Clement Bartley (1862 - 1936)

Born 1862 in New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Ellen Fisher — married 1884 in New Zealand

Descendants

Died 1936 at about age 74 in New Zealand

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Biography

Auckland Star 16th April 1931

: POPULAR BANKER - MR. BARTLEY RETIRING

After half a century of service Mr. Clem Bartley the manager of the Auckland Savings Bank is retiring. On April 30 he leaves on a year's leave of absence on full pay, and then he goes into well earned retirement as the saying goes, but those who know the genial banker find it very hard to picture him pottering about. Since he was a very little fellow he has never had a day's illness and has always led a most active life. He is one of those dynamic people who could never be satisfied to rust away. Mr. Bartley will be very much missed at the bank by both customers and staff. His long experience of the particular class of customers attracted by a savings bank, his utter disregard of the red-tape that is often to be found in big financial institutions, and his sound judgment and knowledge of human nature, made him a prime favourite with long-standing customers; so much so that many of them think of "Clem Bartley” when they really mean the bank. Forty years' experience in valuing town and country property has given him a unique knowledge of a most important part of a bank's business. As a manager he has always taken a'keen interest in the personnel, and many an employee owes his success in life to the sympathetic personal interest shown in him by the very human head of the establishment

Slumps and a Rush. During his career Mr. Bartley has seen three slumps in Auckland, and he was a very interested actor in the only "run on the bank" that has ever been eeen in the Dominion. As for the slumps, he remembers when hundreds of housos in Grey Lynn were occupied free of rent, merely to keep the insurance goinq. Times were so bad that landlords were only too glad to keep their tenants merely as guests. So it is no wondar that Mr. Bartley does not want anything in the nature of a "cheer up week" to make him optimistic about the present depression, he has seen much worse. The run on the bank happened when Mr. Bartley was in charge of the Newton branch; he was, in fact, the only officer there. Fortunately the rush had no justification and before the day was out Mr. Bartley had fully two-thirds of the customers back again with their deposits. It all arose from a very simple cause. One of the depositors in the branch had £1200 and wanted to draw out £100. At that time there was a rule saying that a customer must give a day's notice if he wanted to draw £100 or over. This was explained to the customer, but he either did not or would not understand and went down the street waving his bank book and saying that the bank could not pay him. Then the fun started. People rushed to the bank and tumbled over one another to get out their savings before the Crash came. Mr. Bartley was alone and had to handle the crowd. He got 2000 golden sovereigns sent up from the Bank of New Zealand and piled the lot in a glittering heap on a side counter while he dealt with the anxious withdrawers. Even the sight of the pile of gold did not calm their fears and the then president, Captain Daldy, was kept busy going up and down between the Bank of New Zealand and the Newton branch, carting sovereigns in a four-wheeled cab. Gradually the steady payout in minted gold had its effect, and the customers began to put their money back as the day wore on, and by closing time most of it was back in the bank vaults. It should, perhaps, be explained that at the time there was a big pastoral financing concern in Aucklaud in low water, and a building society went into liquidation. Some of the public got it into their heads that the Savings Bank was involved with these two concerns, and it only required the action of the unreasonable man with £1200 to put a match to the thing to start a blaze.

Born in Auckland in 1862, Mr. Bartley was the son of Mr. Robert Bartley, a well-known builder. His first mercantile experience was gained during three years he. spent in the office of Mr. F: G. Ewington, a land agent. In 1881 he joined the oank as a junior clerk, and at that date he was the newest arrival in a staff of only six. Today the staff numbers 68, and the one bank is now served by nine branches. Mr. Bartlel opened the very first branch, the Newton branch in 1880, and to give some idea of the amazing growth he has seen in Auckland, it is interesting to know that when Newton was opened there were only two houses In Grey Lynn. Though Newton was the first regular branch, prior to that the bank used to have an office out at Onehunga where cash was received on Friday nights, but it hardly deserved the name of a branch. In 1919 Mr.. Bartley was transferred to the head office as chief cletk, in 1922 he became accountant, a year later he was assistant manager and in 1920, when Mr. J. M.Barr retired from the managership, Mrr. Bartley became the head of the institution he had seen grow so astonishingly. When he joined 50 years ago the depositors numbered 5500, while to-day they number 150,000. In 1881 the deposits amounted to £160,000 and today they are £6,400,000. The total funds of the bank in 1881 were £185,000, today they are over £7,000,000. Mr. Hartley's genial personality and his ripe knowledge of banking and property values have played a most important part in the bank's success, and it was no wonder the trustees at their meeting yesterday spoke so appreciatively of him when they passed a special vote congratulating him on attaining a record of 50 years' service and placing on record their sincere appreciation of the services he so faithfully rendered to the bank during that- long period.

The bank has been remarkably fortunate in the class of officers it has always attracted to its ranks, and customers know that, hard as his place is to fill, Mr.. Bartley is being succeeded by a most capable officer in Mr. T. N. Smallwood, who will be acting manager during Mr. Bartley’s leave of absence. Mr. F. E. Sutherland will become acting accountant, Mr. H. Graham takes over the. duties of assistant accountant, and Mr. F.,P. Ennor those of chief clerk.

Death

Date: 1936

Place: New Zealand

Note: age 74

Marriage

Husband: Clement Bartley

Wife: Ellen Fisher

Marriage:

Date: 1884

Place: New Zealand

Child: Zoe Muriel Bartley

Child: Howard Russell Bartley

Child: Clement Graham Bartley

Child: Emily Rita Bartley

Child: Alva Martin Bartley

Child: Freda Verne Bartley

Child: Stella Joy (Joy) Bartley

Sources

• Source: New Zealand Government Title: Births Deaths Marriages URL: https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search/