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THE BRITISH EMPIRE : — NEW SOUTH WALES
Money and Credit.
The value of gold coin and gold bullion issued at the Royal Branch Mint, Sydney, during six years, was: —
Year
Gold
Year
Gold
1913 1915 1916
£ 2,274,740 1,864,036 1,535,584
1917 191S 1919
£
1,738,679 3,807,734 1,952,000
In addition to the above, Australian silver coin to the value of 1,338,350?. , and bronze coin valued at 57,190Z., were issued to December 31, 1918.
There were 17 banks trading in New South Wales in 1920, the average assets in the June quarter being : coin, 10,111,7912. ; bullion, 340,7352. ; landed property, 2,477,6012. ; notes and discounted bills, &c, 89,063,1442. ; notes and bills of other banks, 892,5212. ; balances due from other banks, 3,354,4482.; total assets, 119,272,4352. (including 13,032,1952. Australian notes}.
The liabilities of the banks (exclusive of those to shareholders) were, for June, 1920 ; Notes in circulation, 73,2662.; bills in circulation, 960,5862.; deposits not bearing interest, 52,878,1262. ; deposits bearing interest, 50,495,1342.; total deposits, 103,373,2602. ; balances due to other banks. 1,601,6872. ; total liabilities, 10C,008,7992.
The Savings Bank of New South Wales established in 1832, was amalgamated with the Government Savings Bank of New South Wales in May, 1914.
The Government Savings Bank, established in 1871, was reorganised by an Act passed in 1906, by which it was placed under three commissioners. Its business is carried on in two separate departments — the Savings Bank Department and the Advance Department, the former of which receives and invests deposits, and pays interest on amounts not exceeding 5002., while to the latter has been handed over the administration of the State system of loans to agriculturists, formerly vested in an Advance to Settlers Board.
Statistics of Savings Banks are given below ; the figures include the returns of the Savings Bank Department of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia : —
Year ended 80th June
Number of Depositors
Amount of Deposits
Average per Depositor
£
£ : d.
1914
717,737
33,167,523
46 4 3
1916
806,882
37,363,272
46 6 1
1917
872,351
40,836,747
46 16 S
1918
920,337
43,039,012
46 15 3
1919
984,951
47,070,342
47 15 9
1920
1,053,893
49,<933,535
47 7 9
Limited Liability Companies and Benefit Building Societies also receive money on deposit, the amount of which in the former on June 30, 1920, was 1,787,4772., and in the latter 485,7642., on December 31, 1919.
Lord Howe Island, 81' 33' 4" 8., 159* 4' 26" E., a dependency of New South Wales, ■Ituated about 436 miles north-east of Sydney, area, 3,220 acres ; population (1911), 106,
