BANK BUSINESS.

Evening Star, Issue 3054, 2 December 1872, Page 3

BANK BUSINESS.

{From the Wellington Independent.) The last Gazette contains a general statement of the liabilities and assets of the various Banks carrying on business in the colony. This statement, although onlyrelatingtothe quarter ending in September, is not without interest as affording evidence in support of the assertion that a very considerable amount of capital is remaining idle. There are five banks doing business in this colony—the Hank of New Zealand, the Union Bank of Australia, the Bank of New South Wales, the Bank of Australasia, and the Bank of Otago. The united liabilities of these Banks on the 30th September were as follows Notes in circulat on, LG35.084 ; bills in circulation, L3B 909 ; balance due to ether banks, L 22,110; Government deposits, L 033,547; deposits not bearing interest, LI, 949,277; deposits bearing interest, L 1.308,092 ; —making a total liability of lA, 047,022 The assets of the banks were ns follows: —Coin, L 1,000,510 ; bullion, L241,50l ; notes of other banks, LI 3,230 ; balances due from banks, L 43,565 ; landed property, L 150,001 ; notes aud hills discounted, L 1,530,720 ; Colonial Government securities, L 215,413; debts, L 1,744,850 miscellaneous securities, L 334,808 —a total ol L5,3^0.728. The hulk of the hanking business of the colony is done by the Bank o: New Zealand. Its note circulation was fo the quarter all but equal to that of the unitet circulation of the notes of the other banks, th ( proportion being—Bank of New Zealand i L330,9330ut0fa total circulation 0fL035,084 ; Taking into account the fagt that this Ban' ; has almost a rponnpply of Government b.usi ■ ness it is not to be wondered at that it hold j nearly half q yiillionof Government deposit! j thp'Hqnk of Australasia oply' a,ccoi;nting fc ! LI 40,(100, while other bau!|Cg do, npt aj pear to. have been favored with public patri page in this respect. The proportion (' gpqcral business, as, compared wjth that i qthev mstiyitjops, js fully sustained by tb B.apli of New Zealand, Gut of a total & iu o,{ nearly t\yo millions of deposits not heainterest, cfose upop a million ia in the hano of tips hapk. Of deposits bearing iutores there is not so much difference between th three principal hanks, although the Bank c New Zealand heads the list, the rcspcctiv amounts being Bank of New Zealand L 499.727 ; Union Bank, L423,1G0 ; Bank c New South Wales, L 289,003, out of a toti of L 1,308,000. The liabilities of the variou banks stand as follows Bank of NcwZcjland, L 2,325,020 ; Union Bank, L 1,015,505; Bank of New South Wales, L7i*7,5SS; Bank of Australasia, L37(i,050 ( ; Bank f Otago, 1.222,275. j lip proportinn of asses over liabilities is apparently pretty cqn' in all cusps, 1-hp advantage being agqip :i favqv th e Bank of New Zealand. Tfe balance of assets; oyer liabilities of tie various banka is stated to be as follows :~

Rank of New Zealand, L 231,059; Unin Bank, L 3407 ; Bank of New South Wale, L 70,593; Bank of Australasia, L 01,20 ; Bank of Otago, L 227.078. The amountof bullion, coined and uncoined, in the possssion of the various banks was as [olfo.w-J r Bank of Neiy Ze,a t ]apd ... L-a9L25* Uujpn yanj;. v,f Australia .1. 307,25 i Bank of New South Wales 331,04; Bank of Australasia ... 104.83! Bank of Otago 73,08'

Of the total amount of L 1,530,720 of Ills under discount, the relative business of ;ho hanks was—Bank of New Zealand, 1.086,17; Union Bmk, L 259,852 ; Bank of New Soith Wales, L 211,311 ; Bank of Australaia, L 221.401 ; Bank of Otago, L1‘21,917. "he debts to the banks stand thus Banl of New Zealand, L 877,806 ; Union Bmk, L.359,743 ; Bank of New South Waes, L 213.309 ; Bank of Australasia, L 78,54; Bank of Otago, L 215.052. The “ capita, Led profits” table stands as Wl;.w,s ,- -jß'iiul of New Zealand, with a paicf-iip'capita of L(mU,(>otij, paul a aiviilomV'equal to lifoen percent, per annftm, the amount of tlielast declared dividend having been 1.45,000. The Union Bank dividend had been only atthe rate At thirteen percent,, the amount';aid being i. 81,250. The I -auk ot Ncw'Saith Wales paid a dividend cf tijfyjy.q apd a, ialf ; vhc Baiik'olf ’Aufitraiaffia, tenper iept j and the Bank of Otago only two per neat. The aggregate amount of the resowed

unds of the various banks is Ll, 359,245, the Jniou Bank figuring for L 485,674 of this uni. These returns show not only that the anking institutions in the colony are in a xoroughly sound state, but they prove that te colony itself is becoming rapidly prosjrous.