farmers', id to Cd; factory, 7d to t>d.

Fruit—Apples: Local, dessert, superior, Ds to 6s case, Is (id to 2e Gd box; cooking, .'ls to 4s case, Is to Is Gd box; mothed lots, 7d to Is case. Pears: Bon Chretien, Ids to lis case; Jargonelle, 4s to ss; Windsor, la Gd to 2s. Plums: Best English varieties, including gages, 2s Gd to 4s case; Burbank, selected, Is to Is Gd; small black, 2s to 2s 3d; Otron, 7d to Is; Satsuma, !)d to Is 6d. Peaches: Large selected, 5s to Us case; small, 2s Gd to 4s. Grapes: Choice, yd to 10id lb; medium, Gd to 7d. Tomatoes, Is 5d «o 2s Id box. Oranges: Local, 3 s to 4s Id case; American, 15s. Lemons: Local, prime, 5s to 6s; rough and coarse, 2s to 3s. Passionfruit : Sydney, 5s to Gs. Waterinelens, ICs to 24s dozen; pines, 5s to Gs crate. Poultry—Kens, Is 2d to Is 7d each; table roosters, 2s Gd to 3s Cd; cockerels, Pd to Is Gd; ducks, Is 3d to 2s 3d; chicks, 3d to Id. OHAUPO SALE. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Limited, report:At our Ohaupo sale oil Tuesday we yarded 450 odd head of entile, principally calves aDd well-bred steers, from yearlings to three years old. Calves showed a downward tendency in price unless well grown and showing quality, but steers of all ages were better worth, and we quitted every line but one pen of 18 mouths steers. The best calves realised from £1 Its* to £2 3f; others, £1 Ss to ill 14s; yearling steers, £3 to £3 8s; yearlings, mixed sexes, £2 14s to £3 3s; IS months and two-year-old steers, £3 ](is to £4 ss; well-bred two and a-half and three-year-olds, £ Is to £6 10s; aciet yearling heifers, £3 10s; 18months and two-year-old heifers, £3 IGs to £4 5«; fresh-conditioned cows and heifers, £3 35s to £1 10s; aged store cows, £2 5s to £2 ISs. Dairy stock yarded in smaller number* than usual, mostly heifers at calving and a few backward heifers. Those at calving realised up to £» ss; a few months off, £5 lis to £5 ]6i>; a pen of two-year heifers, £4 ss. Not many bejf yarded; fat heifers realised £5 10s. WHANG ARK I. [BY TELEGRAPH.— CORHESPOXDENT.] WhaxgaßKl, Friday. At llesert. Hunter and Wilson's sheep fair yesterday, P.omney Marsh rams fetched tip to £3 10s; Shropshire?, £4 10s; Lincoln*, £1 ss; fat wethers, 13s; breeding ev.'es, 6s Ud to lis Gd; culls, 4a to 4-. Gd; lambs, up to Us. About 2000 sheep were sold. Next month the same firm hold another sheep fair in conjunction with their monthly cattle •ale, as many lots of sheep booked for yesterday's fair did not come forward owing to the wet weather. DUNEDIX STOCK EXCHANGE. D U.N toni.v, Friday. Stock Exchange sales: Golden Pel. 7s Od; Notown No. 2, is Gil; Waikaka Queen, Ss; Perpetual Trustees, 15s 3d. WOOL. By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. LONDON, January 21. At the woo. sales the Gear clip fetched :V»d. The market is brisk. Good merinos sold at 5 per cent, above December prices. LONDON*. By Telegraph.—Press Association.Copyright. (iieceived January 22. IW.4S p.m.) London, January 22. Bank of England returns: Gold coin, £30.800,onO; reserve, £23,032, proportion of reserve to liabilities, 45.61; in circulation, £27,987,000; public deposits, £8,217,000; other deposits, £42,115,000; Government securities, £20,934,000; other securities, £24.601,000. Consols, SSJ. Three months bills are discounted at 31 per cent. Victorian, West Australian, and Queensland 3$ per cents., 96; New Zealand 4 per cents., IOC; New South Wales + per cents., 106; New South Wales 3+ per cent?., SSJ.-, New South Wales 3 per cents., 86 ; others, unchanged. Australian cargoes of wheat, all afloat, 33»: January and February shipments, 2'Js fid; parcels, 29s j Cd. San Francisco wheat, 1.36 i dollars per cental. I Kleven thousand quarters of South Australian wheat, January and February shipments, sold at 29s Gd. Copper: Spot, s?}; three months, 575. Tin: Spot, 129J; three months, 130}. Pig iron, 41s Sd. Lead, 11 25-32. Sugar is quiet. German, 8s; first marks, u)s. The Bradford wool market is stromr, and th.'re is improved inquiry. Common sixties, 23jd; supers 2*ld; common forty-sixes, 12Jd. ' ' Butter la quiet and steady. Danish, unchanged' Australian, 90s to Ms; New Zealand, 04s, occasionally Pus. Cheese is unchanged. Babbits are very doll, Large, 7Jd.