Executive Rebuff To BNZ Offer

Salient Reporter

The Bank of New Zealand has made "strenuous representations" to the Students' Association for room in the Student Union buildings for banking facilities, but without success, according to a bank spokesman.

He was replying to a criticism made in the last issue of Salient of banking facilities at the university.

He said that, if space was avail able, the bank would provide three or four tellers, providing business justified it.

The bank was tremendously disappointed that it was not getting the extra accounts which might have been expected. The Salient article had spoken of a queue of 17 people waiting to do business but this could not be typical as the average number of lodgements was less than 20 a day, and the number of cashed cheques less than 40.

The bank agency at present is open in the university office between 10.30am and 12.45pm on weekdays.

The bank had written twice to the Students' Association offering the services of a staff member for six hours a day for a week to discuss banking problems with students, the spokesman said. No action had been taken by the executive.

The hours of the agency had been under constant review but business had been restricted by available space. If there was more space it was hoped that business would increase.

"But the university will not, probably cannot, provide us with any more space," he said.

One or two other banks had been interested in the agency by had lost interest when they learnt the cost of running it, which was considerable.

He said the Students' Association had approached the Wellington Trustee Savings Bank about starting an agency in the Student Union Buildings. No such proposition had been discussed with the Bank of New Zealand, which had started its agency at the university five years ago when business was slack.

The courtyard outside the present locality of the agency had possibilities for extension of banking facilities, if the university would agree to hare it covered for this purpose, but it would not.

"We have served as well as we have been able in the space available and we have been told repeatedly that no alternative space is available," he said.