EARLY DAYS ARE RECALLED

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 94, 7 May 1937, Page 49 (Supplement)

EARLY DAYS ARE RECALLED

Hastings was prpelaimed a bp rough the commercial actiyities of the distfict had adv&neetl sufiapiently to justify the esteblishment of benks here, Pfeviously bank qfficials from Napier had visited the town At regular .Intefvals to reeeiye depqs}tfi, The Bauk qf New Zealand was the, ftest to qpen a hraaeh in the town. This was in "psi, Imt diiving a hnaneial depressien in the late nineties this branch was olqsed. Mr- MoQuiHan was the first .manager, and he was followed by Mr M, T. Philspn, who was heFe for several years HRtil the branch oloseo,. The progress made by Ha,stings latei ind'kate^ to the directors qf the Hana of New Zealand th.at it was neccssary to ?eqpen a branon here. IJnder the utaoageinent. of Mr RiohaM the Bank of New Zealand soon established a substantia.l conneotion. Tlie bank began business en the sitp if at present oooupies, in 9 bloek that was twice swept by flre, once in 1893 and again in 1907, New an6 handsome prenrlsea were e?ected afteF the eafthsuakn. The present manager is, Mr, A McLaughlip. Wales & Union in 1 884 in t,he yea? I884 cwo nanks opeueo branehes in Hastings. Thpy wero the Cnion ba.nk of Auptralia and the Bank of New South Wales, Th© latter has been on the eame sit© all along. The first building waa destroyed in the flre of I893 but that built in 1894 escape3 destruction from flre and ©arthquake in 1831 and waa recontly dempl'ighed to permit the erection of the piesent flno prenusea, One ef the eajiy m.auagers of the Bank of New South Waka was Mr W. H, h, Galway, who is weil remeinbered by many of the elder residents of Hastings. For many years Mr E, A. Hurley n^anaged this bank during a period when the t°wn was growing rapldly. The first manager, Mr Walter Potts, was subsequently appofnted to Sydqey as assistantgeneral manager of the bank. Mr R. Bridge is the present pianager. Among the early claents of the Bank of Now South Wales who are Btill pn its books are Mr H. A. Mossman, Mr T. J. Thompson, Messrs Logan, Williams and White, and Messrs Land and Heighway. In the fiarae ypgr thp TJnion Bgnk of Australia opened a braneh in premisea not far from Roach's store. gome time in the- nineties the bnildqng that was to be the bank's home for many years was erected at the corner of Karamu road and Heretaunga Btreet, Before the present brick premises were bullt the old wooden building was sliifted down the Havelock road. After being modernised and remodelled insjde it ds to-dav used as flats. Its outer appearance remains much as it was whan it was a bnnk. The hrst manager of the bank was Mr- E, K. Vickerman, Mr Minden Fenwick, now living in Karamu rcad, was the first clerk, and he used to sleep in one of the two rooms that comprised the bank's prcmcsna in 1884. Mr W. A. Kiely, for several years u.anagpr pf the Hastings braneh of the ITnion Bank, was appointed th'' bank 's inspector f°r New Zealand. The present manager is Mr. M. K. G. Mathpson. It is interesting to learn that Mr Wm. C. Maddison was on© qf the Union Bank's first cljente, yck sun, Mr G. A, Madd'ison, Mayor of Hastings to-day, stiji has Ms account with th.o same bank. Among eiients who etiU main, tain with the bank 's, aocount-s that were opeped before 1890 ara Mr, Jqhn Olds, Hastings, Mr Franqie Douglas, Elsthorpe, Mr William Bvidgman, Haver lock North, Mr. R. Gposoman and Mr. John A. Fraser, Hastings. National & A'asia The National Bank of New Ze&lanq first began business in Hastings in 1913. Mr H. E. von Dadelszen, now seeretary of the Heretaunga Dairy Company, wn,s the first manager when Ihe branch was opened in offices in Queen street immcdiatcly alongside the

Post Qfflce, Bater a. handsome new buiidihg was erected on the cprper oi J?aramu road and Queen street, put the interior qf thip was swept by fire, after th© ea.fthqoake a«d the building was demolished. The bank now oecupies new premisea in Ma.rket street nOrth. Mr von Dadelsz.en r-emained with the bank untii when he went i^to business .on his Pwn aeoonnt. Some yeare later he |oined the Heretaunga Bairy Company. Mr W. B, WUliama is the present manager* The Bank ef Aost?ainsi& came to Hastings in 1929. Its first manager was M? A. J. MeKay, and the brano,h Qccupied an ofice in Karamu road. After the earthquuke new premities wero built in Market street opposite the Hastings Club, Tha present manager Is Mr M- A. Hunter, The latest addition to the banking 1 services ef Hastings is the Commorciat Bank ef Ans.tralia, a braneh Of which wa§ established here in 1925 and which is now managed by Mr L, G. Raikes. This broqght the number ef banks carrying on business in Hastings |o six. Exeellent peryices wero renilered by all the banks to the people pf Hastings at the time of the earthquake dipaster of 1831, With 00 many business placeM in mina, and the trading life ef the town at a standstlll, many firpig and retailers were faeed with the gravest flnanoial anxioties, Oredft facilities, however, were made available witix°ot deiay, and this contributed pubstantially to the rapid resforatfon pf the business of the town. The erection of a tempoyary building pt thp rear of the Bank of New South WaJes prpvided bpnking facilities for the town within a very short time, In this building ihose banks that had had their premises destroyed or seriously damaged in the earthquake and fire carried on bujiness whlle new premises were being bu'ilt.