BREWERY PROFITS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 March 1927, Page 2

BREWERY PROFITS

NEW SOUTH WALES INVESTMENTS. SYDNEY, February 17. That there is money in beer is not disputed even by ibe liquor trade, which i I*olll statistics, can eas^ ilv 'afford to hear witli equanimity the rejection, by the Upper House ol New South Wales, of the Government's proposed legislation providing for the extension of the hours for serving liquor with meals in the hotels. Inking hanks, steamships, insurance, gas, breweries, and soft goods, and the various classifications of Stock Exchange securities in Sydney, it is shown that brewt r.v enterprises had the biggest ratio of net profits in New South W ales last year, with reserves included with capital in each case. The net profits of the brewery enterprises constituted 11.44 per cent, of capital and reserves. Gas companies, with 10.04 j>er cent., were next highest, billowed by soft goods stores, with 9.1(1 per cent, figures for the bank group included all the Australian hanks, an with a total capital many.times in excess of the total in other trading concerns, the percentage was 7.14. Steamship interests. with 6.39 per cent, earnings on the capital in use. showed the lowest rate, although they were only slightly in excess of the insurance profits.

New company issues in the Stale last year gave ample evidence of an unusually large amount of money seeking investment. An estimate of the total of now share issues made in Sydney during the year places it at more than £1(1,000.000, of which approximately £12.000.000 was represented by ordinary shares, and the balance by preference shares. When one reads of figures like this, and learns that only a day or two ago property in George street in the city, realised over £3OOO a foot, there looks to be some hope even for a Labour-ridden country like New South Wales'.