BRITISH TRADE.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1924, Page 5

BRITISH TRADE.

DRIED FRUIT INDUSTRY. STOCK EXCHANGE ACTIVE. By Telegraph—Press Assn—Copyright. London, Sept. 27. Business on the Stock Exchange is commencing to expand and the volume of dealings this week was probably the largest for weeks. The gilt-edged market remains good and there Ms been a mild boom in tea and rubber shares, following the advances of these commodities. The outstanding feature of the foreign bond market has been the slump in German bonds in which there has been considerable speculation lately. The Reichstag committee decided that a re-asseesment of the value of tliese bonds and the payment of interest was impossible. The publication of the decision brought prices down with a run, 3 per cents falling to 265, a decline of 16s 6d. Similar losses were marked in the 3J and 4 per cents. The Australian dried fruit trade is dull following weaker reports from the Greek and Smyrna markets. Australian quotations are: Sultanas 42s to 48s, currants 45s to 50s, lexias 40s to 455. Considerably higher prices could be obtained for good quality fruit, but •unfortunately practically none is available. In order to popularise Australian fruits the Australian Dried Fruits Association will place them on the market in nominal lib cartons. These will be supplied to retailers at 9s per dozen for all fruits. It is hoped that this <x>nvenient package will appeal to consumers. Retailers will be encouraged to make special window displays of these “A.DjF.A. sunraysed fruits” being supplied with attractive show cards, recipe booklets, and hand-bills. Advertisements have been inserted in trade newspapers urging grocers to push tliese “Empire goods and reap the benefit of the wonderful publicity caused by the tremendous distribution of sample cartons at Wembley.” Some large wholesaler grocers are not particularly enthusiastic about this method of soiling, as I they say previous experiences in pushI ing proprietary articles have not been I altogether satiMactory and they question whether tne public is willing to pay the price asked. | THE BUTTER MARKET. Butter prices continue to advance, and, with Germany still buying large quantities of Danish, Dutch, Esthonian and Siberian, a further rise would not be surprising. The advance is chiefly in the finest descriptions of which the supply is at present exceedingly limited. No increase in quantity is expected before December. The only bearish feature of the market is the huge quantity of butter stored in the United States, estimated on September 1 at over 156 million pounds, which is 53 millions above the quantity on September 1, 1923, so the United States is unlikely to require any quantity of Danish and New Zealand butters for the next five months, which means that Britain will get a larger quantity of both. Following increases in sales of Empire wines as the result of the Wembley Exhibition a proposal has been revived for holding an annual wine fair in London on the lines of the Pari® wine fair. The promoters consider that such a fair, capably organised, would be the finest propaganda medium the wine trade could have. BUSINESS FAIRLY GOOD. Describing the state of trade the Economist says: The seasonal slackening over the summer months seems more accentuated this year than last. The textile trades are only affected to a slight extent, but iron and steel production has been curtailed more severely than in 1923 and employment hae declined during the last two months to a greater degree than many anticipated. Other indications show that the volume of business, outside the coal and heavy metal industries, is appreciably larger than in September, 1923, and fairly well maintained considering the time o-f year. The coal export trade w suffering rather from the failure of demand in many countries than from the recrudescence of foreign competition. The same applies to iron and steel. The outlook in Lancashire is (brighter, the good American crop hold- | ing out prospects of plentiful supplies of cotton during the coming season. The (wool industry on the whole is better ■ employed, although manufacturers are unable to pass to customers the whole of the recent increases in the price of raw material.