COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13234, 20 July 1906, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Hebald Office, 'Thursday evening. Business-lias..nob. been particularly brisk « on the Auckland Stock Exchange during the •pad' .wock. In v.invosthicnt lines the only transaction in banks Won in Nationals (new issue) at £4 17s 6d; There aro furthor ' sellers at" £4 18s.' Bank of New Zoftiunds aro offered at £9, with no declared buyers. In insurances Now Zealand sold at £3 17s 6d, £3 16s, and £3 17s, and closed with further buyers at £5 17s, and' sellers at £3 18s 6d. ; South British sold at £5 lis, and more are wanted at £5 lis 6d, sellers asking £5 '12s 6d. There are sellers ' of Nationals at 24j$ ; , and: buyers at 23s 9(1. , Standards are firm, with buyers at. 19s 9d, no declared sellers. In coals there are buyers of Hikurangis at 15s 6d. Northern? (10-s paid) sold 'at 14s 3d, and more are wanted at'; Ms, sellers asking 14s &d. Taupiris are offered at 20s 6d, and buy: ers quote 19s 9d. Westports aro firm, with buyers at £6 15s 6d. In gas Auckland"; are offered at £14; 12s 6d. The shipping quotations are { junaltci'ed. In timbers Kauris ' (contributing) sold at 4s lOd, 4s lid, 4s 10d, and 4s Bd, and closed with teller? at 4s 9d and buyers sit 4s 6d. Mountain Ilimus sold at 20s, and more arc wanted at 20s. Auckland Tramways sold at £11 10s, and there aro buyers at £11 10s. - D.S.C.'s sold at 7s 7il, 7s fid, and 7s 7d, and there are further sellers at 7s 8d and buyers at 7s 6d. In niiuing'lin'os Waiota'nis have sold freely from £8 to £7 3s to £7 12s to £7 73 6d, closing with sellers at £7 8s 6d and,buyers at £7 ss. Kura-nui-Calodonians sold at 2s Bd, 2s 7d, 2s 6d, and-2s sd. New May Queens sold at 3s. New Darts sold at 5Jd. Old Alburnias sold at 2s Id and 2s 2d. Thames sold at Is lid and 2s Id. New Sylvias (6d paid) sold at sjd, and contributing at sd. "VVaitangis (contributing) sold at Is. Woihis are firm, with sales from £8 14s to £8 163 to £8 15s 6d to £8 16s 6d,. and ' closed with sellers .at £8 17s and buyers at £8 163. • Talismans cold at 22s 9d,' 225, 6d, and up to 245. Komata Reefs sold at 2s Id. "VVfiihi Extended® sold from 5s 2d to 5s /d to s*. Waihi Grand Junctions sold at £?. 19s 6d and £2 18s 6d. Golden Belts (paid up) sold from 2s lid to 3s to 2s 9d to 2s • lid. Contributing Golden Belts sold at 2s sd. Tairua Broken Hills sold from 2s 3d to 2s 9d to 2s Bd. Sunbeams sold at 6^d. Business generally shows a considerable improvement on that of tho early part of the week. Trade on tho wharves is a good deal brisker, and tho arrival of the. Connthtc 1 renders the. large distributing houses vory ' biisv in' dealing with her cargo. The balance 'of "the shipments from West of Poland, ports ex the Devon are being cleared up. The. Wanaka has also arrived from Southern' ports with the usual large cargo of grain and produce, and altogether there is a very fair volume of. business passing over.- the wharves- ,1 v , : „ , . Oils continue Vio rule • very, firmly, raw linseed oil' and boiled both meeting with a, steady sale. . , Stocks of dried-fruits are. not heavy. The new crop of Australian fruits promises to be good, and .prices are expected to bo fully maintained at last season's values. Mediterranean fruits all continue firm. Sultanas show no weakening, and quotations for new season's fruit, are opening high.

season — opting . There is very little business being; done 11 , jute goods, buyers' requirements ' for corn sacks Being small. Owing to the weak tone , in the market-, business for the November shipment from Calcutta is of a limited character, pending the nearer approach of the time of shipment. The Indian Government's forecast of the new crop will be made known in the course of a' few days' time, and. busi- • ness then will . probably bo of a much steadier character. To snow the extent of •".the trade in this line in Calcutta we give the following extract from a communication just to hand : —

While the - cotton mills of Western India were working to their utmost capacity, the jute mills of Bengal were also reaping a golden harvest. The shipments of gunny: bags were over 233,000,000 in number, .and of jute cloth over 658,000,000 yards, while the total value of the exported manufactures was £8,200,000. The' United States and Argentine'together buy seven-eighths of the exported jute cloth, : while Chili, Australia, the United Kingdom, and China are the principal purchasers of sacks. For three years the trade in cloth , has exceeded that ill bags. Calcutta, with its - : 23.000 looms, is now tin* largest jute 'manufacturing centre in the world. The industry is extremely profitable,' and the output of jute goods is perpetually (extending. . The strength of the Calcutta-market is mainly in hessians. In coarse goods Calcutta has beaten Dundee, and fill's is not surprising-considering--li«r proximity • to the jute-producing districts and to the ..great Eastern markets., if is doubtful whether India has anv advantage in' labour, for.'though cheap ' . nominally, the supply of efficient labour is scarce and work is very irregular in the. summer months. ;• India's direct trade with Argentina- and the I'niteS States has greatly increased, and considerable quantities of jute goods go to the - latter - indirectly through other countries.

