Queensland Figaro and Punch (Brisbane, Qld. : 1885 - 1889), Saturday 27 April 1889, page 19


Queensland Deposit Bank & Building Society Ltd.

Corner of Albert & Adelaide .Streets .

The corner-stone of the magnificent premises now in course of erection at the corner of Adelaide and

Albert streets, Brisbane, for the Queensland Deposit Bank and Building Society, Limited, was laid on Tuesday afternoon, in the presence of a large and interested crowd of spectators, by the Hon. B. B. Moreton, M.L.C., the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The new building is to cost £12,000, and, judged from its plans, will be one worthy of the city and the enterprising company erecting it. There will be 94 feet frontage to Adelaide street, and 50 feet frontage to Albert street. The building will be three-storied, in the renaissance style, of brick, and cemented throughout. The architects being Messrs Hunter and Corrie, of 208, Queen street. The con-tractors are J. Moffatt and Co., who undertake that the building will be ready for occupation by the end of January next. At the corner-stone ceremony, the usual punctilios were observed as to placing within the cavity of the stone a jar containing copies of local newspapers and specimens of current coins. Alderman Hipwood, on behalf of the directors pre-sented the Hon. B. B. Moreton with the ceremonial silver trowel, and Mr Moreton gracefully performed the functions required of him of " well and truly " laying the stone. Subsequently, a banquet was given in the Columbia Skating Rink to about 600 guests; the caterers being Messrs Murray and Morgan, of Melbourne street, South Brisbane. The Hon. B. B. Moreton presided, and there were also present:—The Hon. J. Donaldson, Postmaster-General; the hons. W. D. Box, W. G. Power, P. T. Brentnall, and J. C. Heussler, Ms.L.C.; Messrs. G Agnew, W. C. Little, J. M'Master, M. B. Gannon, J. Crombie, J. Watson, A. F. Luya and W. Salkeld, Ms.L.A.; the Hon. J. B. Dickson; Lieut-Colonels Sheridan and Adams ; Drs. Thomson and Mearns ; Messrs. G. Woolnough, W. Kinniard Rose, E. Griffith, T. J. Byrnes, R. Porter, B. Newton, W. Kellett, H. Wakefield, J. Robinson, J. Chapman, B. Southall, J. Hipwood, H. Agnew (manager), Jas. Shaw (Mayor of Adelaide), J. J. Kingsbury, H. Hunter, A. Corrie, A. Overend, B. Edwards, E. MacDonald, B. Gailey, J. Forsyth, J. Hardgrave, T. Smith, T. F. Groom, G. Prentice, junr., G. T. Bell, J. Stack, E, Sayce, W. T. Blake-ney, T. Smith, J. S. Manwaring, T. A. Ryan, E. H. Webb, H. C. Wright, B. Bruce, V. Power, T. Hall, T. Lenneberg, W. H. Day, P.M., W. H. Chambers, A. W. Chambers, A. Petrie, J. Sinclair, J. Brown and others. In proposing "Success to the Queensland Deposit Bank," the Hon. W. D. Box mentioned that, when the institution had only been in existence little more than a year the public deposits at interest had amounted to £55,000; and before the close of its second year they had amounted to .£156,000. The reserve funds amounted to £31,750, on a paid-up capital of £53,000, The Chairman, in reply, laid stress on the fact that the directors had harmo-niously aimed at establishing solid and permanent business. Various toasts followed. In reply to that of The Directors" the Hon. John Donaldson endorsed the remarks of the chairman as to the aims of tbe directors. In reply to the toast of "The Manager," Mr. H. Agnew remarked that the Queens-land Deposit Bank had been the first institution in Queensland that had combined banking, freehold land business and building. He would try to live to see it equal the present position of the Star Bowkitt Banking, Freehold Land and Building Society, in England, which was the largest institution of its

kind in the world, and had assets worth £4,000,000.