Early history of the Victoria West branch of the Standard Bank of South Africa.

Abstract

• Opsomming: Die Standard Bank van Suid-Afrika se tweede tak is op 15 April 1863 op Victoria-Wes geopen. Die Bank wat in verskeie geboue gehuisves was voordat die huidige moderne gebou betrek is, deel reeds vir meer as 'n eeu in die wel en wee van die plaaslike gemeenskap. Die Bank se inspeksieverslae is 'n waardevolle bron van inligting oor plaaslike ekonomiese omstandighede, soos die uitwerking wat droogtes en oorstromings op die boerderybedryf het, die uitbuiting van die boere deur handelaars, die veranderde boerderymetodes en die bydrae wat die streek tot die land se totale produksie maak. Die Bank was nooit 'n onverskillige toeskouer nie en het gedurende moeilike tye soms self noustrop getrek.• Summary: The Victoria West Branch of the Standard Bank of South Africa was only the second to be established when it opened on 15 April 1863. The Bank occupied several premises consecutively before moving into the present modern building. For more than a century it has shared the weal and woe of the local population. The Bank's inspection reports are a valuable source of information on local economic conditions, such as the effects of droughts and floods on farming, the exploitation of the farmers by shopkeepers, the change in farming methods, and the contribution of the region to the country's total production. The Bank, never an indifferent spectator, was itself hard-pressed in difficult times.