COMMERCIAL.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 145, 25 July 1914, Page 14

COMMERCIAL.

( CONSOLS AND STOCKS. By Cable. — Press Association. — Copyright. LONDON, July 24. Current quotations for consols and Aus- / tralasian Government stocks, compared with those of last week and the corresponding period of last year are:—• This Last Last

♦lnterest payable in May and November, tlnterest payable in January and July. payable in April and October. METALS. By Oaine. — Press Association. — Copyright. LONDON, July 23. Copper: Spot £59 18/9, forward £6O 7/6: electrolytic £62 10/-. Tin: Spot £143, forward £144 10/-. Pig iron, 51/5. Lead, £l9. : ~.. SUGAR. German, 9/3; first marks, 11/6, WOOL. . Spelter, £2l 6/3. - The Bradford wool market is quiet and unchanged, but these is a slightly better tone in crossbreds! WHEAT AND FLOUR. Wheat: The market is firm. Aus- • tralian, spot 37/3 to 37/6. Flour: The market is steady, but quiet at 25/6 to 26/-. OTHER PRODUCE. Oats: The market is firm. .A Cartons, .July 21/-, August 20/9; La Plata, afloat, 16/6. Peas and beans: The market is quiet and unchanged. BUTTER AND CHEESE. Butter: The market is very firm. Danish 130/- to 132/-. Colonial is in very small supply," and is nominally unchanged. Cheese: The market is. firm. New Zealand white 65/- to 66/-, coloured 63/6 to 64/6. COMMERCIAL BANKING COMPANY SYDNEY, July 24. At the half-yearly meeting of the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney the report showed a net profit of £207,112. A dividend of 10 per cent, .was declared, and £50,000 added to the reserve. SYDNEY FERRIES, LTD. The half-yearly report of Sydney Fer-

lies, Ltd., showed a net profit of £IB,BOB. A dividend of 8 per cent, was •declared. MARGARINE. At the Dairy Conference,, the Minister of Agriculture stated that the Dairy Bill embodied compulsory grading, and the manufacture of margarine >;iirider such conditions would make it .. * impossible for it to be sold as butter. •''■•'•'•■.'. It was; intended to stop the making of 1 • and he thdught the Conference was wrong in carrying a resolution 'to prohibit the manufacture of margarine. Colouring and butter would " Dot be allowed in margarine. /♦ The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile , Agency has received a cablegram from London giving the undernoted market information:—l3B,ooo bales wool sold at wool sales, 8000 bales held over, 34,000 bales for Continent, 17,000 bales for America. Sales closed with -good competition. Market did not change since the last advice. Average current London values of undernoted descriptions of New Zealand greasy wool: Good merino 15d, medium merino 13£ d, inferior merino Hid, .fine crossbreds 15d, medium crossbred 12d, «6arse crossbred 40''s lid, coarse crossbred 36's lid. '. FROZEN MEAT MARKET. Messrs A. H. Turnbull and Co. hfive Teceived the following advice from Messrs Weddell and Co., London: — Prime New Zealand iamb, u/36, 6 l-16d, market weak; do, 36/42, s|d, weak; do, 42/50, 5 weak; G.A.Q., North Island lamb, 5 11-lGd, weak; New Zealand ox hinds, 4£d, firm; do fores, 3.j}-d, iirm; prime Canterbury mutton, 4 3-16 d, quiet; do Wellington do, 3£d, quiet; do Plate do, 3sd, quiet; do Australian do, 3 H-16d, quiet. Messrs Kaye and GarteT f Ltd., are in Teeeipt of cable advice from their London agents, Messrs Gilbert Anderson and Co., quoting Smithfield market prices as Tinder: —Prime Canterbury lamb, 28/36, " 6 l-16d; do 36/42, 5 11-16 d: do 42/sn,

