COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13452, 31 May 1907, Page 3

COMMERCIAL.

New Zealand Herald Office, j j i". ' Thursday evening. BUSINESS on the sharemarket during the last week has hardly been up to the aver- : gge". In banks New Zoalands are a shade ■weaker, with sellers at £10 ss, and no declared buyers. Nationals arc offered at £5 10s. In insurances New Zealands are wanted at £4 93, and thero aro sellers at £4 10s. South British are wanted at £5 4s 6d, sellers asking £5 7s 6d. Nationals sold at 275, and havo firm buyers; at 26s lOd, sellers quoting 27s 6d. In coals Taupiris sold at 19s, with further (sellers at 19s 3d. No material alteration is recorded in other coal stocks. In shipping there aro sellers of Northerns (paid) at 17s 9d, ex div. paid this week. Devonport Ferrvs are offered at 365, and there are buyers at 345. In timber Kauris (paid up) are firm, with buyers at 2ls; sellers ask 225. Contributing aro wanted at 7s lOd, and thero are sellers at 8s Id. Leyland-O'Briens aro unchanged. There are firm buyers of Mountain Rimus at 225, but sellers decline to quote. Electrio Trams (preference) sold at 235, and more aro obtainable at 23s 3d, with buyers at 22s 9d. Ordinary sold from 24s 4d to 24s 3d; more are offered at 24s 3d, buyers it 245. D.S.C.'s sold at 6s 4d and 6s. Portland Cements are offered at £1 16s, and there are buyers at £1 14s 6d. Wilson's Cements arc firm. Buyers of prefcronco offer 275, ex div., now payable; and for ordinary there are buyers at 265, ex div. In mining the market has shown a general downward tendency. Waihis sold freely from £9 5s 6d to £9 6s to £9 4s, closing with sellers at £9 4s 9d, and buyers at £9 3s 6d. Grand Junctions sold at 42s 6d, sellers 425, buyers. 38s. Waihi Extenders sold from 6s to 5s 6d to •5s sd. '• Talismans sold freely from 33s 3d to 33s 6d to 32s 9d to 335. Crowns sold, from 6s 9d to 6s 6d. Komata Reefs oold at Is 8d and Is 7d. Tairua Broken Hills sold from 4s Id to 3s 9d. Waiotahis 6old from 23s 6d to 23s 3d, and closed with sellers at 235. May Queens sold at 2s fid and 2s Bd. Waitangis sold at 2s. Kuranui-Caledonians sold at Is 2d. Sylvias sold at 4d. Thames sold at 7d. Magnets (contributing) sold from 3d to 2Ad. Temple Bars (3d paid) sold at 3d. Old Kapangas Bold'at Bd. Maharahara Coppers sold at lis 6d, lis 3d, and lis..

"Tho local, distributing merchants are in i the happy position of being able to concur in their reports as to the satisfactory maintenance of the volume of business passing through their hands, the winter trade having opened up under very favourable aus-! pices. . ■. • • . Tho various factories are turning out. goodly quantities of merchandise, whilst the prevailing seasonable * climatic conditions will doubtless give a satisfactory impetus to ■■■ the retail shops. During the past few days accommodation at the wharf has not been severely taxed, | the Mamari and Fifeshire being the only j over-sea vessels in port; tho Deiphic has I left for the South to . complete loading for London, whilst the A in a sailed on the 28th inst. for Sydnev. via Fiji and tho Islands, with a good cargo. ' Californian Fruits: From advices received from San Francisco, it would appear that ■ the crops of apricots, peaches, pears, and prunes will not bo very prolific. Heavy floods have ocourod in Central a,nd Northern California, and it is feared that damage has been done to growing crops. Seeded Raisins: Business has been done in the new season's fruit, and intimation has just come in of an advance in the price. The new crop will pome to a very bar© market, and prices should bo firm throughout tho season. New Canned Fruit: Quotations should come to hand in tho courso of the next few weeks, and wc> look for same to be high., Mildura Sultanas: Heavy demand on this fruit has caused prices of the most serviceable grade to bo withdrawn, and there is now' only the highest grade available. , Currant-s: An easier 1 tendency prevails, but it; is expected that reaction' will very shortly bo felt,' Some indications as to what the new crop will be should come to hand shortly. ... Dates: Very low quotations have come through. We do not thinik they, will hold very long. . ..