FINANCE AND TRADE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5475, 2 January 1905, Page 3

FINANCE AND TRADE.

The Customs revenue ami beer duty for tho week totalled respectively £6662 (xs 8d and £lsl 13s. Saturday’s Customs return amounted to £616 9s lid. Thompson Bros., Limited, Harris Htrecfc, report the following wholesale prioos ruling on the Wellington produce | market during the past week.: —Prime ; oatenshoaf chaff, 96b to 100 s per ton; ; feed oats, 3s to 2s. 3d per bushel; whole ’ fowl wheat, 3s 8d to -Is per bushel; pol* ■ lard, £5 per ton; bran, £-1 per ton; ■flour, £lO 5s to £lO Itts per ton ; barley, 3s 8d por bushel; kidney potatoes, 13s to 14s por cwt; Hutt .Flukes, 14s to 15s por cwb; Beauty of Hebron and Early Rose, 10s to 13s por cwt; to 16s per cwt r Borwente, £5 to £5 10s per ton ; parsnips, 4s 6d to 6s per sack; carrots, 9s to 11s per sack; cabbages, 5s Gel to 7s per sack; cauliflowers, 5s 6d to 7s 6d por sack ; green pocus, 9d to Ife per peck; factory bacon, sides 7RI. hams BJd, rolls SRi per lb; bens, 3s to 3s 3d ; roosters, 3s to 3s 6d; ducks. 5s Gd to 6s 6d ; goose, 7s Gd to 8s 6d; turkeys, hens 7s Gd to 8« 6d, gobblers 12s to 14s per pair; fresh eggs. Is 4d to •Is 6d per dozen; batter, separator (lib pats) 9d, bulk Bd, pastry Gd to 7d per lb; cheese, best factory, 5d per lb; fungus, 4dd per lb; peanuts, 2\<h per lb. COMMERCIAL CABLES. PRESS ASSOCIATION. LONDON, December 30. BAN K OF ENGLAND RETURN. The Bank of England return issued for tlie week ending Wednesday, 28th December, is as under

* Interest payable in May and Norembee. , . {lnterest payable in January and July. t j Interest payable in April and October. ■ MONEY MARKET. Tb© market rat© of discount for best three months’ bills is i lower, at 2| per cent. The Bank of England rat© is 3 per cent., ae against 3i .per cent, on April 21st, and 4 per cent, on April 14th.

COLONIAL, AND OTHER PRODUCE. Wheat. —A holiday tone pervades the European wheat markets. Liberal offers of Argentine and Indian wheat are depressing values. There is a poor demand for cargoes; 13,000 quarter;, Australian January-Fohruary shipment, sold at 32s 4id; there are no sales of cargoes on passage. For off-coast cargoes 32s 4Jd is offered. Blizzards, resulting in unfavourable crop reports, have stiffened the American markets;. Australian and Now Zealand wheats on spot are nominally unchanged.

Flour.—'London prices unchanged.; Glasgow recovering, and now quoted at 26s 3d to 26s 9d.

Butter is quiet and weaker, owing to large arrivals. Choicest Victorian, 96s to 98s; Now South Wales, 94s to 965, a few lots making 98s; South Australian and Queensland, 92s to 945; New Zealand, 100 s. '

Cheese is in strong demand. Canadian, 545; , New Zealand, 51s to 5&. Butter agents generally are favourable to the Government grading of Victorian butter on similar lines to New Zealand, which is satisfactory. Sugar is firmer. German beet, 88deg, 14s od; first mark granulated, f.o.b. Hamburg, at 15s lid per cwt. Bradford Tops.—The market is quiet and unchanged. Rabbits are in poor demand. THE METAL MARKETS.

Copper.—Spot. £6B 7s 6d per ton; three months’, £6B 15s per ton. Tin.—Spot. £135 2s 6d per'ton; throe months’, £134 15s por ton. Pig-iron, Middleshorough No. 1 cash, 60s Sd-ver ton.

Issua Departjcbut. Oov. debt.. £11,015,000 ties 7,414.000 Gold .. 23,434,000 .£46,883,000 £46,883.000 D*PiRT3(BST. Qor. securiaaoital .. ,614,555.009 ties Other entities .. 35,461,00) Notes po.U. .. 44,331,000 Coin Sett, 7-day and other bills .. 8,269.000 £71.817,000 £71,247.000 The leading items of the Bank of England return afford the following comparison: — This week. Lastwoek. Last year' £ £ Bullion .. .. 53.4.H.000 98,117 000 27.011.000 73 000 19,741,000 18.684,000 Kota nircnlation .. 23.304.000 28 406.000 28.788,000 t)«pn«U,» . .. 68.425.000 47,545,009 66,375,000 Proportion reserve to liabilities .. 37*71 41*36 32.89 GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. Tho following aro the latost quotations lor Gwernment securities with a comparison of those ruling last week: — Price. Variation, A n. d. SI V, Imperial Console 88 16 0 12/6 higher 100 10 0 10/- higher 96 15 0 15/- higher 85 7 6 7/6 higher 103 0 0 Unchanged 96 10 0 Unchanged 86 0 0 Unchanged 06 10 0 Unchanged 64 10 0 Unchanged 104 0 0 Unchanged 95 10 0 10/- higher 3 % Queensland .. 84 10 0 10/- higher >00 10 0 10/- higher 93 0 0 8 % New Zealand! 88 0 0 Unchanged 95 15 0 5/- higher 84 10 0 Unchanged 98 0 0 10/- higher 8'% Tasmanian «. 80 0 0 Unchanged