Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 30 August 1944, page 5


Finance, Commerce and Markets

GkÊATER UNION GROW

DIVIDEND WELL J

COVERED

Net profit of £110,833 shown by four operating; companies of the Greater Union croup for 1943 Compares with £106,891 for

1942.

Dividend of £50,000 (12J per cent.), against £40,000 (10 per cent.) last year, is distributed to the four hold-ing companies as follows:-West's. £13,100; Spencer's. £13,350; Greater J. D. Williams, £16,250; Amalgamated Pictures, £7,300.

The directors cannot say whether the amounts prpvlded for taxation bafore arriving at the profits for 1942 and 1943 are sufficient, as the basis of assessment of the group's war-time (company) tax is Indefinite. The year's tax payments, including some war-time (company) tax for 1939-40, 1940-41, and 1941-42 totallad £74,570. but did not cover the whole of the liability for those years.

Reserves for taxation at December 31 amounted to £289.018.

The two chief profit-earning ope-rating companies contributed the im-provement in the total net profit.

Year ended Dec. 31.

1041« 1042* l£l43t

Oreater Union 79 079 75.797 78.36» Brit. Emu. Films 16.631 23.013 25 597 Clneäcund 1,243 5.018 4.973 Nat. Th. Supply 3.772 3 033 1.308 Total 100.727 100.891 110.333

. Before taxation, t After tax prow

Profit of the National Theatre Supply Co. waa affected by reduction In the stocks available for sale.

Credit balances of the group at De-cember 31 were: Greater Union Theatres, £218,998; British Empire Films, £44,581; Cinesound Produc-tions, £22.477: National Theatre Supply Co.. £921; total, £285.115.

The year's results were announced by the acting chairman of Greater Union Theatres Pty.. Ltd., Mr. John OoUlston, to the annual meetings of West's. Ltd., Spencers Pictures. Ltd., and Greater J. D. Williams Amuse-ment Co., Ltd., yesterday.

Profits earned by the Greater Union ?roup for the current year compared favourably with those for the corre-sponding period of 1943. said Mi

Coulston, Though war-time condi-tions had meant increased attend-ances at picture theatres, the direc-tors were confident of the future