■■ ■ v"Figs: Stocks on tho spot aro not too heavy, with good demand imminent. '. Pineapples: Enhanced figures have come through by cable for the next direct shipping opportunity. '■ *•'' 11 '' * " Tartaric* Acid: In sympathy with cream of tartar, this lino is quoted at slightly lower figure. Citric Acid: Price remains high. Asparagus: Floods have damaged the crops,, so high prices will be asked for new pack. • ..... ■ Haricot Beans: : Firm at last quotation demand'good.' " ; Cornflour: Notification • of ; increase in price would not come as a surprise. - '. Codfish: Local holdings ample for all requirements. . : . '" . ! Ceylon Tea : At, tho Colombo auction of I May ■ 1. son\a , 23,024-,- packages,. totalling j 1,591,1511b,. were "offered. . , Quality showed ; a. marked falling'off, : and there was a* very j poor selection offered. There was less in-: quiry, and prices for all common leaf kinds j receded to the extent of one cent per lb. j Shipments to the United Kingdom for April; were about. 10,700,0001b. The estimate for j May is about 12 to 12£ millions. Advices i from, the gardens show that supplies are likely to bo large, and quality very poor. The majority of the teas to be offered nextsale show signs of having been manufactured in wet weather. Castor Oil: Market has eased, with ven- - dors- unwilling to express opinion as to the j future course. Linseed Oil: High prices maintained- j Camphor: Expected arrivals have been j quickly snapped up. - Gum Arabic: In view of early new crop j arrivals, price has cased a little. Tinplates are' still firming up. Barb Wire: English is in excellent de- j mand, while stocks are low, both ex store > and afloat. We cannot see any likelihood of lower prices. . i Potatoes: Stocks in this market are | gradually running down, and tho arrivals I by, tho steamer due the early part of next . "week will be very welcome; prices, however, , have not increased. Latest advices from Sydney intimate that the market there is firmer, and nows comes from Tasmania that at; advance in price has taken place there. .The position in regard to Southerngrown remains unchanged. j Onions: It is very difficult now to obtain any | lots that are in sound condition, as most of those in the hands of merchants are growing badly, and it is very evident that importations will have to take place to cope with the demand.' Peas: Stocks in the South are exhausted, and are also very light here. Prices have an upward tendency. ' Oats: Stocks held locally are now beginning to get on the light side. Advices from the South indicate that the market there is decidedly stronger, and it is very difficult to get offerings, even at the enhancod value. Melbourne Algerians cleaned for seed have advanced fully sixpence per bushel, and sup- _ plies are very limited. a Milling Wheat: The market is very exited. A further rise of 3d per bushel has i taken, place in the South, and it is very difficult at the present time to say with any dngres of certainty what price will be reached- At present Southern holders are keeping just on a parity with Australian quotations, so that importations from the other side are not likely to take place.