OCT. 25, 1940: AUSSIE AVIATORS FINANCIALLY STRANDED
Stories from our pages over the last 150 years.
Australian and New Zealand aviators, who crowded downtown banks today, found themselves stranded in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ with not a cent of usable money in their pockets.
They brought to the bank the British pound sterling notes with which they had been paid by their governments only to find that the pound sterling was not acceptable in any form in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½.
Bank managers here long-distanced Bank of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ officials, who said nothing could be done, as only in the case of British sailors off British ships can British money be accepted in exchange for Canadian currency.
Canadian air force men said it was an "insult" to the Australians and New Zealanders, who had come over to join the fight for the Empire, that they were left in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ without money to buy even a postage stamp.
They said arrangements to provide Canadian money for their men should have been made by the Australian and New Zealand governments. Bankers here have explained that many civilians arriving here with pounds sterling have been finding themselves stranded financially because British money will not be accepted for exchange. The only way they have been able to get their pounds changed has been to ship the actual money to San Francisco.
The San Francisco banks will take British money, giving United States dollars for it. The United States dollars then can be brought into ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ and exchanged for Canadian. -- Victoria Times
