Commercial.

Evening Star, Issue 3476, 14 April 1874, Page 2

Commercial.

The amount of revenue received at the Cus-tom-house on goods cleared for consumption this day, was L 1,198 Is. Goldduty, L4BB 9s 2d. The returns for last month of the traffic on the Invercargill Railway show the receipts to be L1,83114a : against L1,34610s for the corresponding month of last year. The expenditure dunng March last was L 1,126 9s Id; in March, 1873, it was L 1,850 2s 2d. It will thus be seen that there is an increase in the receipts, mm a decrease in the expenditure, as compared with the returns for March, 1873. V SOUTH BRITISH INSURANCE COMPANY. [By Telegraph.] - A? ri y?ir:^ e half-yearly meetmg of the South British Insurance Company waa held to-day. In the report, the shareholders were congratulated on the large and steady increase of business, and not more than a fair average of losses. The total premiums during the last year amounted te L 31.092 leaving, after deducting L 3.196, the amount L27 ’ 896 ’ as against # vSt* I s ® , f ?. r the previous, and L 14.000 for the first half-year. The third half-year premiums show an increase of 64 per cent, of those of the second, and nearly double those of the first half. The losses for the half-year amount to L 13,570. There is a marked increase in the business of the company, notwithstanding the increased insurance competition in the Colony. It will be gratifying to the shareholders, and doubtless be an incentive to them to continue to use their influence in favor of their company. The amount to the credit of profit and loss on closing the books at the end of the half-year was L 22.509. . The directors have carried LIO.OOO of this to*s® reserve fimd; L 4.687 (equal to 2s 6d per share) to the capital balanceand L7.822’ br r£ Bht forward to the current halfj A 1110 P“ d *?P capital is now L 42.1&7. and the reserve fund is L 20,000. The share’ holders, bearing in mind the increasing business of the company, will doubtless cordially concur m the policy adopted by the directors ii making additions to the capital and reserve fund, rather than now taking money from the business to pay dividends; while the general public, both investors and insurers, will not fail to perceive an anxious desire to build up a thoroughly sound institution. The London Sis now in full working order, and • doing a considerable business. This is owing to the valuable support afforded by numerous importers to the Colony, many of whom are shareholders in tha company. Relying on this support from both shareholders and other friends of local institutions, the directors anticipate that the company will have a large : and constantly increasing business between ■London and the various ports of New Zealand «ud also those of Australia. The report wag °1? • °n. the motion of the chairman; and tne. directors stated their endeavor was to place _ ® company on a E m foundation, and they Cnmr,«Jf eaß ? n ythe British Insurance tan* , not become the most imporsouthern hemisphera Mr