COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13070, 9 January 1906, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald Office,

'', Monday evening. The sharemarket was fairly active to-day. In standard stocks Now Zealand Insurances had sales at £5 12s 6d, and closed with domand at that price; late sellers asking £5 13s. Auckland Gas told at £14 10s. D.S.C.'s changed hands at Bs, and more were on offer at the same price, late buyers 7s 3d. In mining stocks Waihis were done at £6 17s 6d and £6 18s. Late sellers were at £6 ISs 6d, and buyers quoted £6 17s 6d. Waiotahis had buyers at £5 17s 6d and £6; closing with sellers at £6 0s 6d, buyers £5 jg 6u. Kuraiiui-Caledonian rights" sold at 2d ; late sellers 2d, buyers l£d. Talismans were placed at 31s and Sis 3d; the market closing with sellers at 31s 2d, and buyers ut 31s. New Darts sold at 4d; late sellers sd, buyers 4d, New May Queens were a point easier, with business at. 5s 7d. Late sellers wanted 5s 7d. buyers offered 5s 6d. Now Jloanataiaris sold at 2s 7d ; late sellers 2s 7(1, buyers 2s sd. Thames, Ltd., sold at Is and Is Id; late sellers Is Id, buyers Is. Auckland* sold at 2s and Is lid; late sellers 2s buyers Is lOd. Crowns cased a bit, sales twin,' from 7~ 2d to 7s. Late sellers quoted 7* 3d, buyers 6s lid. Golden Belts (paid up), sold at 3s 2d; lato sellers 3s -Id, buyers 3s. Komata Reefs sold at 2s r 'd and 2s 7d ; lato sellers 2s 7d, buyers 2s sd. Tairua Broken Hills sold at 3s 2d ami 3s 3d; late sellers 3s sd, buyers os 3d, a slight improvement on Saturday's quotations- Waihi Consolidated;) sold at 2s bd ; and more were available at that figure, late buyers 2s 4d. Waihi Extended* were a shade better, with sales at £s. J.ate sellers held for 8s 2d, buyers offered 7, lid. AUCKLAND STOCK EXCHANGE. The Wowing are Monday's closing prices, the i business cue being: — New Zealand Insurance, £5 12s oil. £5 Us oil; Auckland Gas, £14 10a; D.S.C., Limited. Ss; Waihi, £6 17s 6d, £6 ISs, £6 18s; Waiotalii. £3 l~s fad, £6; Talisman, 31s, 31», 31s oil; Kiiraniii-Caledonian "rights," 2d; New Dart, 4d ; New .May Queen, 5s 7d ; New Moanataiari, 2a 7d, 2s 7d ; Thames, Limited, Is, Is, Is Id; Auckland, 2a, 2s. Is lid: Crown. 7s 2d, 7s Id. 7a. 7s; Golden Melt (paid up), 3a 2d . . Komata Reels, 2s 6d, 2s ?d ; Tairua Broken Hills, 3s 2d, '3s 2d, 3c 3d: Waihi Consolidated,'. 2s 6d,'2i fad; Waihi Extended, Bs, Ss.

H. T. IU'DLESTOS, Secretary. 0. A. BOTTLE, Chairman. ' 3.15 p.m., January 3, 1306. CALL AND DIVIDEND LIST. Dividends Due. National Bank of New Zealand 10 p.c. Now N.Z and River Plate Land Mortgage 7 p.c. Jan. .A Calls. Due. New Four-in-Hand, December 11 0 0 1 Now Waihi Consols, December 14 ... 0 0 OJ Jan. 15 NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE IN LONDON. [FROM OUR OWN COKHBSPOJfDKNT.] Lo.vdos, December 2. WOOL. !

