“BANKRUPT (?) GERMANY"

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11293, 19 August 1922, Page 6

“BANKRUPT (?) GERMANY"

DYE AND CHEMICAL INDUSTRY. The Berlin Amlin Company did exceedingly well during 1921. The gross profits amounted to 149,461,000 marks, against 60,748,000 maria for the previous year, says “Engineering.” The available surplus amounts to 63,553,000 marks; the preference shareholders obtain a dividend of 3) per cent, as before, whilst for the ordinary shareholders the dividend waa fixed at 30 per oent. on a capital of 131,000,000 marks, against 20 per cent, on 63,000,000 marks capital in 1920; a sum of 20,Q00,000 marks was reserved for welfare purposes. Building operations during last year had mostly been confined to workmen’s dwellings. The Baden Anilin and Soda Company, in its report, enlarges upon the immense benefit conferred upon the German community through the home mass production of nitrogene manures, which the Baden Anilin Company had called into existence, the more so as German agriculture at present would have to pay about two and a-ha]f times as much for imported as for homeproduced manure. Owing to the Op-, pau explosion the working of the year results in a deficit. In the matter of I dye-stuffs the demand which flagged towards the middle of 1921 in all ooun--1 tries, improved during the last quarter of the year, more especially as regards foreign markets. The shortage of coal and coke, principally caused by the requirements for reparations, has made itself seriously felt during the past year. This has more especially affected the manufacture of ammonia products, which had made it impossible to satisfy all demands. As a result the farmers had been compelled to import some manure. The company’s* capital, expressed in gold marks, has been tripled since 1914, whilst the dividend has decreased. On the amount of ordinary shares which, expressed in gold marks, amounts to 101,000,000 marks gold, the dividend comes out at 2J per cent. The company holds shares in other concerns amounting to 253,426,000 marks. The Reich authorities have sanctioned a •rise of 27 per cent, in the price of nitrogene products, and the alkali industry is now demanding higher prices, as the cost of production hag risen very materially, both in the matter of higher coal prices and wages (the latter having been increased 36 marks per day and shift), higher railway rates, etc., altogether an increased burden for the alkali industry of more than 1,000,000.000 marks. To meet this the works demand that at increase of 34 per cent, should bo sano tioned.