£4500 Forgotten.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 20 April 1910, Page 4

£4500 Forgotten.

RANK NOT 10 ROMANCE OF SIEGW OF MAFEIvING.

How a sum of over £-1500 paid over by the Government to the Standard Bank of South Africa in connection with the siege and defence of Mafeking was apapren.tly forgotten for some six years is related in the Army Appropriation Account for 1908-9.

During the siege of Mafeking the supply of cash in the town was insufficient to meet requirements, and the commanding officer gave directions for tilne creation of a paper currency redeemable at the Mafeking branclh of the bank on resumption of civil law. Accordingly, £1 notes to the value of £683, 10s notes to the value of £35 00, and copons (Is, 3s, 3s) to the value of £1045 were issued, making a total of £5228. As each issue of notes was made the paymaster paid into the bank by cheque an equivalent amount.

After the relief of the town the notes and coupons were extensively bought up as mementoes of the siege, and the paper presented for payment amounted to only £638. leaving a balance of £4590 outstanding. The fact that the bank had been paid the full value of the notes and coupons in advance escaped notice, and although civil law was resumed throughout Cape Colony on September 16th, 1902, no steps were taken >to obtain an account of the actual sums paid by the bank in .redemption of the paper currency until January, 1908. THie paymaster then brought the matter to the notice of the chief accountant of the South African command. The circumstances were reported to the War Office, and prompt action was taken, with the result that the bank repaid the whole of tlve outstanding balance, .