BANKING RETURNS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 11

BANKING RETURNS.

The following are the bank returns for tha quarter ended 31st March 1896 (shillings and i pence being omitted) :—: —

* Bank of New Zealand 4 per cent, guarantee stock, £2,000,000 : preferenoo shades subscribed for by the. New Zealand Government, .£600,000; capital payable by shareholders, £500,000. The Bank cf New Zaaland returns for tho quarter ended 31st March are :— . LIABILITIES. Notes in circulation '£ 510,617 16 5 Bills iv circulation % 21,657 6 % Balances duo to other banks ... 10,445 9 6 Deposits— Government 1,214,197 2 2 Not bearing interest ... 2,8fi3,898 17 8 Bearing interest ... 8,348,403 10 0 Total £7,469,278 1 10 ASSETS. Coin £ 989,783 7 0 Bullion 58.172 15 3 Notes and bills of other banks ... 27,581 11 6 Bjlance due from other banks ... 6,314 4 4 Landed property U(i,057 15 8 Notes and bills discounted ... 508,0d3 3 5 Colonial Government securities... 38.1,418 18 5 Good debts due 4,t27,658 1 2 Securities not given under other heads 1,500,232 17 6 Total ... £8,435.672 14 3 ' We give be!ow the bank returns for the March quarter and the corresponding figures for the same quarter of 1895 for purposes of better comparison, ai the March quarter represents the last of the financial year of tho colony and also embraces some of the principal transactions in respect to wool and station produce. But we also give in the margin the returns for December quarter 1695 bo show the changes of tho three months :—

Coin, stud bullion hold ... 3,285,373 3,285,637 3,333,272 These returns show tome considerable change), ** follow, the comparative figures showing inoreases in the year between March 1895 and MUrch 1896 : — - Deposits at interest show a decrease 0f... £^66,421 Deposits at call show an increase of ... 507,72(5 Government deposits sho wan increase of 565,979 And, on the whole, there in mn inorease of deposits for the year of £437,284 ; bub this is less by £130,000 than the incre»se in Government deposits, which can only be temporary, and may arise from remittances of imUlmeutt 6i the loan for advances to seftlers, of which a large sum *till remains- in h»nd bu( is gradually being paid out. The tendency to allow deposits to remain on ctll 'rather^ than invest on deposit at present low r»tes of intereat is very marked. In advances the change a! regards discounts is a falling off of £129,235, or about t per cent., whioh is not a favourable sign, unless wo can regard it as an indication that traders are in a better position to pay cash for their goods ; but there h»s b=en the large reduction of £578 666 in overdraft*, which Beems lo augur a better state of things. Otae* securities, cbiefly those held by the Bank of New Zealand in connection with the E%tates Company, have also been reduced by £58S 630 ; and Government securities, though they rose in December quarter, are again ab ?ut the same level. Notes in circulat ; onaudc>inaod bullion are nearly exactly the same r as last year. If we leave out of account the temporary increase in Government deposits, the banks* have £130,000 less than last year to use, but their advances are £700. 000 less ; »o that tbe position is a fairly strong one, the unfavourable feature being that so large a portion of tbe deposits is at call and liable at'any moment to reduction by investment in various ways.

There were seven bankruptcies gazetted las W eek — a farmer, & s(orekeeper, a baker, « miner, a tea-dealer, and two carpenters.

March Quarter 1896. Deposits— £ At interest... 8,090,513 At call 5,157,29,5 Government 1,214,197 Totals ... 14,462,005 March Quarter 1895. £ 8,766,934 4,519,569 648,218 14,024,721 December Quarter 1895. £ 8,119,550 4,455,126 969,737 18,544.413 Advances— Discounts ... 1,738,258 Other advances ... 9,065,538 Totals ... 10,803,796 1,867,493 9,644,104 11,511,597 # 1,758,498 9.810,717 11,569,215 Other securities 1,630,514 2.216.H4 2,242,274 Government securities ... 363,418 358,611 483,235 Notoi in circulation ... 929,681 . 928.321 851,717

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