- There is | no extensive business going on, as sellers are not anxious to make large offerings. Fowl wheat has had another rise of 3d Per bushel, and is almost unprocurable even »t- the extreme figure now demanded. Flour: Tho great excitement in commercial circles is at the present moment the rise "} the price of flour, which has advanced per ton locally in the courso of a fewdays, and with tho firm attitude taken up ny the holders of wheat tho top may even now - not be reached. A largo number °l forward contracts have been made, so "St the actual pinch may not bo felt until . hese > run out, by which time the price of may possibly be much higher than it is v - Maize; Only 152 sacks arrived by the ■**„. it an £ a P aa from the coast and 10 sacks by 0 Kgatiawa. This small shipment includ- « a proportion of new season's, which was 'ft fairly good condition and realised the same price that has been ruling of late for maize, but the latter is quoted at penny advance ex wharf for wholesale lines, i Here is very little likelihood of any fall 11 price unless growers forward their new soason's to thi3 market before it is fit to •-ore, in which ease quick sales have to take piaco sometimes at a reduction. ; ran ' s vo, 'y scarce, and the demand continues strong, even at tho latest advance 01 5s per ton. Son?i.' art \ as , gono up in value in tho ■ Ch rr S fe. 0 810 extremely light. to lia j , re arc on small lots coming - •and. . At, the present time this market

is vory bare'! tad any prime lots arriving aro easily disposed of. "A few email shipments have been' brought tip from th« South, but; the priCo there has now advanced considerably. ; V' » Australian Fodder: The Jessie Craig arid the Casablanca have both just arrived from Victoria with cargoes of " produce, including a fair quantity of fodder, which has come ■to an absolutely bare market, and as the demand has not fallen away, and with the increased value of chaff, consumers are quite willing to pay the extra cost of the full duty which has been imposed on this? product. • I Cattle: At the sales the early part of this] week there was. a fair supply of beef, which j sold well without any alteration in value. j Sheep: About tho usual quantity was! yarded, and the good prices being realised! of lat» wore fully, maintained. Fungus continues to arrive very slowly,! and there has been no alteration in the! price. Flax: Deliveries for the 30 days of -May* consisted of 5662 bales, equal to about 849 tons. A larger proportion than usual of late arrivals aro of very indifferent quality, j being badly washed and poorly scutched. ] It would certainly bo a step in the right) direction if the millers would make an endeavour to turn out a g.f.a.q. article at tho present time, as the difference in price between this grade and f.a.q. is such as would! repay them for the extra labour incurred. The market in London is very dull according to last cables to hand . a slight decline has taken place on quotations of the- early part of the week. Tow: There is a weaker tendency in the! tone of the market, but there is not any largo quantity being forwarded. ■ KAURI GUM. , Tho total amount, for the- 30 days of May. only , reached 579 tons, and as 794 tons came to hand in April there is a decided falling off in the supply. The market continues without much change, tho demand being good for all the better grades. There 33 very little pale select coming forward, and any that arrives is readily picked up. * Thero arc good buyers for rescraped, and superior ordinary three-quart scraped meets with a ready sale, especially if there is a freedom from weak pieces. Medium ordinary is not vory difficult to quit, and, sieved washed nuts aro in good request. Chalk and swampy sorts with a little heart are salable.

