Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

210 HISTORY OF THE BANKyouths in this country who had failed of appointment.Competingbanks also made a jest of the plan, but as soon as theysaw the excellent results obtained, began to follow suit. In1910 similar steps were taken to recruit men in Ireland,arrangements being made for the purpose with solicitors inDublin and Belfast. In England a number of men weretaken on through the bank's London office, which for a timeextended its activities to the continent of Europe with aview to obtaining men equipped with a knowledge of thelanguage and customs of the various European nationalitiesfound in Canada. The outcome has been to provide Canadawith a body of new-comers of the most admirable type, manyof whom will found families in this country, while at thesame time The Canadian Bank of Commerce was enabledto continue its policy of branch extension in the West.As already stated, the bank, while obeying the tendencyimmortalized in Bishop Berkeley's 1line, "Westward, the courseof Empire takes its way," was not idle in the east. Aboutthis time came the acquisition of the Halifax Banking Company,2 which gave The Canadian Bank of Commerce a solidfooting in the Maritime Provinces, under conditions whichbanished any sectional prejudice that might be aroused by anew-comer from the region of the Great Lakes who soughtto compete for business with local institutions hallowedby long traditions. The taking over of the Halifax BankingCompany was accompanied by an increase in the capital of TheCanadian Bank of Commerce from $8,000,000 to $10,000,000,and this was authorized at a special meeting of shareholdersheld on April 14, 1903. The details of the purchase may bebriefly recapitulated here. The absorbed bank had a paid-upcapital of $600,000 and a Rest of $525,000, for which TheCanadian Bank of Commerce virtually paid with its own stock'George Berkeley (1685-1753), Irish bishop and philosopher, was born nearDysert Castle, Thomastown, Ireland. He was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin.In 1724 he was nominated Dean of Deny, and in 1734 was raised to the bishopric ofCloyne. He was the author of a number of philosophical works.See Vol. I, chapter IL