r Judging icom what has appeared from i time, to time dur ing the past few months in the columns of our contempoi:tries, we think that there can be but one opinion us regards the way that banking business is conducted on the goldfields, and that is, that it is far from being salisfaclory to those persons who have occasion to do busi ness with, the institutions in question, and against the best interests of foster ing and extending local industries and and enterprises. It is monstrous to think that whereas hundreds of thous ands of pounds have from time to time been advanced and eventually lost in supporting huge companies and prop ping up rotten concerns in the big cities, the local trader is denied the most trifling assistance by the agents who run these c;reat pawnshops on the goldfields. We know of several in stances in Arrowtown of men whose business with the Bank of New Zea land has been extensive for upwards of 20 years, who have deposited with the Bank security equal fully to three times in value to the amount of their lia bility, and the local agent, like Oliver Twist, has cooly and calmly asked for more, and eventually went so far as to put his client to considerabla expense in supplying a small additional security, the unfortunate customer having to pay the piper to the tune of 10 per j cent, for the accommodation he in the meantime receives. This is putting on the screw with a vengeance and no mistake, and the question naturally piesents itself whether there is not an opening for another bank to establish a profitable business on the goldfields. The local agent always impresses on his customers the fact that he is acting un der orders from headquarters when he is carrying out the pawnshop pro gramme to tho letter, but if this be .so we think that headquarters would do well to look at homo and set their vari ous officers throughout the country a somewhat bettor example. Had this been done in the past we venture the opinion that there would have been no occasion for the setting up of the pres ent Banking. Committee, nor the con tinuous wrangling which is at present. 