THE SULTAN AND A BANK OVERDRAFT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1040, 17 December 1912, Page 4

THE SULTAN AND A BANK OVERDRAFT.

It was in a back country township not one thousand miles from Mount Egmont, with the usual “one store, one church, one pub.” In this case there happened to be a bank also, and the manager was one of those happy-go-lucky sorts one so often meets south of the line. The storekeeper was a young New Zealander of a very similar temperament. It so happened that there was a slump in the money market, and things were “tight,” so much so that the bank manager was forced to call upon the storekeeper and remind him that his overdraft was too large, and that as the half-yearly balance was near it would be necessary to reduce it forthwith. The storekeeper declared with truth and vigour that he couldn’t raise another cent. “Give us a bill,” said the hard case manager. “Bill?” replied the storekeeper; “Whom cau I draw on ?” “Oh, Lord, anyone you like,” was the reply. “Draw on the Sultan of Turkey, and I’ll credit you with the amount for the time being until balance time is over.” “Right ho,” said the storekeeper, and the transaction was duly completed. By an accident the bill was sent Home and presented through Rothschilds to the Sultan for acceptance. Just at that time it so happened that Turkey was negotiating a very heavy loan with the aid of British financiers, and the Turkish authorities, fearful of offending so great an authority as Rothschilds, honoured the draft without demur. Needless to say (continues the Patea County Press) the jubilation of the storekeeper was great, and the transaction was duly “welted.”