FINANCE AND TRADE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 3942, 6 January 1900, Page 6

FINANCE AND TRADE.

— - “New Zealand Times” office. Friday evening. The Customs returns for to-day amounted to £1591 17s Id. Messrs Loedham, Crowe and Co. report as follows under date London, 22nd November: —The iron and stool industries throughout the country continue to enjoy a largo measure of prosperity, and orders in hand and coming forward combine to put them in the enviable position of having sufficient work to keep them fully employed, without further business, for some months to come. The trend of price is still upwards, the general opinion of those most qualified to judge is that wo aro far from seeing the top reached, and that in the absence of some totally unforeseen and unlikely circumstances, there can bo no change except in the direction of higher values, for at least six months to come. Apart altogether from export, the Home demand is so enormous that the prospect of foreign complications would hardly affect our trade at present, while the boom in America is strengthening the position very greatly. Manufacturers aro exceedingly independent, and customers have practically to accept their terms as to prices, delivery, etc. The engineering trades have every available man employed, their only difficulty being the inability to obtain material, and shipbuilders are well and actively employed. Figures for the mouth are good, but the higher prices account for a considerable portion of the increase. The Colonial Consignment and Distributing Company reports as follows, under date London, 24th November;—Tiic impracticable conditions imposed by the Government of Argentina on exporters of live cattle and sheep from the River Plate seemed to have had the effect of changing a regularly increasing trade into one growing smaller each week, from a surplus over hist year of 8704 head of cattle and 18,043 sheep on August Ist, when the regulations came into operation, to a present deficiency, compared with last year, of 345 bullocks and! 32,332- sbeep. Advices from the Plato to IGth ult., however, show that the Government, realising the mischief clone, has issued other regulations, in which all the former impossible articles have boon eliminated, and most of those left in force have regard only to efficient care and mangement, and seem reasonable enough. “Beerbohm’s Com Trade List” of the 24th inst. says ; —Wheat.—There has been a slight revival in the trade during the past week, but it has not resulted in much activity. Less depression probably exists, and it would seem that the impression is gaining ground that, although the supplies arc largo enough, present and prospective, for all requirements, tho level of price is now sufficiently low; 25s c.i.f. for La Plata wheat, with tho gold premium at 135 per cent., does indeed seem reasonable enough, especially as the Argentina crop, upon which tho future of the market hangs to a great extent, in our opinion, is still in what may Ins called the ‘doubtful” stage. With the standing obstacle of a ten million quarter visible supply in America, however, all. that can be expected, apparently, is . that the market should hold its own, unless political complications arise out of the Transvaal dispute. Messrs Freeman R. Jackson and Co.s stock report.—At St. Hill street this week tho few cattlo that came to hand were hardly afforded quotation. Sheep in moderate numbers, wore in good demand. The wooliv owes and lambs were beyond havers’ values. Pigs, in usual supply, sold readily. Shorn, owes and lambs, all counted (100 per cent, of lambs) 5s 7d : tv small line iu the wool, 14s sd; 2-footh wethers, 9s tid to 9s 8d; 3-tooth owes, 9s 7d; choice woolly hoggets, 13s 7d ; tat ewes, Ss 7d; fat wethers, 11s 3d. Pigs—Baconorsj 30s to 445; porkers, 17s to 295; small pigs, 5s 6d to 11s. Laery and Co., Limited, report the following wholesale selling prices on the Wellington produce market:—Wheat, 2s lOd per bushel; oats, 2s. 2s 3d per bushel; barley. 2s (3d per bushel; maize, 3s 4d per bushel; flour, £7 10s per ton; pollard, 75s per ton; bran, 67s 6d per ton; oatmeal, £lO 10$ per ton ;' chaff, 70s per ton ; hay, 90s per ton; field:beans, 3s 4d per bushel; field peas, 3s 6d per bushel; potatoes. 80s per ton ; onions. £8 per ton ; ryegrass seed, 3s, 4s per bushel; cocksfoot seed, 3d to 4cl per lb; butter, dairy 7d, separator 9d per lb; cheese. 5d per lb ; Bacon, SJd per lb; hams, 6fd per lb ; fowls, 3s 6d per pair; roosters, 8s 9d per pair ; ducks, 4s 6d per pair; turkeys, 10s. 14s per pair; geese, 5s per pair; hen eggs, lOd per dozen. SHAeITmAEKET. The .Wellington Stock and Sharebrokers’ Association reports on tho sharemarket as follows: Buyers. Sellers. Sales. £ b d. ' iC ad. £ s d. Banks— National, cum. —2 17 0 Financial— Equitable B. and I. Co. ... 8 0 0 8 .0 0 Metropolitan V. B. and I. (£lO paid) ... ... Nat. Mort. and Agency ... 1 2 C . N.Z. & Elver Plate Laud Mortgage ... 1 1 G - Wcl. Trust and Loan 6 12 6 Oas— Feilding .... Gisborne ... 1 18 G Palmerston N. Wellington (£lO paid) 16 15 0 liwurance— National ... New Zealand... South British... -2 15 0 Standard ... 0 M 3 Meat Presexwing— Ch’ch Meat ... Gear Meat (£1 paid) ... 8 1 0 Wei. Meat Export (£5 paid) (£4 paid) ... (£3 12s6dpd) 3 7 0 Railways and Shipping— N.Z. Ship. ... 4 10 0 - Woollen Manufacturing— Wcl. Woollen Co. , (old issue) ... (new issue) ... Coal— Westport ... Miscellaneous— N.Z. Candle ... 10 0 0 Wei. Opera House ... 2 15 0 Whitcombe, Tombs & Co. 4 5 0 Goldmimng— Cardrona Val. 0 0 G pr. UunsUui Lead Members of the Association— Barr "Laery & Co. R. Laery A. T. Bate J. Martyn-Hume E. Bucholz D. T. Stuart &. Son Harcourt & Co. Turnbull & Watkins James Henderson L. H. B. Wilson R. W. Kirkby Chairman. THE OATS MARKET. PRESS ASSOCIATION. INVERCARGILL, Friday. The Grainbrokers’ Association repoi’t that the oat market, which had been rather quiet during tho holiday season,

