The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-09-03
ENGLISH INVESTMENT IN AMERICA

1t has been well known for several
years that English and Scotch com
panies have been investing more or less
In American mining and cattle prop
critics, but there has been little known
except from desultory newspaper clip
pings as to the present status of these
investments, what these foreign COM
panies have accomplished and what
their prospects are. A partial sum
mary Of the work is now possible from
the report made by Consul Wood, of
Dundee, to the State Department of
British corporations, doing business in
the United States and having head Of
fees in Scotland. The report of Consul
Wood is supplemented with a nearly
complete list of all companies holding
Investments in the United States, and
glance at the report is sufficient to
show that the public generally has had
but faint idea of the extent OF foreign
investments in American enterprises.
The Scottish companies include two
classes OF investments, viz: |. Trust,
investment, mortgage and land COM
panies. 2. Cattle and land companies.
The first class of companies are con-
cerned in securing investments in land,
railway and municipal securities, and
the second class generally find invest
ments in cattle, cattle ranches and in the
raising and selling of cattle The oldest
of the Scottish companies has been
organized over seven years, and has
issued shares to the amount of five and
a half millions OF dollars. The profits of
these companies have been considerable,
and the average dividends have amounted
to from eight to ten per cent on the
capital invested, while one company has
accumulated a reserve fund of five dol
lars per share over the dividends The
report also shows that some OF the in
vestment companies have limited their
business to American railway and mu-
nicipal securities with safe returns.
OF the Scottish companies there are.
five corporations of the first class and
three of the second class having offices
in Dundee. There are also eleven COM
panies doing business in Edinburgh and
three in the city of Glasgow. In the
United Kingdom it is estimated that
there are eighty-one land, mortgage,
cattle and mining companies now doing
business in the United States, with more
or less success.
A few facts and figures taken from the
report may not be without interest at
this point. British mining companies |
have existed, principally doing business
on the Pacific Coast, for the last twenty |
five years, but the first cattle and land /
company was organized in the year 1880. |
Its success was sure and rapid and led (
to the immediate establishment OF other |
similar corporations for the investment |
of idle British capital, which at best could /
only command a small profit at home.
The returns OF eleven OF the largest of
these cattle companies show that they
control 672 ,O13 head of cattle, which
have been increased during the past two
years with 242 $40 calves. They sold
SO, 1876 head of stock at the following
rates: For one-year-olds, $15 IL; for
two-year-olds, $23 O6; for three-year-
olds and upwards, 500 10. The average
valuation of the stock in herds was
over twenty-three dollars per
lead. To support these cattle these !