FINANCE AND TRADE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4296, 4 March 1901, Page 6

FINANCE AND TRADE.

The Customs returns for Saturday amounted to £836 8s 9d. The returns for the week were £7086 13s 2d, and for beer duty £2OO 12s Od. NORTH ISLAND- STOCIC QUOTATIONS. Mosrs Lowes and loms’ fornightly .Masterton stock sale report states: Wc liad a heavy yarding in both sheep and cattle, fully f-!000 ihoop coming forward, witli only a light entry in fats. Rreeding cwe.s were well represented, the list including some' pens of really good quality, which were well competed tor, making top rates. Medium, quality also sold well, but aged and poor sorts wore bard to sell. In wethers all classes offered, those well forward maintaining their values, some badly-classcd lots being passed. In lambs, a good number offered, all lots, with one exception, selling, they being mostly only medium, quality. A number of rams of various breeds and ages were submitted, Downs and best Lincolns only' selling. In beef, the main entry was on account of Mr J. Groves, and these of extra prime quality, all selling at record prices for tho season. Lighter beef also sold well. In stores, some useful steers sold well, as did good-oon-jlitioned tows ; but calves, of which we offered some 150, declined somewhat, a lew pens failing to sell. Fat wethers made' 15s 6d; ewes, 11s Id; forward wotliers, 14s to 14s 7d; stores, 12s 7d to 13s; small sorts, 10s to 11s; forward ewes, 11s to 12s; breeding ewes, 4, 6 and 8-tooth, best, 12s lid; 4 and 6-t6oth, 11s to 12s; fair class ewes, 10s to 10s 6cl; full-mouth, 9s to 9s 9d : aged, 8s to 8s 6d; culls, 5s Cd to Os 6d; best lambs, 8s lOd; others, 7s 6d to 8s 6d; best shorn, 8s 8d; others, 7s 9d; culls, 5s to 6s 3d; Down Rgs; Romneys, 3gs; 2-tootli Lincoln, 2gs to 4jgs; aged Lincolns, Ig; beer bullocks, on account of Mr J. Groves, “8 10s; cows, same vendor, £6 10s to £7 ss; other bullocks, £6 16s; cows, 1 £5 6s to £5 10s ; light cows, £3 18s to £4 10s; store steers, £4 12s 6d; heifers, 70s; forward cows, 7,0 sto 80s; good yearlings, 50s; best calves, 38s; others, 25s to 28s; small, 20s; large pigs, 20s; stores, 10s. COMMERCIAL CABLEGRAMS.

‘lnterest payable in May and November, t Interest payable in January and July. J Interest payable in April and October. • MONEY MARKET. The market rate of discount for best three mouths’ bills is lower, at 3 1516 per cent. The Bank of England rate is 4 per cent., as against, 41- per cent, on the 20th February, ,'aucl 5, per cent, on the 6th February. COLONIAL AND OTHER PRODUCE. Wheat. —The markets are quiet, but steady. Cargoes are neglected. Victo-

rian, January-Marc*? shipment, 29s 9d per quart si-; sailer parcels, 29s 3d per ciaartor.

Sugar is dull. German beet, 88deg.. unchanged, at 9s 3d per cwt. ; first mark, granulated, f.o.b. Hamburg, unchanged. at 11s 4] fl per cvrt.

Butter is fiat, and is meeting with f. poor demand. Colonial is unchanged at 104 s to 100 s. but is tending downwards. Danish. 3s lower, at 110 s. Rabbits—Colonial are dull at about 7UI.

Bradford Tops—The market i.s .steady. Common sixties, fd lower at 17ld per lb; super sixties, unchanged, at 18',d per lb.

Wool sales—For the Antwerp sales fixed for the G.h and Bth March, there are 7264 bales available, including 1414 bales Australasian wool. THE PRICES OF METALS.

Copper i.s firm. Spot, 12s 6d lower at £7O 12s 6d per ton: three mouths’, 12s 6d lower at £’7l 2s Gd per ton. Pig-iron—Glasgow warrants. No. 1 cash, Is 4fd lower at 63s ltd per ton f.o.b. in Clyde.

Lead, 5s lower, at £ll 7s 6d per ton. Spelter, 2s 6d lower, at £l7 7s 6d per ton.

Silver—Bar silver is quoted at 2s 4 3-16 d per oz. The tin market is firmer. Spot, £8 5s higher, at £l3l 15s per ton; three months', 5s lower, at. £llß ss. COAL EXPORT. GREYMOCTH, March 3. The following is a return of the exports for last week: —lirunner Company, 2178 tous 17cwt coal, 14 tons coke and 13 tons 3cwt bricks. Blackball Companv, 747 tons 18cwt coal. WESTPORT, March 3.

The coal output from the Westport mines last week was 9307 tons 4cwt., of which 8301 tons llcwt was shipper! by the Westport Coal Company and 803 tons 13cwt by the Westport Co-opera-tive Company.

PEES9 ASSOCIATION. LONDON, March 1. BANK OF ENGLAND RETURN. The Bank of England return issued for the week ending Wodnesda-/ 27th February, is as under — Issue Department. So:o issue ... £51,881,000 Gov, dob* . £11,015,tOO Ocher seourities 6,760,000 Gold.. . 34.106,000 £51,681,000 £61,881,000 Bamkisq Depaethent. Proprietors* Gov. seouricapital .. £14,553,000 ties . 12,114,000 de- O thor se - posits . • 12,024,003 curitios . . 33,431,000 j.hoc d O' Notes . 23,2?b,G0o oosits- . 41,367,000 Coin.. • . 1,753,000 Rest, 7-da; and other Sills .. 3,740,000 *■ £72,584,000 £72,584,000 The leading items of the Bank of England return afford ■‘■ho following comparison; — This Last List Week. Week. Ytar. £ £ £ Jullicn .. .. 34,1-6,000 S3 320.000 34.2ii7.COO lecorvo .. .. 35,031,000 33,407,000 24.334, vO note circulation .. 28,6j3,000 28,003,000 20.738,HO •deposits .. .. 54,291,000 45,014,000 55.505,* 00 'roporcou reserve ui liabilities .. 45 94 52-24 43.65 GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The following are the latest quotations for Government securities, and a comparison with those ruling last tveek; — - PnoeVariation. £ £. a. 2$ % Imperial Consols S7 10 0 5/- lower 4 % New South Wales 115 0 0 Unchanged % New South Wales 102 15 0 Unchanged 3 % New South Wales 100 0 0 Unchanged 4 % Victorian.. 109 0 0 Unchanged % Victorian 102 10 0 Unchanged i % Victorian ,. —■ 8J % South Australian 106 0 C Unchanged H % South Australian 93 0 0 Unchanged 4 % Queensland 107 0 0 Unchanged Queensland 102 1-1 0 Uncharged 1 % New Zealand* 114 10 0 3i7- higher % New Zealand! 138 0 0, 15/- higher 3 % New Zealand j 93 5 0| Urchanged 31 % West Australian ICO 15 0 5/- lower -3*- r r*«.w»nioP 103 0 0\ Unchanged