Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/1195

 MONEY, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES 1143

figures: — Assets at the end of the year— bullion. 147,723,875 kroner ; out- standing capital, mortgaged estates, foreign bills, &c, 416,213,124 kroner; total, 563,936,799 kroner. Liabilities— notes in circulation, 454,281,034 kroner ; the issue of notes allowed was 293,917,222 kroner ; deposits, cheques, unclaimed dividends, unsettled losses, &.C., 141,326,371 kroner (of which the deposits amounted to 105,651,546 kroner) : dividends payable for the year, 4,200,000 kroner, 12 per cent. ; total, 595,607,405 ; balance, 31,670,606"

The ' Kongeriget Norges Hypothekhauk' was established in 1852 by the State to meet the demand for loans on mortgage. The capital of the bank is mostly furnished by the State, and amounted to 32,000,000 kroner in 1919. At the end of 1919 the total amount of bonds issued was 251,541,360 kroner. The loans on mortgage amounted to 223,927,700 kroner.

The Norwegian ' Arbeiderbruk og Boligbank ' was established in 1903 by the State to meet the demand for loans on mortgage from labourers and small proprietors. The capital of the bank is furnished by the State, and amounted to 7,200,000 kroner in 1919. On June 30, 1919, the total amount of bonds issued was 32,664,200 kroner. The loans on mortgage amounted to 42,236,335 kroner. This bank will shortly be replaced by the ' Norske Stats Smalnikog Boligbank,' which was established in 1917. Its capital amounted to 6,000,000 kroner in 1919 ; on June 30, 1919, the total amount of bonds issued was 20,000,000 kroner. The loans on mortgage amounted to 14,123,270 kroner.

There were at the end of 1919, 195 private joint-stock banks reported, with a collective subscribed capital of 529,951,930 kroner and a paid-up capital of 517,933,856. The reserve funds amounted to 340,771,183. The deposits and withdrawals in the course of the year amounted to 8,936,659,307 kroner and 8,674,762,365 kroner respectively. Deposits at the end of the year 2,972,287,044 kroner, of which 207,763,548 kroner deposits on demand, and 2,764,523,496 kroner on other accounts.

All savings-banks must be chartered by royal licence. Their operations ire regulated, to a considerable extent, by the law, and controlled by the Ministry of Finance. In 1919 their number was 555 : depositors 1,626,202, with 1,827,436,495 kroner to their credit at the end of the year.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

By a treaty signed October 16, 1875, Norway adopted the same monetary system as Sweden and Denmark. The Norwegian krone, of 100 ore. is of the value of la, l^d., or about 18 kroner to the pound sterling. The gold 20-kroner piece weighs 8960572 grammes, -9C0 fine containing 8 0645 grammes of fine gold, and the silver krone weighs 7 "5 grammes, 800 fine, containing 6 grammes of fine silver. The standard of value is gold. National Hank notes for 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000 kroner are legal means of payment, and the Bank is bound to exchange them for gold on presentation. In 1920 the duty of the bank to pay the notes in gold was temporarily suspended.

The metric system of weights and measures is obligatory.