35. For purposes of comparison Table IX gives an analysis of the companies registered in the last 5 years according to the amounts of their nominal capital. It is interesting to observe that notwithstanding the increase of 30 per cent in the number of companies with share capital from 674 in 1960-61 to 875, the grand total of nominal capital increased by only 7 per cent to $616,223,130. This was due to there being only 22 companies with capitals of $5,000,000 and above as compared with 32 last year,

36. Sixty one companies were dissolved during the year as follows:

By Members' Voluntary Winding-up

Struck off the Register under Section 276

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61

Table X gives an analysis of these 61 companies according to the nature of their business. The main casualties were in import and export com- panies (17), land and building companies (12), hotels and restaurants (5), and shipping and shipbuilding companies (5).

37. With 910 new companies and 61 dissolutions there was a net increase of 849 in the number of companies on the register, which on 31st March 1962 stood at 5,191, comprising 449 public companies and 4,742 private companies.

38. In view of the large numbers of new companies registered in 1960-61 and 1961-62, there was naturally a correspondingly large in- crease in the numbers of documents received for filing and of inspections of files by the public, the totals reaching the new record figures of 15,689 documents received and 7,031 inspections made. 139 companies increased their nominal capital by amounts totalling $340,380,000, on which fees of $680,760 were paid. 29 companies changed their names by special resolution and with the approval of the Governor given by the Registrar of Companies under delegated powers. One licence to keep a branch Share Register was granted under Section 103 of the Ordinance.

39. 508 charges were registered by companies securing a total of $483,978,396, and 200 certificates of satisfaction were submitted in respect of charges totalling $171,088,144. There was therefore an in- crease of nearly $313,000,000 in the amounts of charges subsisting. This does not necessarily mean that the amount actually owed by companies and secured by charges increased by that sum, because in many cases charges are granted to secure banking facilities, which may not be utilized up to the full amount for which the property is charged.

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