LANCASHIRE COTTON TRADE REVIVAL. DIVIDENDS DUE.

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 135, 4 December 1935, Page 14

LANCASHIRE COTTON TRADE REVIVAL.

DIVIDENDS DUE.

The General Steam Navigation Company, which is in the P. and O. group, London, has acquired the shares of the Moss-Hutchison Line. The latter was formed- in 1934 by the fusion of the Moss Line of Liverpool and J. and P. Hutchison, of Glasgow. The nominal capital of the Moss-Hutchison Line is in 600,000 shares of £1, of which 514.486 have been, issued. The fleet consists of sixteen modern steam and motor vessels totalling 33,046 tons, and with an average'age of nine years. The General. Steam Navigation Company is believed to be the oldest ocean-going steamship company still in existence, its first activities being in the running of a number of steam packets between London and Margate by a small group of owners in 1820. An extensive cargocarrying trade is maintained by the G.S.N.C. with Continental and Mediterranean ports, and this will now be augmented and strengthened by the Moss-Hutchison fleet, which is well known and established in the Mediterranean and Black Sea trade.

The Moss Line, also ranks amongst the earliest of our shipping companies, although, unlike the G.S.N.C., the company used sail only. until 1850. The Hutchison firm began steam services to Havre and Bordeaux in 1860. Now their ships run between ports of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and France, Germany; Spain, and Portugal on trades where they again will link up usefully with the G.S.N.C. Continental business.

An indication of a substantial revival in the cotton" spinning trade is provided by the increased demand for the raw material. Lancashire manufacturers are finding it difficult to obtain supplies. At the end of October cotton warehouses on the Merseyside were reported as practically empty. As fast as shipments were landed they were .being sent direct to Lancashire mills. The demand is so great that bales ■in transit at sea are being snapped up by spinners. Three months ago there was a scrable for orders from the spinning mills and weaving sheds, where short time and underemployment were operative, but now difficulty is experienced in meeting demand.. The slow, but continued, im-. provement in' trade has contributed to this sharp demand for cotton. Another factor is said to be the diversion of orders from Italy to Lancashire.

Swan Brewery—ord^f 2s and bonus Gd and pref. at 6 per cent, per annum ............ Dec. 4 Wellington Queen's Theatre, Ltd.—6 percent. ,. Dec. 4 Austral Malay Tin—interim 6d per share and bonus 6d per share in sterling Dec 6 Bank .or- N.Z.—Interim, Is per share ordinary and 3% per cent. D Long-term. shares Dec " Manawatu Knitting—10 per cent, per annum V:..'...... Dec. 9 Woolworths (X;Z:), Ltd.—final pref., at 0 per cent, per annum; ord. 10 percent.' Dec. 10 Raub Australian Gold—interim 4d, in sterling .. Dec. 10 National Tobacco, Napier—pref., 8. per' cent., ord. 15 per cent, per annum Dec. 11 N.Z. Loan-and Mercantile Agency Co. \. • —cum. pref. (for year ended June ■ SO, 1932), 3 per cent., less English •income tax ....: Dec. 12 North Broken Hill—2s (id per-share, •arid bonus nf is per share Dec 12 Waitakl Farmers' Freezing—3 per cent. per annum Dec. 13 N.Z.. Breweries, Ltd.—interim 3ii per cent. ". Dec. 14 Mount Lj-ell— «.\<, Der cent Dec Ifl Okarlto—10 per cent. ■ '. Dec. 17. Deronport Ferry, Ltd.—interim 2V4 per cent Dec. 17 Lampson Paragon, Ltd., Sydney—S p.c Dec. 17 Broken Hill South—Is Bd per share and bonus Is per share .Dec 19 Bulolo—int:, 1 dollar 40 cents (Canadian) a share Dec. 20 Placer—int:, DO cents (Canadian) a share Dee. 20 Associated Newspapers. Ltd., Sydney— final ord. and pref.. 2 per cent., making (i per cent, per annum .. Dec. 23 Hume Steel—interim cum pref., at 7V4 per cent, per annum Dec. 23 Guinea Gold—!H4d; Dec. 21 Mossy Creek—Id per share Dec. 28 .Mums, HetistrW Fiji—Interim 2>4 nor cent nee. St British Tobacco—interim Hi per cent. Dec. 31 Zinc Corporation—half year, cum pref. in.Sl-, interim participating div. of 2s per share on part pref. and ord.. less Income tax at 2s 7Kd in £1, all in sterling ..'.".. Jan. 1 Claude Neou, Sydney—second Instalment, i 14 per cent Jan. 3 Sulphide Corporation. Ltd., London— ling less income tax" Jan. 15