WAIHI VALEDICTORY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4323, 28 September 1921, Page 4

WAIHI VALEDICTORY.

POPULAR BANKER AND CITIZEN

•4 u PRESENTATION TO MR. KENRICK

EXPRESSIONS OF ESTEEM.

The esteem in which Mr Arthur T. Kenrick, manager of the W,aihi branch of the Bank of. New Zealand for upwards of twenty years, and who left ,fpr Inglewood on Monday to assume the management of the bank’s business there, is held by the community both as a banker and a citizen, states the Telegraph, was amply testified to by the representative gathering of townspeople at the Borough Council Chambers on Friday afternoon to bid him good-bye and give 'tangible expression to their feelings in the shape of a presentation. The Mayor, Mr D. Donaldson; presided, and in handing to Mr Kenrick a purse of sovereigns and a gold-mount-ed fountain pen on behalf of the numerous subscribers, he s aid he was only voicing the sentiments of the townsfolk generally in expressing profound regret at parting with the recipient, whose career during his long association with Waihi was t»p well and favourably known to necessitate any special reference thereto. All who had been associated with Mr Kenrick in his public capacity or as a fellow townsman knew him as a gentleman, as pne ever ready to give the benefit of his advice in matters pertaining to the business of his clients or others, and as one who had always played a prominent and yet unostentatious part in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the town and in patriotic, charitable, and othex’ movements for the benefit of institutions or individuals. In his 1 capacity pf manager of the bank’s business at Waihi he had discharged his duties of his important office in a manner which had reflected the greatest credit upon himself, and -o the benefit and advantage of the institution, and at the same time had always protected the best interests of his clients, never sparing himself where his advice and services might prove beneficial. Perhaps the most striking testimony to Mr Kenrick’s popularity was the desire shown by one and all to whom the proposal to make a presentation had been mentioned to be associated with the movement. There had been nothing in th’e shape of canvassing or of bringing pressure to bear; one and all had

been delighted at the opportunity offered, and had given with'free hearts and good will. . In concluding Mr Donaldson wished the recipient long life and prosperity and'every success in his new sphere of .activities, at the same time expressing the hope that the change would have a beneficial effect on the health of Mrs Kenrick, who had, when circumstances permitted, taken an active part in various movements, and the members of the family, who had not at times been blessed with the best of health.

LETTER FROM CITIZENS. Mr W. M. Jackson then read the following letter of appreciation on behalf of the citizens of Waihi and signed by the committee, consisting of the Mayor (Mr Donaldson), and Messrs P. G. Brady (president Waihi Chamber of Commerce), J. McGregor (vice-president Chamber of Commerce), Wm. McConachie (Manager Grand Junction Gold Company), W. M. Jackson (borough solicitor), J. Murray (agent Public Trustee), J. Whitehead, S. Leah (managing director Waihi Grand Junction Gold Company) • “A. T. Kenrick, Esq., manager Bank, of' New Zealand, Waihi. Dear Mr Kenrick, —In banding you, through the Mayor, a purse of sovereigns on your departure from Waihi, we, as representing the citizens, wish to express ,the appreciation which your fellow townspeople feel towards you both as a banker and a citizen. As manager of the Bank of New Zealand you have, during your long term of service in this ■town, uniformly treated your clients with the utmost courtesy and consideration, and have always been ready to sink your own personal convenience for that of your clients and the good of the bank. For these things and also for your uniform sound advice and your attention to the interests of the clients of the bank we wish to tender you the thanks and appreciation of the citizens. As a citizen you have also earned .the' goodwill and esteem of the people by your unfailing courtesy and kindliness and by your readiness at all times to assist and give of your best in the project which had as its object the Well being of the town or the welfare of its citizens. Especially we would refer to your very much valued help in all patriotic efforts which were undertaken in Waihi during the Great War. We congratulate i you on your promotion, and wish to express bur regret that you are lieav-

ing our town and the friends you have made during your long residence here. In conclusion we extend to you the best wishes of your fellow-citi-zens for. your future success and advancement, and trust that you and yours may be long spared to enjoy health, .happiness, and prosperity.”