Last Tuesday the sixth series of colonial wool •ales tor the current year were opened, with a catalogue totalling 12,113 bales (1628 bales being from New Zealand I. Messrs. Charles ISaline and Co. tell me that the saleroom was well attended and that competition for all descriptions was animated and general. Good merino wool in the grease ruled fully up to September closing rates; some irregularity, however, was noticeable, in the prices paid for inferior greasies, as well as for scoured wools generally. The position of fine crossbred wools was unchanged, but the medium and coarser sorts occasionally sold in buyers' favour. The total available supplies of new •arrivals for the series are put down at. 104,000 bale*, which, together with some 3000 bales of old stock, make the total available for the series about 107.000 bales. Writing to me again later in the v.e.k, Messrs. Balms say:—"The position of wool values has not undergone any very material change, although the tendency of the market is in buyers' favour. The extreme scarcity of supplies, which caused the trade to pay outside rates for both merinos and crossbred* during the September sales, no longer exists, although consumers' stocks are still at a very low ebb pending the arrival of increased quantities of the new clip. With the prospect of larger supplies of merino wool this season, buyers are paying more attention to quality, and are discriminating in favour of the finer so'rts at the expense of the •oarser and rougher descriptions." There is no limit fixed for the first series of wool sales of 1906. which open on January 16, and for which arrivals will be available up to the Bth of that month; already there are 29,9*0 bales to hand for that series. According to the report which I have received from Messrs. Dalgetv and Co., in addition to the 107,000 bales of New Zealand, Australian, and South African wools catalogued for the current series, there are 4000 additional bales from I'untu Arenas, Falkland Islands, and the River Plate, bringing up the grand total to 111,000 bales. NEW ZEALAND MEAT. Messrs. Weddcl announce the arrival of 68,000 carcases of New Zealand mutton for the past fortnight ; this quantity is not at all excessive, »nd a fair proportion lias been going into immediate consumption. The demand has been generally good, and prices are firm. Notwithstanding the fact that the New Zealand lamb arrivals have now reached very low figures (6000 carcases during the last fortnight I, prices have hardly been influenced at all, this position being accounted for by the Australian arrivals, a large proportion of which have been lambs of exceptionally good quality, and these seem to have taken 'the place of "the New Zealand at equal prices, if not at better ones. The lamb trade during the past fortnight has, however, been disappointing. The continued lightness of the arrivals of beef has had a distinctly firming tendency upon the markets, and although secondaiy qualities of chilled beef have been selling at very low prices, vet. the market has advanced •lightly for frozen beef; in fact, that description has generally been selling at slightly higher Prices than "have been obtained for Argentine cliilled beef. KAURI CUM. The day before yesterday a sale of kauri gum look place in London. On this occasion supplies "ere rather smaller, consisting of 1620 packages, of which only about 300 were sold. Messrs. Figgis and Co. 'report that the demand throughout was slow, except for rescraped and dark gums, which sold well at full prices. Other descriptions were steady. Included among the assortment oilered were 50 cases of rescraped gum, 40 of which were sold at from £7 2s od to £10 7s 'd. (July 10 cases of threequarter-scraped out of the 100 offered found buyers, the price given being £6 7s oil. Forty cases of half-scraped and •oris out of 350 cases available brought from 75s 'o 80s. There were 230 cases of pickings and 50 c»»es of dust and sittings, but nothing of these descriptions was sold. Out of 60 cases of chips 55 found buyers, good bold pale realising £5 2s W to £5 iOa;.fitu- palish, 85s; ordinary, 60s to »6s. Only JO cases of bush were disposed of out « the 110 cases offered, the price given varying "Join 76s to £6. Of dark brown there were' 3/0 eases offered. 100 packages of which were disposed « at from 40s to £0 ss. Messrs. Figgis announce the next "'' of kauri gum for .January 25. the following are the prices current . — Dial : *">« white picked, £15 to £16 10s per cwt; fair •id good, £15 to £14. Rescraped Uood and tine P»le, £12 to £15; pale amber, £10 to £11 ; amber, *- 7 10a to £9; dark amber, £0 10s to £7. No. '—lnrecpiurter scraped : Oood and fine extra. £6 ni» to £6 15 3 ; fair, little mixed, £5 10s to £6 ss. "«• "-Half scraped sorts, fair to good bold, 80s t°'os. smaller, ordinary to fair, 70s to 755. Sorts uood ordinary unsorted, small to bold, 50i to 60s. P®'*—Pickings : Oood bold, not very drossv, 45s w *»; inferior, woody to middling, 20s to 40s.

