each new building venture. In consequence of this general trend in favour of limited companies, the number of companies incorporated during the year jumped by 203 (41%) over the previous year's figure to the record total of 694.
27. Of the 694 new companies 674 were incorporated with a share capital, 20 without. Part I of Table VII gives an analysis of the 674 companies according to the nature of their business and the amount of their nominal capital, the grand total of which was $576,634,750, $234,000,000 more than in 1959-60. As compared with 1959-60 there have been marked increases in the numbers of Import and Export companies (131 against 98) and of companies dealing with Land and Buildings, etc. (166 against 65), the latter a direct reflection of the continued building boom. Also noteworthy are the numbers of Ship- ping and Shipbuilding companies (53), Hotels and Restaurants (33), and Tourist Agents (10). The number of companies with a nominal capital of $5,000,000 and over was at 32, more than double the 1959-60 total of 14. Part II of the same Table gives an analysis of the other twenty companies (which are limited by guarantee) according to the nature of their objects. Eleven of these were granted licences under Section 21 of the Ordinance to dispense with the word 'Limited' in their names. For purposes of comparison Table VIII gives an analysis of companies registered in the last five years according to the amounts of their nominal capital.
28. Eighty four companies were dissolved during the year as follows:
By Members' Voluntary Winding-up By Creditors' Voluntary Winding-up Struck off the Register under Section 276
39
2
43
84
29. With 694 new companies and 84 dissolutions, there was a net increase of 610 in the number of companies on the Register, raising the total to 4,342 as at 31st March, 1961. This increase naturally resulted in substantial increases in the numbers of documents received for filing and of inspections of files by the public, the totals of 12,731 documents received and 5,213 inspections made being up by 23% and 28% respec- tively on the 1959-60 figures.
30. One licence to keep a branch Share Register was granted under Section 103 of the Ordinance.
9