INSURANCE NOTES. 



THE 



The balance-slicot of the Colonial Bank of Austral- 

 asia Ltd. for the half year ended 31st March, which 

 appears in these columns again shows very satisfac- 

 tory expansion of the Bank's business. The net 

 profits amounted to i'28,8G3, being £41.55 in excess of 

 the previous half-year, and are the highest on record. 

 The deposits amounted to £4,157,674, showing an 

 increase of £361, (JOO for the past twelve months. 

 Advances amount to £3,191,000, beino; £329,477 

 higher than a year ago. To the net profit is added 

 a balance forward of £1'2'J1, making the total avail- 

 able for distrilnition .£30,084. A dividend at the rate 

 of 7 per cent, (ler annum on botli Preference and Ordin- 

 ary shares is declared, absorbing £15,375; £10,0CK.) is 

 added to Reserve Fund, making that fund £180,000, 

 an increase of £20,000 for the past twelve months ; 

 £1000 is placed to the Officers' Provident Fund, and 

 the lialance, £3709, carried forward. A comparison 

 of principal assets for the three last half years is as 

 follows : — 



March 31, Sept. 30, March 31, 



1911. 1911. 1912. 



£ £ £ 



Cash items, 

 tances in 

 situ, etc. .. 



Premises, etc. 



Discounts and 

 vances 



remit- 

 tran- 



ad- 



1,800,093 

 217,778 



1,334,531 



215,294 



3,145,503 



1,839,733 

 210,615 



3,190,979 

 Bank re- 



very successful 

 is evidenced by 

 figures for the 



2,861,-501 



The continued successful progress of the 



fleets credit on the management, and shareholders 



may congratulate themselves on the highly satisfac 



tory position of the Bank, and the 



half year it has experienced. This 



the following statement of leading 



last five half years : — 



Net 



Profit. 



£ 



... 24,416 



... 24,509 



... 24,708 



... 25,625 



... 28,863 



Deposits. 



£ 

 3,723,926 

 3,493,696 

 3,796,311 

 3,789,625 

 4,157,674 



Advances. 



£ 

 2,850,829 

 2,928,324 

 2,861,501 

 3,145,503 

 3,190,979 



An appalling shijujing casualty has marked the 

 month, the mammoth 4.'), 000 ton "White Star liner, 

 " Titanic," while on her maiden voyage from South- 

 ampton to N(nv York, having collided with an ice- 

 berg at twenty minutes before midnight on Sunday, 

 the 14th ult. The vessel carried at the time a total 

 of 24.'iO in passengers and crew, and while orders 

 wore immediatcl.v given to man the boats, many on 

 board thoiiglit there was little likcliliood of the vessel 

 sinking. Women and cbildien were given preced- 

 ence, and were quickly taken off the disabled 

 vessel.** So badly was slie damaged that two hours 

 and forty minutes after the collision she disappeared 

 b(>neath the waves, over IfiOO persons losing their 

 lives. No shipjjing disaster has ever been of such 

 magnitude, not oidv for the fearful loss of life, in- 

 cluding man.v notai>lc' men of workl-wide fame, but 

 also from the financial as|)ect. The "Titanic" cost 

 £1,250,000 to build, and the liner and cargo were 

 insured for £2,3.")0,(KK>, .\dded to this is the ])ers(inal 

 baggage of the 2400 persons on board. Many mil- 

 lionaires and their wives were iiiiuing the passc'ii- 

 gers. and their diamonds and other valiial)les would 

 total a large sum. The life insiiraiices on many of 

 the passengers would run into hug(> aiiKuints. in addi- 

 tion to which is the compensation to the crew, for 

 which the White Star Co. is liable. All told, the in- 



COLONIAL MUTUAL 

 FIRE 



INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED. 



FIRE 



ACCIDENT- 

 EMPLOYER'S LIABILITY - 

 FIDELITY GUARANTEE - 

 PLATE-GLASS BREAKAGE 

 MARINE - 

 BURGLARY 

 LIVE STOCK 



INSURANCE 



OFFICES : 



MELBOURNE— 60 Market Street. 

 SYDNEY— 74 Pitt, Street. 

 ADELAIDE— 71 King William Street. 

 BRISBANE— Creek Street. 

 PERTH— Barrack Street. 

 HOBART— Collins Street. 

 LONDON— 77 CornhiU, E.C. 



WALTER TUCKER, 



General Manager. 



IHE EQIITY TRUSTEES, EXECIIORS, AND 

 AGENCY COMPANY LIMITED. 



RESERVE LIABILIIY. £100.000; GUARANTEE FUKD. £10.000. 

 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Edward Fanning. E»q., Chairman ; W. 

 H. Irvine, Elq., K.C., M.F , Donald Mackinnon, Eeq., ML.*.; 

 B. G. M'Outcheon, Esq.. M LA.: Stewart Jlo/.rthur, E»q. 



Registered Office: No. 85 Queen Street, Melbourne. 



ThiB Company in empowered by special Act of Parliament t* 

 perform all olaSBPfl of trustee bueiness. JOEL FO.\, Manager. 

 O T MARTIN, Aasistant Manager. 



CLEMENT H. DAVIS. 



Incorporated Accauntant, Specialist for Installing 

 Latest American Office Bookkeeping Systems, viz.— 

 Looseleaf or Perpetual Ledgers and Card-Ledgers 

 Correspondence, Filing, Adding and Posting Machines, 

 &c., &c. 



ROYAL BANK CHAI\/1BERS. MELBOURNE. 



surance loss cannot fall far short of £.5,000,000, and 

 easily eclipses the loss in a single casualty in the 

 liistoVv of insurance. 



A trial was recently given before the Victorian 

 Board of Public Health of a new safety device to he 

 ii.sed in ca.se of fire. The apparatus is a simple one, 

 and occupies littli' space. The ]iriiK-iple is a rope 

 running on a pulley wheel with a rim brake, and so 

 coii.structed that if the rope runs out at a certain 

 speed, the lirake is brought into action, and the 

 speed checked. A trial of a person lowering hiin- 

 .self from an upper window was given, and was very 

 successful. 