.^he'large speculators who recently forced. . prices up. to the high figures reached have . • weakened considerably. ' Flax: The flax market remains very steady jit values'' recorded on Wednesday last. Millers : are hopeful that a week or two of fine weather is ahead of them in order that- • ' they may have a better .chance ol" drying a large quantity of fibre now out. Maize: Since last reported the Endeavour ' has arrived with some 230 sacks, being new. . . maize from the coast. This fopnd a ready -r' outlet at market rates, the recent advance ;■ being fully maintained. _ ' • . ■ Potatoes: The Wannka, which is now discharging heir cargo from the Southern ports, brought 1664 sacks of potatoes, all of good i' quality. These are finding a ready outlet, as the .condition is much' more reliable than . the Tnsmanian potatoes. The price is firm at £11 10s ex wharf, and £ll']ss ex store. Oats: A shipment of 8213 sacks came to hand per the Wanaka, mostly short feed oats, .which are being placed in lines at 2s 8d ex wharf and 2s 9d ex stove. The market shows ,110 change, business' being of- a restricted character, buyers merely operating for pre- . sent- needs. \-i . • . • '•• Chaff: Small arrivals from the const con- : • iinueto come forward, and are being placed at £4 lOs for wholesale lines. The mer- ' chants' price cx store still stands at £4 17s 6d. ';• ■.' . 'r• Agricultural; Seeds • Should the • improvement in the weather continue farmers will •• be ablo to make good progress in preparing the land for spring crops. A few fine days will render the : ground nice and'workable, / ' for previously ,it has been very hard. . Algerian seed oats are meeting .• with an improved inquiry, and the price is unchanged. A little early inquiry exists for seed maize, * and white Tuscan wheat is also in demand. Dairy Produce: Farmers' butter is in fair supply, and eggs, if anything, are slightly. • more plentiful. . . ,

.MESSRS. HUNTER AND WILSON'S REPORT. ' At Whangarei monthly sale a moderate muster V of cattle came forward, and all sold, with the exception' of 'six head. There- was a decided ~ . improvement in the value of fat and store stock. '.- We quote:—Fat cattle, a good entry; steers made '.-ids per 1001b; cows and' heifers, 17s to 18s per 10011;; dairy ,cows, £3 10s to £6; three to four year old steers, £4 9s to £5 15a ; li to 2i year if . old steers. £2 '2s to £3 17* 6d; store cows and heifers, £2 Is to £3 12s 6<l ; yearling, heifers, £1 12s 6d; calves. 22:! 6d to' 35* for an extra wellbred -lot; a buggy mure, £13; well-bied hack, £23. Privately: 56 fat, cattle and a line of store steel's sold at - em-rent values; well-bred hack, £22; 17 acres of .turnips, £2 2s 6d per, acre; also a lot of nine acres;.timber waggon, £15. ', ' KA.MO. > Mr'. F. Wakelin reports that at Kamo on-the . 4iV hist, not quite the advertised number'of stock came forward, caused .-no doubt, through - the bad state of the weather. Over the advertised number of beef came forward and all of good quality sold iv.ill Fat cows made up to £7 each, " three-year-old iiteers £5 ss. three to tour year olds £5 15s. Dairy,cows close to profit sold well. Two-year-old steer*;' from £2 15s to £3 3s, two and a-half-year-ohl heifers £3 to £4, Messrs. Wakelin, Crane and Co.".' report as follows —At Kamo on the 3rd instant, owing . to the extremely bad weather, only a moderate yarding of cattle came forward. Prices on the whole,•••"were slightly in advance of those ruling , lor prune time. We quote.Daily stock : Good yon lie cows, close to profit. £5 to"£8 10s: others, - £3 to £4 10s; . springing heifers, £3 10., to £6. ttoie cattle: Grown steers. £5 to £ 5 10s, accordI' »t»B to condition; three-year-old steers, £4 to £4 i,» 12s fid; two-year-old steers, £2 15s to £3 ss; yearlings. , £1 7s 6d to £2 it; fresh store cows, £3 to £3 lis; others. £1 15s to £2 ss. >\i ,At Kamo. on the 4th instant, wo had, in the opinion of the oldest resident of the district, the record yarding of beef for the North, 160 head, mostly of prime quality, being offered for sale, and with the exception of two pens the'lota sub- • mitted found buyers at prices in favour of the 1 vendors. We quote.— heavy weight* of i, ■/'<, prime quality, £8 to £9; lighter weights, £0 to •• c; £7 10.5; cows, really well done of good quality, £5103 to £6 10s, others, £4 to £5 ss; steer beef. ' £1 to £1 Is: cow, 16s to 17s 6<l. At Whangarei, on the 41 instant, we had a ,7 /; moderate muster of cattle, prices, on the whole, i*• being in sympathy with those at the previous ; • , day's sale. *We also penned some 250 sheep, the *■ majority being .sound-mouthed, good-framed j 1 ecqssbred 1 ewes in : lamb to* Romiiev rams, and ' . these found a buyer at 18s Oil each. ite/r-:;- ~ ——•— ■ v'l - FROZEN MEAT. PS§|» [ny THLEOBAPH.-rP.ES9 ASSOCIATION.] . Napibr, Thursday, . V ' "the Colonial Consignment and Distributing St , .Company lias cabled the following report of the > - ' L.' i don frozen meat market First quality lamb i'9*-.fallen id: '; Quotations are- as followsCantermiry mutton, 3»d; Napier'," Wellington, and' N(nth m ' wUnd,;' 3]d. Lamb: First quality, ■ 3d: second 'C quality, 4Jd., Beef: Hindquarters, lid , lores, 2Jd. • ' '' "