■ The quantity of East Coast coming to hand is not excessive, and the demand is rather better. Roscraped, black moves off as it comes to hand, but {here is not a great ■ quantity being produced;, bold lumps if sound arc also wanted, but there is no improvement in the inquiry for hard steel, nor are mixed lots moving off well. Sugar and! hard black huts if sieved are easily sold i , . i ,s Jl ony readli . n S hero 'in moderate lots, but the inquiry is extremely dull, the only class being . quitted at all well being good palo rescraped. Bled bush is still hanging fire. There has been a little more business done m ordinary chips, and dust and black riddhngs are not accumulating. Black seeds ■ and coarse black dust find ready buyers

MESSRS. O. W. BINNEY AND SONS' REPORT. On Tuesday we again cleared large catalogues of hides, sheepskins, tallow, etc. Hides: Market firm. Ox, extra stout, 7.} d to i!d ; stout. 6Jd to 7Jd; medium, 6d to 64d ; light. s£d to sjet; cow, be.it lines, s£d to sjjd, good 5Jd to sgd; stags', 3Jd to 4d; calfskins, 6id; wet and scored hides, 4£d to 5d per lb. Sheepskins: Extra large, to 5s lOd ; large, 4» 8d to 53; medium, 4s to is 6d; small, 3s 3d to<3* 9d each. . Tallow: llest mixed, to 275: good, 24s 6d to 263; inferior, 20s to 23s per cwt. Rough fat. lid per lb. Bones, £4 15s per ton. Cowtails, Is 8d per dozen. MESSRS. ALFRED BUCK [AND AND SONS' REPORT. I Horses : Last Friday being, a holiday we held 110' sale. On Tuesday we held a clearance sale at Mr. D. Kidd's, Otah'uhu. There was a large attendance of buyers. Dairy cows sold at from £2 2-s 6d to £4 15s; bulls, £2 Is to £2 6s; calves, 15a to 235; working horses, £18 to £26 10b; hacks, £4 7s 6d to £14; 18 months filly by Wilmington, £12 10s ; two light two-year-old fillies, £9 each. The I'ukckohe Yards on Monday were well filled, all classes of stock being represented, and, with few exceptions, everything changed hands at full values. Dairy cows, near calving, £6 7s 6d to £7 17s 6d for best, others £4 to £5 10s; backward cows and heifers, £3 to £4 10s; empty cows, £1 15a to £2 15s; three to four-year-old steers, £5 2s 6d to £5 14s; two to three-year-olds, £3 to £4 12s 6d; yearlings to 18 months, £1 ]3s to £2 15s; calves, 18n to £1 4s; smaller, -10s to ,16s. Seventy-nine.beef met a steady sale at Remuera rates. At the special sale of Mr. A. S. Thorburn's dairy cows there was a large attendance and satisfactory prices ruled. Fresh-calved cows made from £l ; to £8 2s 6d; those milking some time, £3 to £4 10s. Stock of all classes were well represented at Remuera on Thursday and sold freely throughout, cows near their profit selling to £7 10s, dry to £3 10s. Fat and young calves, in full supply, brought from 2s to £3 2s; 113 sold. There was a full yarding of fat cattle, which sold well up to late "values, ox beef selling to 225, cow to 18s per 1001b; 349 sold. One thousand eight hundred and seventy sheep were, yarded and sold freely throughout, best wethers selling to 2os, lighter weights to 21s; heavy ewes to. 21s 6d, others to 18s; best hoggets to 1.7s 6d. smaller to 14s. Tigs, in average numbers. Small were from 5s to 10s, porkers to 30s, baconcrs to 40s; 141 sold. Hides, Skins, Tallow, etc.: Hides— sgd' to 7|d; cow, 5d to s|d; calf, 6d to 6Jd; horse, 12s to' 14s; damaged hides, 3d- to sd; horsehair, 1* 3d ; tallow, 25s to- 265; bones, £4 15s to £5. Skins— butchers', 4s' 3d to ss; medium, '3s "id to 4s 3d; small and damaged, Is 5d to 3s Id.