Chips: Rold pale clean, fair to fine, 90s t0.1205; fair palish, 70s to 80s ; middling, part coated to fairly clean, 50s to 60s; drossy, inferior coated, part diggers'., 30s to 40s. Sittings: Good to fine pole, clean, grainy, 23s to 50a; dull and more foul, 14s to 20s. Dust Ordinary to good, 14» to 25s ; common flour and inferior, 5s to 12s. Dark brown: Selected rcseraned, 100s to 140s: No, 1, threeoiiarter-seraped, fair to tine, 80s to 90*; No. 2, half -scraped, mixed to Rood, 45s to 60s; No. 3, drossy, mixed, pickings, 25« to 355; chips, ordinary drossy to fair clean, 30s to 50s. Hush : .Selected, rest-raped, 130s to 1703; No. 1, fairly scraped, part pinky, 100s to 120s; No. 2, half to tlireequarter scraped, part pinky and drossy, 60s to 80s; No. 3, pickings, low drossy to fair, 25s to 635; chips, drossy to good clean bold. 40> to 90s. The following is a comparative statement for the past three year!) ;—l9os : Imports (January 1 to October 31), say, (net) 2058 tons; deliveries, (net) 1843 tons; stock (October 31), net, 1094 tons. 1904: Imports, net, 2066 tons; deliveries, 2094 tons; slock, 1065 tons. 1903: Imports, 2393 tons; deliveries, 2173 tons; stock, 934 tons. DAIRY PRODUCE. I learn from Messrs. W. Weddel and Co. that the demand tor Australian butter this week has not been quite so brisk as it was last week owing to the large arrivals. The number of boxes arriving during the week was over 32,000. Nearly 18,000 boxes are due next, week, and 12,700 the | following week, while for the week ended DeI cember 23 25,800 boxes are expected. New Zea- | land butter, ex Corinthic, lias all been cleared. | It is stated by Messrs. Weddel that the compei it inn of New" Zealand butter in the North of 5 England is causing the reduction in the price i of Danish, the official quotation for which has j been lowered by three kroner, while the market ; at Copenhagen is reported to be dull. irivals i from Siberia are very small this week, and about ! 5000 boxes of Argentine make have arrived and i are selling at 112s to 114s. i Messrs. .Mat hie and Me William, the well-known i Glasgow firm, tell me that colonial butter is now I so well established in all the northern markets as ! almost to warrant the opinion that it may, even , in the face of large arrivals, he held, to a'certain • extent, out of the area of Danish and Continental ' competition. Supplies of choicest colonial de- | | script ions are yet small, and they are picked up i immediately on landing at full prices. Secondary. I butter, which for some time past has been en- ! tirely neglected, is now meeting a better inquiry. j The general tone of the butter niurjrat. ill the j North is good, and for most classes prices are I well maintained and are tending higher. j I hear from the National Mortgage and Agency Company thai the New Zealand butter ex s.s.' ■' Corintliic opened up in tine, order, and has been fold readily at 114s, libs, and, in one or two instances, for an exceptionally choice factory, 116s has been realised. MISCELLANEOUS. I hear from Messrs. W. Weddel and Co. that supplies of New Zealand wheat are now small, but the demand has continued good and prices are unchanged. Arrivals of oats from America continue on a large scale. There lias, however, been a fair demand for New Zealand sorts, and prices close rather belter. The market for New Zealand beans remains firm, and prices have somewhat improved. It is remarked by the New Zealand Loan and .Mercantile Agency Company that peas are held for high prices, the present quotation being 35s to 40s for maple and 30s to 35s for blue kinds. Hardly any business has been passing in cocksfoot during the last, three weeks, and a quiet demand is expected until the new year. Prices for heavy seed on the spot are firm, but for forward shipment values mii3t be quoted 6d to Is lower; 171b seed is quoted at 54s per cwt ex warehouse; 171b medium at 49s 6d to 50s 6d ; and 161b medium at 48s to 48s 6d per cwt c.i.f. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company write that with a slow demand for all ordinary descriptions of tallow values have favoured buyers. Buyers are, however, by no means eager to operate, and it is probable that to sell any quantity sellers will have to accept further reductions. " Finest mutton tallow maintains its high price, but when supplies increase a rapid decline may be looked for. in Australasian for arrival there are many parcels in second hands j offering. It is reported by Messrs. Weddel that a good I quantity of tallow lias arrived just lately, and I several parcels are offered out of second hands, I the original destination for which was supposed I to be Russia, hut apparently have either bought : too much or else the internal troubles in that ! country have altered the attitude of consumers. 1 Just now there is certainly more inquiry, and j Messrs. Weddel say that a further drop of about : 6d will probably "be sufficient to bring buyers ! and sellers into" line again. The forward busi- ! ness on e.i.f. lines, 48 fair to good l colour mutton, in the river, has been done at • 285, and good lard beef at 26s 6d per cwt in the I same position. There are sellers of 43i good ! colour, mixed, at 26s 9d, and probably buyers at I 3d less. For mutton on the way 29s is asked, hut j the nearer value is 28s per cwt. At the close i there is rather more inquiry at the reduction. ! It is reported by the New Zealand Loan and I Mercantile. Agency Company that only a moderate amount of business has been passing in New Zealand flax, and with a quiet demand juices have declined 5s to 10s per ton for forward shipment. " Good fair" is quoted at £31 for Oc-tober-December and January-March, at £30 15s; ! " fair" October-December, £29 per ton e.i.f. The. National Mortgage and Agency Company say . that there has been a dull tone throughout the past three weeks in the market for New Zealand flax, ' and prices show an occasional decline of 5s for spot and near, and 5s to 10s for distant positions. The offers coming from the colony show considerable confidence in the future, and prices asked are in many cases above buyers' ideas. The sales amount to about 600 tons. Tow is inquired for at £11 per ton. The flax market has been very quiet, resulting in weak holders selling out. Messrs. Cordon, Woodroffe, and C.o. state that there, are short .seller? still uncovered, and naturally they will keep prw<(s down if possible. Opinion seems to be divided as to juices that are likely to rule in the near future. Sales have been made of good fair for OctoberDecember at £30 15s, and November, £30 10s; fair, £28 15s to £29, both positions. There is a poor demand for Manila, which is quoted at £41.

