27 OCTOBER 1923, Page 30

The report recently published of the Anglo-South American Bank shows

some slight advance in the total of deposits which in the previous year had fallen con- siderably, but we should imagine that, owing to the depression in trade, it cannot have been an easy matter o find adequate and profitable employment for the increased resources. Indeed, it will be noted from the table which follows that more than the amount repre- sented by the increase in deposits has gone on to invest- ments, British Government securities themselves having increased :— Juno 30,

1921. £

June 30,

1922,

e June 30,

1923. L Capital paid up .. 4,366,700 4,866,875 4,367,330 Reserve Fund .. 4,060,000 4,000,000 4,000,000 Deposits, &.?. 49,473,164 45,487,069 47,809,274 Bills payable 7,273,933 .. 5,573,002 7,652,102 Cash in hand and at

25,146,774 21,859,260 15,867,880 Bills receivable .. 9,472,103 10,543,567 11,914,006 Investments 0,300,447 10,023,884 15,514,288

In spite, however, of this addition to investments, the liquidity of the balance-sheet is in no way affected, and the cash in hand, at banks and at call, represents some- thing like 32 per cent. of the liability to depositors. A good feature of the Anglo-South American Bank's annual report is that it is always accompanied by a complete statement of the individual and aggregate figures of the other banks with which it is affiliated, such as the British Bank of South America and the Commercial Bank of South America. On the present occasion this full state- ment shows that the aggregate deposits amount to £63,914,000, as compared with £63,063,000 a year ago, advances revealing an increase of about £2,000,000 for