PRESENTATION TO MR. ALFRED SMITH

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 48, 25 August 1921, Page 9

PRESENTATION TO MR. ALFRED SMITH

A mimbor of Wellington merchants foregathered at the Commercial Travellers' Club yesterday afternoon to present Mr. Alfred Smith, lato manager of the Bank of New Zealand, with a purse of bank notes (and a wristlet watch for Mrs. Smith) as a token of their appreciation and esteem on the occasion of his retirement from commercial life. Mr-. R. Tingeypresided, and those present included Mr. Harold Boauchamp (Chairman of the Bank of New Zealand), Councillor Norwood, and Messrs. F W Manton. M. A. Carr, and J. B. Harcourt. Mr. Tingey spoke of tho high esteem in which Mr. Smith was hold by business men of the city, and the great pleasure it gave him (Mr. Tingey) to present Mr. Smith with this token of appreciation, for his kindness, tact, and consideration during his term as manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Wellington. While they wore not desirous of establishing a precedent in this connection, ho continued, the general consensus of opinion was that they should take the opportunity of recognising the special merit of his services in his arduous and difficult position during ono of the most critical .times in.the history of the financial world. He was exceedingly, pleased to have this opportunity of giving a resume of Mr. Smith's career with the bank, as he remembered him aa a boy fifty years ago. Mr, Smith was oduoated at •Wanganui Collegiate School, under Mr. Godwin, and joined the bank at Wanganui in August, 1873, when Mr. Russell was manager. He was transferred later to Haloombe, thence to Patea, Opunake, Masterton, Sanson, Bulls, Waimate, to Wellington as accountant in 1886, and ba,ck to Wanganui in 1892. Then ho moved to Gisborne, Thames, and Invercargill, and finally to Wellington as manager in 1916. Mr. Smith retired on pension on 30th Juno last, after forty-eight years' continuous service with tho bank—surely a wonderful record.

Several other speakers eulogised Mr. Smith's service, and one and all expressed the hope' that he would live long and have the pleasure of looking back in -his retirement with satisfaction upon having been identified with such'an institution as the Bank of New Zealand.

Mr Smith suitably responded.