Bank of New South Wales. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 13

Bank of New South Wales. TO THE EDITOR.

1 Sir,— l read with much intercut the letter of " Identity'" in your issue of Saturday giving a h=t of the names of the staff by whom the "Bank of New South Wales was originally opened in Dunedin, and only wish otlier 010 hands would contribute their reminiscences ere 'time vsifch us shall be no more. One error has crept into "' Identity's statement, or it may have been a misprint, when he said the bank opened ira 1862. The precise date being- the Bth August, lE6I. No 1 ; a. very material point, but it should be pufc The history is. shortly, this : Our only bank in these early day^.was the Union Bank of Australia. Its policy was considered "rather astringent, the first to feel, complain of, and rectify matters was the Provincial Government, whose coffer* were , sometimes well drained, and the bank refused to grant fr.cilities demanded. Backed tip by a number "i the traders of the town, the Government made Overture., to the Oriental Bank, and in re-ponae it opened a branch here on the 27th July, 1860, the office beinp, the old Mechanics' Institute, where the Oargill Monument now stands, and was under the charge of Mr A. G. Anderson, as interim manager, and a more -vi table one could hardly be found. Consequently the volume of business grew rapidly, it I judge from my own limited point of view, my transactions totting up to about £2000 i month, and, ScoUman-like, I kept two arrow; to my bow, having al«o my account continued in the Union, not willing to permit my bonkel to become my master, but use him as my servant. From some unexplained .cause, th-3 Oriental retired, and on the Bth August, Isol, the New South Wales Bank took its place, occupying for a short time the old premises, and then crossing over to Kilgour's Building?, where the Government Insurance Office nov proudly rears its head. Mr Kilgour's new buildings were opened by him for business in August) IS6O, a year previous, and wore decidedly the most attractive and substantial tenements in the town, the material being Bell Hill bluestone, and the contractor Ms Hugh Calder. Shortly afterwards the bonk removed to its new premises now in occupation. Before closing, lei me say that Ml Douglas, the first manager, as well as his f-ur-cessors, were very highly esteemed, and although he did not remain for very long in. the colony, when he left every one had a gooci' word to say of him. The Bank of New Zealand was projeclec".' from Auckland in the same year, 1861. — I am/ etc., September 4», £as. M'lndob,