OTHER SPEECHES. Mr J. McGregor, speaking for the Chamber of Commerce and the business people pf the town, said that his relations during 15 years in the town with Mr Kenrick as a banker and a citizen had been most happy, and he could say that in his official capacity that gentleman had been most helpful to himself and the tradesmen generally, his efforts ever having been directed to the protection of their interests. He trusted that the guest’s wellimerited promotion would prove a stepping-stone to further advancement.

Mr J. L. Dabinett, manager of the National Bank, paid a warm tribute to his fellow banker’s unfailing courtesy during his association with that gentleman. In the matter pt advice and information, which the speaker, as a comparatively recent arrival, had sought, Mr Kenrick had always most cheerfully responded to all inquiries, and it was with genuine regret that he. had heard of his transference elsewhere. He, however, trusted that the- same' happy relations would continue to exist between Mr Kenrick’s successor (Mr Pender) and himself, and that happiness, long life, and prosperity would be the lot of Mr Kenrick in his new sphere. Mr S. Leah, representing the mining industry, said that apart from the business intercourse in which relations had always been most pleasant, he looked upon the guest as one of the leading lights of the town, and one whose loss as a citizen and a friend would b- Q generally regretted. His company had always had unfailing attention and courtesy in its dealings with Mr Kenrick. Mr W. E. Busch said that during a business career of fourteen years in Waihi.it had been his lot tp frequently seek advice from his banker, and had always found that advice sound, in fact, he ; attributed the success which had attended him in business largely to the soundness of Mr Keiirick’s advice.

MR. KENRICK REPLIES,

Mi- Kenrick, who was received with applause, made a feeling reply, saying that the kindly references to his efforts as a. banker and a citizen had made the task of severing his connection with the town all the harder. For days past he had been waited upon and written to by friends expressing regret at his departure, and he was proud to say that some of those who had so expressed themselves were not clients of the bank, and only known to him in a mdre or

less casual way, including several of the workers. Practically the whole of his banking experiences had been in goldfields districts, and he had found .the men who followed mining a fine type and sterling fellows with whom he was pleased to claim acquaintance. With regard to what Mr •Dabinett had said, it had*always been his desire to be on good terms with his fellow bankers, as he believed that exchanges of ideas and discussions on various business and financial matters were mutually beneficial and at times to the advantage of the clients of the institutions. The relations referred to had also existed during the many years he had been associated with Mr Dabinett’s predecessor (Mr W. Crauford-Brown), and he took the opportunity of thanking both gentlemen for their unfailing courtesy and for the benefit of their advice on various matters. After such a long association with the district it was hard to break away, but he would ever have g warm place in his heart for Waihi and the people of the town, and would, when- opportunity offered, make it his business to pay Waihi a visit. He had unbounded faith in the town and in the future of the district, and was confident that ten years hence it would b? a bigger and more prosperous centre than it was to-day. There were still many years of successful mining ahead of the district,' and in the 1 meantime agricultural pursuits, and particularly dairying, were z steadily coming to the fore, and would at no very distant date play a most important part in the industrial welfare of the town and adjacent districts. He had always been a warm advocate of settling the land, and unbounded faith in its productivity. Within a few miles from the Waihi post office there were 40,000 acres of land suitable for dairying, pastoral and cropping, and as the right class of settlers were now coming into the district the progress would be much more rapid. Already the annual output of ' cream would surprise those hot in touch with the district, and when he reached Inglewood, which was the centre of a big 1

agricultural .area, he would make it his business to acquaint the farmers with the possibilities of the cheap lands about Waihi. If anything he had done during his term of office in .the town had been to the advantage of the townspeople, then ithe knowledge of the fact was ample reward for his efforts; as it had ever been a pleasure to lend such assistance as he was,, capable of in both public matters and in all matters pertaining to clean, healthy sport, which played a prominent part in moulding the characters of the young people and made them better citizens. After saying that he hoped the change would bring Mrs Kenrick and 'the children bettpr health’, Mr Kenrick, amidst applause, concluded by asking for his successor (Mr Pender) the same courtesy and consideration that had always been extended to himse'lll