I hear from the National Mortgage and Agency Company that the next pales of rabbilskins will take place on the 22ud hist., when it is expected that about 1900 bales will be available. No supplies of Australasian basils were available at. the last sales. Other imports realised extremely high quotations. At the last auctions of leather there, was not. a very active demand, hut the quantity sold—l 23 sides out of an available 201—realised steady rates. The demand 'for hides was good, and for well-handled light bides extreme prices were paid. Extra heavy sold at fair values. Two hundred and twenty-seven horse hides were offered and all were sold. Tins is now between the season for pelts, and in consequence of this the supplies are small, and the quality generally poor. Trices are very firm for all classes, and the small arrivals find buyers readily at fully late rates, except where there is a marked falling off in the intrinsic value of the pelts, due to the season of the sear.

LONDON. By Telegraph— Press Association.—Copyright. London", January 7. Copper: Spot, £79 5s ; three months, £79. Tin: Spot, £163 2a . 6d; three months, £163 12s 6d. Lead, £17 12s 6d. Silver, 2* 5 11-16 d per ounce. ' y .- " Wheat: 8000 quarters of South Australian Jams,, ary shipment have sold at 325. • American: Visible supply, 69.867,000 bushels. '< ''';■.. Hemp: Market firm. January and February shipment, 3U. - Copra : The market is hardening. October cargoes sold at 16:;. . Linseed oil, 23^. Rabbits: .Market flat and prices unchanged. Frozen meat : Canterbury, light 4|d, medium 4Jd, heavy 4d; Dunedin and Southland, none offering; North Island, 3 15-16 d to 4 l-16d. Lambs—Canterbury, lid; Dunedin and Southland, and North Island, none offering. Beef—Fores, 2Jd; hinds, 3?, d. River Plate sheep— 3£d; light, 31d. Lambs, none offering. Beef—Fores, 2,' d; hinds, 3d. IMtill COMMISSIONER'S MARKET REPORT. [BY TKLBGIIAPU.— I'IIKSS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, Monday. The Department of Industries and Commerce bus received the following cablegram from the High Commissioner, dated London, the 6th hist. :— The mutton market is firm, the average price fo-dav for Canterbury being 4Jd per lb, and for North Island 3Jd per lb. There has been no alteration in the lamb market since last report. The beef market is very dull. Stocks of New Zealand j beef on band arc light. The average price ! to-day for hindquarters of New Zealand beef is ! 3jjd per lb; fores, 3d. The butter market is very firm, with a good demand. The average price of choicest New Zealand butter to-day is 118s per cwt; Australian, 116s; Argentine, 115s; Danish, 1275; Siberian, 109s. The cheese market is very firm, with a good demand at 63s per cwt. The hemp market is very firm, and a good business has been dene. 'J he price of New Zealand hemp, good fair Wellington grade, on spot, to-day per ton is £32; January to March, £31 10s. The 'price of Manila hemp, fair current grade, on spot, to-day, per ton, is £31 10a to £41. Buyers arc not keen to do business in cocksfoot seed, but the market remains firm, notwithstanding. The average price of bright clean New Zealand cocksfoot seed, weighing 171b per bushel, on spot, to-day is 53s per cwt. New Zealand longberried wheat, on spot-, ex granary, per quarter of 4961b, is 316. New ZeaI land shortberried wheat on spot, ex granary, per quarter of 4961b, is 30s 6d. Supplies are nearly j exhausted. New Zealand oats: Short sparrowbills, ex granI ary 'on spot, per quarter of 3841b, 255; New Zea- ; land oats, Danish, ex granary, per quarter of 1 3201b on spot, 20s. The stock is small, but the i market is firm, with an upward tendency. I New Zealand beans, f.a.q., old crop, per 5041b, ' 34s 6d The market remains firm. i New Zealand peas (Partridge), per 5041b, 38s; ' New Zealand peas, blue, per quarter of 5041b, I 31s 6d. The market is firm, with an upward tendency. . , ~, The wool market is quiet but steady, and there is a good demand for all descriptions. The market has been unfavourably affected by a report that has been generally circulated that prices have declined at the colonial sales. Current Bradlord quotations for tops arc :_Thirty-sixes, low crossbreds, Is 2*d ; forties, low crossbreds. Is 3'd ; fourty-fours, medium crossbreds, Is 4}< ; fifties, halfbreds. la 7*d; fifty-sixes, quarter-breds, Is 9ul ; sixties, merinos, 2s lid.