5 7-16 d; Southland and selected North Island «8/42, s}d; North Island lamb,! 28/42, 5 11-16 d; prime Canterbury mutton, 48/56, 44d; do 56/64, 4 3-16 d; do 64/72, 3 15-16 d; Southland &/or best North Island, 56/64, 4£d; North Island, 56/64, 3£d. 5 TO-DAY'S MAEKET. The first of the National Poultry Sales was held in J. B. Merrett's Poultry Market to-day. There was an entry of nearly 2000 head. A special feature of the sale was the large number of turkeys, farmers receiving fully 30 per cent, advance in prices to those obtained three years ago. Table chickens realised 4/2 to 8/7, unfinished 2/- to 4/-, ducks 5/- to 8/2, geese 7/- to 9/3, hens 2/6 to 2/3, pullets 3/- to 8/6, turkey gobblers 16/- to 38/6, turkey hens 9/- to 16/- per pair. A. B. Sands and Co. report a good entry at 4heir saleyards to-day, when prices were well maintained. Table chickens brought 4/- to 8/- per pair; thin and unfinished chickens, 2/3 to 4/3; hens, 3/5 to 5/7; pullets 4/- to 8/2; ducks, 5/6 to 7/1; 'turkeys (gobblers) 12/6 to 29/6; hens 10/- to 13/-. THE EGG MARKET. Eggs are coming forward more freely, and spring prices will rule earlier this year than last. Canterbury Egg Circle's first grades realised 1/4 to 1/5, second grades 1/2 to 1/3, stores 1/2 per dozen. THE SHARE MARKET. . The share market during the past week has continued inactive. Sales of investment stocks have been, few, the chief demand being in insurance and bank shares. In mining, Waihis have completely surprised investors. During the last 'three weeks prices have de. clined from 41/- to 37/6, with a continuing declining market. The following particulars record the present position of the more active stocks: — Banks. —Bank of New Zealand: Sales of the £3 6/8 paid issue have been reported this week at £lO 18/-, at which price they have remained practically stationary during the past four weeks. No business has been recorded in the fully-paid issue. Sellers of the £3 6/8 issue are still quoting £lO 18/-.without buyers, and in- the fully, paid issue buyers are offering £l6 18/6, with sellers at'£l7 1/6. National Bank: Business has been done at £5 17/6, the highest figure reached for some considerable time. A dividend, of 3/6 per share was paid this week, and buyers are now offering £5 14/-, with sellers quoting £5 14/3, ex dividend. Union Bank: A sale was reported at £62 7/6. Gas. —Christchurch Gas: Regular sales of this issue have been reported from Wellington for some weeks past. Sellers have received £7 6/- this week, and as 5/- per share dividend is accrued these shares show over 7 per cent., and are good buying. Wellington Gas: Buyers have increased their figure to £l6 12/6, cum dividend, on August 1, but no business lias been advised. Auckland Gas: The 14/- paid issue have sold at 15/- anil 15/3. Insurance. —The only recorded business was Standards at 37/6, and New Zealand at £6 9/-. Sellers of. the former shares are quoting 38/-. Nationals have buyers 53/6, and sellers 54/6., South British are quoted, buyers £4 12/-, sellers £4 14/-. New Zealand buyers quote £6 .8/-, and sellers £6 9/-. Meats.—Christchurch Meat Co.: Buyers are regularly quoting £l6 12/6 for the £lO issue, but these shares are firmly held, and holders do not feel inclined to .toll. Canterbury Frozen Meat Co.: There are sellers of the ordinary at £B, 16/6. Gear Meats: . Sellers of the £1 paid Issue are quoting £3 17/6. Shipping. —Union Steam Ship Co.: No business was done in the ordinary

shares, but sale 3 of the preference issue realised 20/8 and 21/-. Buyers of the ordinary are offering 24/- and sellers 24/6. Coal.—There is continued demand for all coal shares. Buyers of Taupiris are offering 21/6, while sales have been reported at this figure and 21/9. There is a steady demand for Westports at 30/9 and Stocktons a't 2/9, but sellers of the former are asking 31/6 and the latter 3/--Woollens.—Business in Kaiapois was recorded at £5 6/9. Wellington Woollens are wanted at £4 6/6, but sellers are asking £4 8/-. Miscellaneous*.—Boviron Bros.: Sellers are now quoting 7/- without buyers. Farmers' Co-op.: Sales have been recorded at 48/6, with buyers offering 4S/and sellers quoting 49/-. Weeks, Ltd.: Buyers are offering £5 2/6. Whitcombe aud Tombs: Buyers have increased to £(5 5/-, with sellers at £6 10/-. Mining.—Waihi: Prices have rapidly declined. At the beginning of the week sales were reported up to 41/6. The last recorded sale was 38/-, a drop of 3/6 for the week. To-day's Auckland quotations show that speculators hardly know what course to adopt, as buyers are offering 37/-, with sellers at 37/9. It is interesting to note that the last four weekly returns showed an increase of £6lO as compared with the return for the- corresponding period of last year. Talismans* At the beginning of : the week sales were reported at 33/- with a further advance of 33/6 and a dee.fine to 33/-. The quotations to-day show buyers 32/9, sellers 33/3. Grand Junction: Prices have remained almost stationary. Several sales realised 26/6, but prices declined to 26/3. To-day's prices are, buyers 26/-, sellers 26/3. Ross: The quotations to-day show buyers 1/10, sellers 2/2. Sales have been made this week at 1/10 and 1/11. CHRISTCHURCH STOCK EXCHANGE. SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1914. TO-DAY'S QUOTATIONS. Bayers. Sellers. BANKS— £ t. 4. £ ». d. National N.Z. («x air) S 15 0 COAL — Westport .. -*-..: s . 110 «

" week. week. year. d. ii p.c. Imperial £ »> Xt a* consols .. 75 5 *75 7i 73 0 0 4 p.c. N.Z.* .. 99 2i 99 2i 100 0 0 3) p.c. N.Z.t.. 89 0 89 0 90 0 0 3 p.c. N.Z.t . . 80 0 80 0 77 0 0 4 p.c. N.S.W. 101 0 -101 0 101 0 0 3i p.c. N.S.W. • ! — 97 .0 0 31 p.c. N.S.W. 1930-50 .. 88 0 88 0 — S p.C. N.S.W. 83 0 83 0 62 0 0 4 p.c. Victoria 100 0 100 0 99 0 0 35 p.c. Victoria 89 0 89 0 80 0 0 8J p.c. Victoria * 1929-49 95 0 95 0- —' 3 p.c. Victoria 80 0 80 0 77 0 0 3i p.c. S.A. .. 90 0 90 0 89 0 0 3 p.c. S.A. ... 74 0 74 0 73 0 0 4 p.c. Qnsld. 100 0 100 0 100 0 0 31 p.c. Qnsld. 95 0 95 0 93 0 0 3 p.c. Qnsld. 79 0 79 0 77 0 0 35 p.c. W.A. 92 0 92 0 88 0 0 3 p.c. W.A. .. 86 0 86 0 80 0 0 3i p.c. Tas. .. 92 0 92 0 88 0 0 8 p.c. Tas. .. 82 0 82 0 81 0 0