BAKING RETURNS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10597, 18 February 1896, Page 6

BAKING RETURNS.

» WEiiiNQTOii, January 2t. The following sre the bank returns for the quarter ended 31st December 1805 (shillings and pence being omitted) :—

* Bank of New Zealand 4 per cent, guarantee stock, JSOOO.COO ; preference shaves subscribed for by the New Zealand Government, £500,000; .'capital payable By shareholders, £500,000. Following are the bank returns for the December quarter 1895 compared with those foj the two preceding quarters :—

The deposits at interest still show a decline, the reduction for tbo quarter being £230,000 ; bat deposits st call show an increase of £148,000, and Government deposits a rather remarkable increase of £272,000, probably owing to payments of land tax during *:ha quarter; aud oa the other hand advances oa Government securities have increased by £120,000. There are no material ohanges in advance accounts, tha total advances being only £92,000 leas thin last quarter. Notes show a very slightly diminished circulation, and coin and bullion a slight increase. The Bank of New Zealand is particularly strong >in its reserves of coin and bullion, which total £1,120,000, wbile iv proportion to liabilities the Uuion Bank of Australia is stiill stronger with £784,000. It may even be a question whether a lock-up of £3,300,000 in coin and bullion is not an unnecessarily strong reserve against a total of note: and liabilities at call (apart from Government balances) of £5,300,000, oi about 12s 6d in the pound, in addition to nearly half a million of Government securities. As may ba supposed, the figures for the Bank of New Zeali^d are materially altered by the absorption of the Colonial Bank. The deposits, npart from Government, increased from £4,128,593 to £5,452,047, and the advances from £4,378,928 to £5,916,827, showiDg a large increase in business. It is a remarkable fact, however, that, taking all the banks together, tho advances are very nearly two millicou less than the total deposits, which implies that thers are ampla resources for a farther increase of business,

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December September June '' Quarter Quarter Quartet 1895. , 1895. 1SP5. DTt°inte7eat... 8.119.B50 S,349,092 8,4.5,624 At call 4,455,128 4,307,590 4,494,898 ■ Government 969,737 697,189 . 670,446 . Totals ...li!544,413 13,353,S71 13,046.968 ... 1,738,493 1,761,026 1,776,404 • Other advances ... 9,810,717 9,900,212 - 9,881,862' Totals ... 11,669,315 11,661,238 11,653,266 • Other securities ... ... 2,243,274 2,248,055 2,330,957 . Government securities ... 4S3.235 361,389 S59.2S8 NoteB in circulation ... 861,717 8157,355 934,288 Coin and bullion held ... 3,333,272 3,319,735 3,305,107 18,159,780 18.lflR.143 18,206.078 Liabilities ... 14,491,026 14,284,553 14,^5,120 Excess of assets over liabilities ... ... 3,668,154 3,911,590 3,620,958