has now recovered, and the douiaud is] brisk. Supp-ie-s arc still rory difficult to pick up. and the quantity remaining iu Southland must ho, comparatively speaking, inconsiderable. “ A grade is quoted at 2s 3d ; “ B,” 2s 2-Jd; *• C" 2s ltd. f.o.b. Bluff, sacks in. TIMARU WOOL SALES I'EESS ASSOCIATION. TEMARU, Fridav.. The. second wooi sale comprised 6708 bales. Half and crossbred wools were decidedly easier than at first sale. There was very keen bidding for merino wool and it was quite id higher than at last sales. Scouring wools (pieces, etc..) sold very well. Half-ored‘sold up to 12 id crossbred KUd, three-quarter bred 9;fd. merino 13-}d, scoured 18d, merino pieces lOjd, bellies 9d, locks 4d. DUXEDIX SHAREMARKET. DUNEDIN, Friday. The following Stock Exchange sales were reported to-day: At premiums ; —Alexandra Lead 10s Gd, Arrow Junction ss, Boundary Check 4s 9d. Central Charlton 2s 6d. Dunstan Lead 17s 9d, Dunstan Pioneer 3s. Earusclough X T o. 3 4s, Electric Extended 10s, Excelsior 4s, Fraser Flat 2s Gd, 2s 9d and 3s 6d, Gentle Annie 7s, Gibbs’s Beach 2s. Giobstou 9d and Is, Gold Deposit Is. Golden Elbow 2s 9d, Great Central 10s, Half-fray House (contributing) 17s. Kawarau Bridge 9d, Kelly and Casey Os Gd, Leaning Rock Is 10-Vd and 2s Gd, Morrimac 8s Gd, Miller’s Flat Electric Gd, Moa Fiat 5s Gd and 6s, Mcnto Christo 8s 9d. Old Dunstan 4s 3d, Richards’s Beach 11s Gd and 12s. River Molyncnx 9s Gd, Roxburgh Jubilee 7s Gd and Bs, Royal Maori 6s and Gs Gd, Sailor’s Bend 25s Gd and 50s, Sixteeu-milo Beach 4s, Upper C-lutha 3d and par. Sales also took place at the following p r i cos : —First Chance (paid) 30s, Golden Beach 565, Half-way. House (paid) 86s; Hartley and Riley 186 s, Magnetic 67s Sd and 68?, New Alexandra 60s, Vincent 43s 6d, Waimumu 245.