Sellers Buyer*. £ 8. d. £ i. d. BANKS— • New Zealand 8 0 0 7 12 0 National 5 18 0 — INSURANCE— New Zealand 5 13 0 5 12 6 National 14 3 13 9 South British 5 10 0 5 8 0 Standard - 0 18 0 j FINANCIAL— NX and River Plate ... 1 8 9 18 0 COAL— Hikurangi — 0 14 9 | Nort. Coal, Ltd., 10* paid 0 12 0 — Nort. Coal, Ltd.. 7s 6d paid 0 11 6 — ! Taupiri Mines, Ltd. ... 0 19 0 0 18 9 Westport 6 10 0 • — SHIPPING— Northern Steam, paid up C 17 0 0 16 6 Northern Steam, con. ... 0 8 6 0 8 J. (TIMBER- { Kauri, contributing ... 0 3 7 0 3 3 j Lfvlaud-O'Brien, Ltd. ... 2 3 3 2 2 6 Mountain Rimu, Ltd. ... 1 0 0 — Parker-Lamb, Ltd. ... — 1 4 6 i MISCELLANEOUS— l D.S.C., Limited 0 G 0 0 7 3! • Milne and Choree, prcf.... 13 0 — I Northern Boo:" 0 8 3 0 7 9. Tonson Oarlick, Ltd. ... 0 19 0 — ! Union Oil — 10 6 1 MINING— i Kuranui-Caledonian, paid 0 2 4 0 .'.' 0 j Kuranui-Caledonian 'rights' 0 0 2 0 0 1£ I Moanataiari Extended, con. 0 0 2 — i New Dart 0 0.'. 0 0 4; New Eclipse 0 0 8 — New Slav Queen 0 5 7 0 5 6 New Mo'anataiaji 0 2 7 0 2 ft New Moiiowni — 0 0 lU New Saxon 0010 0 0 9 J New Sylvia 0 0 n; 0 0 4J Old Albumia 0 18 — Victoria 0 2 2 0 2 0 Waiotahi 6 0 o 5 19 b Thames, Limited Oil 010 Auckland 0 2 0 0 1 10 Crown 0 7 3 0 6 11 Golden Belt, paid up .. 0 3 4 0 3 0 Golden Belt, contributing 0 2 8 0 2 3 Kirikin 0 0 5 0 0 3 Komatu Reefs 0 2 7 0 2 5 Pride of K'aihi 0 12 0 0 Hi Rising Sun — 0 0 6 Jaivui. Broken. Hills ... 0 3 5,. 0 3 3 Taliamm Consolidated ... 1 11 2 1 11 0 Waihi 6 18 ft 6 17 6 Waihi Beach 0 13 0 11 Waihi Consolidated ... 0 2b 024 ■ Waihi Extended 0 8.: 0 7 11 Wailii Grand Junction ... 3 17 0 3 10 0 New Four-in-Hand ... — 0 0 7 Hauraki Freehold ... 0 0 ft — Old Hauraki. paid up ... 0 0 10 — Old Hauraki, con. ... 0 0 8 0 0 4 Sunbeam Gold and Silver, Limited 0 12 0 0 11