ASSISTANCE FOR TRAVELLERS

Southland Times, Issue 23389, 22 December 1937, Page 5

ASSISTANCE FOR TRAVELLERS

INNOVATION BY BANK OF N.S.W. DEPARTMENT OPENED IN INVERCARGILL To assist travellers in arranging tours to any part of the world -S well as within New Zealand, the Bank of New South Wales has opened a travel department in the bank’s premises in Invercargill. Already branches of the department have been established in each of the four main centres, but Invercargill is the first city outside the four centres to which this service has been extended. Modern and authentic information is supplied about ocean, railway and air routes, sailing dates and fares, and the department also undertakes to prepare itineraries for independent or conducted travel. If desired, all transport, sightseeing trips and hotel accommodation may be reserved and prepaid. At each travel department arrangements may be made to see the principal places of beauty and interest in the city and country and advice and assistance is also accorded in obtaining of credit, travellers’ cheques and currency exchange are among the services extended by the department, which does not cater exclusively for the bank’s own customers. The service is a public one, operated in co-opera-tion with the shipping companies, and it is the earnest wish of the bank that the public will make use of the faculties offered and so justify the extension of the servite to Invercargill. A special office, with a member or the staff in charge, has been set apart for this service, and it is fully equipped with publications of interest to travellers from all parts of the world. An illustration of the type of information available was given , to a reporter yesterday by Mr R. A. Douglas, manager of the Invercargill branch of the Bank of New South Wales, who said that in one of the northern centres a visitor asked, “What time does the train leave Jerusalem for Jappa?” The officer in charge consulted his time-tables and replied: “It leaves at 8 a.m. and arrives at 10.30. “Thank you,” replied the visitor, as though the inquiry were an everydayoccurrence, and departed.