COMMERCIAL

Grey River Argus, 10 November 1944, Page 8

COMMERCIAL

BANK OF N.Z. WELLINGTON, November 9. Bank of New Zealand shares were not quoted on the Stock Exchange to-day. There are 7,700 shareholders on the New Zealand register, 1,400 on London register, and 150 on Australian register. The average holdings are £450, £420 and £5lO respectively. COLONIAL SUGAR COY. SYDNEY, November 9. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company is reducing the interim halfyearly dividend to 16s a share (4 per cent.) The previous rate was 17s W4 pen cent),. The full year’s dividend had been maintained at 81 per cent, for the last five years, having been raised from 71 per cent in 1939-4 U. These announcements are made by the company’s directors in their hall- i yearly report to shareholders. The directors say the figures for the last half-year ended September 30 do not justify the maintenance of the former dividend rate. £l6O MILLIONS. AUSTRALIA’S LOAN FILLED. CANBER'RA, November 9. Australia’s Second Victory Loan has been filled with subscriptions from the central or trading hanks. Announcing this, the Federal Treasurer (Mr. Chifley) said that more than 120,000 subscriptions had been received since the official closing date of the loan on October 31. The loan of £160,000,000 aimed at raising £112,500,000 for war purposes .and at obtaining the conversion of securities in two loans aggregating £47,500,000 4 which matured on October 15. Mr. Chifley said that new cash in hand so far totalled £113,000,000. It was estimated that the final number of subscribers of new eash would exceed 400,000. Loan conversions amounted to £46,000,000 from 45,000 holders.