LONDON. By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright. , LONDON, May 29. Silver, 2s 7 l-16d per ounce. . Copper On spot.. £98 ss: three months, £95 ss. Tin: On spot. £186; three months, £184 U. Lead, £19 10». , '" j At the tallow auctions 2470 casks were offered and 1600 sold. Prices are unchanged.

AUCKLAND STOCK EXCHANGE The following are Thursday's closing prices, the sales recorded being .--National Insurance. 27s; Auckland Train (ordinary), 24s 3d- Waihi £9 4s, £9 4s; Talisman Consolidated, 33s, 33s 3d; j Crown, os 6d ; Waihi Extended, 5s 6d, 5s 5d • New May Queen, 2s 8d ; Komata Reefs, Is 7d, Is • "Satiawa, Is; Maharahara Copper, lis 3d, lis 3d, lis. fliers. ■ Buyer*. BANKS— £ »• d. £ s . d. New Zealand . ... ... 10 5 0 — National ... -• 5 10 0 • — INSURANCE— New Zealand ... ... 4 10 0 4 9 0 National ... ... ... 1 7 6 16 10 FINANCIAL— N.Z. and River Plat® ... 19 9 19 0 COAL— . ; v • -,.? . Hikurangi ... ... 0 17 0 0 16 3 Nort. Coal. Ltd., 10s paid 0 16 6 — Taupiri Mines, Ltd. ... 0 19 3 — Weatport ..... 7R0 GAS— Auckland . ... ... ... 14 17 0 ■ 14 14 0 • Gisborne — 2 16 0 ; SHIPPING— Northern, paid up ... 0 17 9 ; " _ Devonport Steam Ferry... 1 16 0 1 14 0 1 TIMBER . Kauri, paid up ... ... 12 0 110 r Kauri, contributing ... 0 8 1 0 7 10 Leyland-O'Brien, Ltd. ... 2 ■ 5 0 ' 2 4 0 i Mountain Rimu ...• ... — • 12 0 , Parker-Lamb, Ltd. ... 1 6 0 — MISCELLANEOUS— Auckland Tramways Co.. •. pref.. ... ... . ..." 13 3 .1 2-9 Auckland Tramways, ord. " J .4 3. , l.A- 0- , •-'».S;C.,"Iifmi te d " ... 8 r .6 ; .2 -0 5 9 Milne and Choyce, pref... 15 0' — Milne and Choyce, ord...* 13 6 —' N.Z. Portland Cement Co. 1 16 0 1 14 6 Tonson Garlick, Ltd. ... 11 8 — Union. Oil ... ... 10 6- . — Wiseman and Sons, pref... 118 — Wilson and Co., pref. ... — 17 0 Wilson and Co. new issue, preference ... ... — 0 7 0 Wilson and Co., ord. ... — 16 0 MINING— ... ■ - Bonanza, paid. ... ... 0 0 5 — Bonanza, con. ... ... 0 .8,4 ... — Halcyon, con. ... ..." 0 0 2 — Kuranui ... ... ... 0 0 6 0 0 4, Kuranui-taledonian ... . 0 13 .0 10! Magnet, contributing ... 0 0 2J — May Queen Extended. ... 0 0 9 — New Dart ... 0 0 64 0 8 5 New May Queen.... ... 0 2 9' 0. 2 6 New Moanatfiiari 0 0 7 0 0 4 : New Monowai ... ... 0 0 9 0 0 6 i New Saxon ... ... ... 0 0 9 0 0 7J ! New Sylvia ... . ... . 0 0 .5 0 0 3 j Old Albirrnia ... - ... ' 0 ' 1' 7 ' 0 13 ! Southern Queen 0.0- 6 —. I Temple Bar, 3d paid ... 0 0 3 — • Thames ... 8 0 9 —' ! ! Victoria ' ... 0 C 9 — ! Waiotahi ~ ... ... ... 13 0 ; — ! Waltangi ■ ... 0 2 4 — I 1 Watchman 0 0 31 ,002) j Bunker's Hill ...- ... 0 '0 10 0 0 7i Hauraki Freehold ... 0 0 4 0 8 2, i ! Old Hauraki ... ... 0 0 10 0 0 6 | Old Kapanga . ... ... 0, 0 9 0 0 8 South Kapanga ... ... 0 0 4 — Champion,: paid up ... 0 2 6 — I Champion, con. .... ... 0 11 0, 0 11 j Crown ... 0 6 7 6 6 4 | Golden Belt, paid ... 0 ' 1 0 0 0 8 j Kirikiri, contributing; ... 0 0 9 — • I Komata Reefs ... ...0,13 0 16 I New Waitekauri ... ... 0 0 7 *0 0 5} ! Pride of Waihi ... 0 0 9 — - | Rising Sun'...' ... ... 0 0 74 0 ' 0 .7 ] - Tairiia Broken Hills •... 0 3 10 0 3 8 Talisman Consolidated ... 1 13 3 113 # j Waihi ... ... ... ... 9 4 9 9 3 6- ! Waihi Consolidated ... 0 1 7 0 15 ! Waihi Extended ... ... 057 053 i Waihi Grand Junction ... 2 2 0 1 18 0 ! Sunbeam Gold and Silver, Is 6d paid ... ... .'0, 18 _ — ■ Ntfatiawa ... ... ... Oil 80 11 Maharahara Copper Mines 0 13 6 ; — H. L. Noakes, Secretary; G. A. BUTTiiB. Chairman. 3.15 p.mS, May 30, 1907. CALL AND DIVIDEND LIST.. Dividends. j i Talisman Consolidated ... 0 10 June 1 : Waihi .... 0 6 0 June 1 i Waiotahi ... ... ... ... — - June 5 Mount Lyell M. and R. Co. 0 3 6 June 15 Calls. . Southern Queen, May 29 ..0 0 1 June 10 New Occidental, May 29 ... 0 0 OA June 10 Trafalgar, May 29 ... .... 0 0 0j June 20