Dunedin, July 31. At the half-yearly meeting of the Colon! d Bank held yesterday, Mr E. U. Cargill, chairman of directors, iu moving the adoption of the report aud balance-sheet, said they would see that the position of the bank ac counts for the past six months compared, iu many respects, very favourably with previous occasions. For instance, there had been a large increase iu the deposits held by the bank, amounting since December to £203,000, and of this £142,000 was on fixed deposit bearing interest, and £66,000 on current acc mnt only. They would notice that the amount of Govern ment securities held by the bank in London had also been largely increased. They amounted now to £IOO,OOO, being an increase by £38,000. It had been thought right by the directors to keep a strong deposit in Loudon available lu case of any contingency that might arise. Tho deposits had increased by £54,0‘0, and the bills discounted by £IOO,COO. On tho other hand, the overdrafts brat been reduced by £SOOO, This would slvnv that any change which had taken place in the gencrai po-.uhm of accounts had been ia tho right direction. They wore aware that during the six months just come to a close, thy stale of business throughout the world bad not been of a eort to yield large profits to banking institution?. There had been great dcpre>stou in trade aud enterprise, not only here, but iu Europe, Great Britain, and everywhere. Money had

been plentiful, but tlwre had not been the active demand for It growing ont of suc cessful enterprise, which usually afforded profit to banking institutions. They had avoided anything like serious loss, or disaster, but there had bevC no great accumu lation of profits lleferring to the failure of the Oriental Bank, there Was nothing to indi cate that the confidence of the public In this and other banks was shaken. He might say that the policy of the Board of Directors had all along bs*n io kCcp luis back In As strong a financial position as possible in times of uu certainity. They would see that the balance of cash hell in the colony was somewhat large—£29s,ooo ; and they had a sum of £IOO,OOO in negotiable securities bearing interest, lying at their office in London. 