(M.)-SUMMARY TABLE-1866-78 AND YEAR 1858-(a) MANUFAC TURING AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS AND CENTRES 1. The materials of all the tables have been obtained by a careful examination of the lists given in the annual returns of the Banking Almanac, assuming, of course, the volumes of each year forward as giving the facts of the year preceding, e.g., the Almanac for 1879 gives, of course, the facts as they existed in the course of the preceding year, 1878. 2. In the case of the Metropolis, five classes of Banks have been carefully distinguished-Tables (A.) (L.). (1.) Private Clearing Banks. (2.) Private Non-Clearing Banks.. 3) Joint Stock Banks, wholly Metropolitan as regards Head Office and Branches. (4.) Joint Stock Banks, with Head Office and some branches in Metropolis, but also with branches in the Provinces. (5.) Joint Stock Banks, Indian, Australian, Colonial and Foreign, with Head Office or branches in Metropolis. There is also given as an important class of facts the number of Country branches belonging to Joint Stock Banks with head offices in London. 3. As regards the provincial portions of England and Wales, and as regards Scotland and Ireland, the Territorial Divisions adopted with great success by Mr. Dun in his exhaustive volume of 1876 (British Banking Statistics, being paper read before Statistical Society, December, 1875: E. Stanford, London) has been followed. There can be no profitable discussion of banking statistics except upon the plan of a sound territorial division, answering, as far as possible, to the leading industries: and when once such a division has been adopted by inquirers so fully competent as Mr. Dun, it is in a manner incumbent upon writers who come after him to adhere to it. 4. In the Territorial tables (III.) to (XIA.) the Joint Stock Banks are separated from the Private Banks, and the figures given under the years 1878-66 and for 1858 represent the branches belonging to the several banks, Joint Stock and Private, the titles of which are set forth. For example: Table III.—Cumberland, &c. There were in 1878— Where there are no branches two points (..) indicate the existence of the head office and where the bank has not existed in some of the years 1878-66, or in 1858, the blank is indicated by a line (—). 5. It is believed that in Tables (B). (C.) (D.) a true summary is given of the head offices and branches of the territorial divisions. There is a constant difficulty in the Almanac lists of every year in distinguishing between private partnerships, which are not really banks but discount and exchange agencies. 6. I am afraid, notwithstanding all the care exercised by myself and the very excellent assistant, to whom I am much indebted for great pains in the tedious work of compiling the figures from the many volumes of the Banking Almanac, it is almost certain that there are several omissions and errors in the tables; still I do not think they are very material or in the least impair the general value of the evidence collected. It is possible that before the Almanac for 1881 has to be printed, most of the errors will be discovered and, of course, corrected. (1.) — METROPOLITAN DISTRICT. (BRANCHES.} B. 21 621 17564621 2 5 5 5 4 4 3 1 175 7 7 2 3 3 321 142 7 33 3 :: 58 57 56 54 53 51 50 48 48 45 40 40 39 15 26 26 26 26 26 27 22 16 17 15 12 18 18 56 56 56 55 53 54 50 44 44 13 12 13 12 1 25 25 24 24 23 19 6 1366 7 7 1214 13 14 13 5 6 6 1 2:2 (II.)-COUNTRY BRANCHES OF BANKS WITH HEAD OFFICES IN LONDON. 128 128 126 124 124 124 123 123 122 122 126 125 125 94 141 140 138 132 133 133 131 129 129 129 131 128 127 104 5 7 7 7 14 12 18 394 342 337 324 319 312 298 299 268 268 281 275 281 209 (III.)—CUMBERLAND, NORTHUMBERLAND, AND WESTMORELAND. 12511 34422 tals 9 Jt. Stk. Bks. 71 69 68 64 50 46 42 32 31 30 28 28 25 10 otals 10 Private Bks. 38 39 39 39 36 36 40 39 36 35 34 33 33 9 5 2 18 109 108 107 103 86 82 82 71 67 65 62 60 58 28 Totals 7 Jt. Stk. Bks. 55 53 49 45 38 33 31 28 27 28 27 27 27 17 |