gabo
band
THE NETHERLANDS
Colour and nature
on Netherlands
paper money
Tourism in Holland: more than
tulips and clogs
Over 900 general
meetings a year
Issue 3/April 5, 1989
The Netherlands bank
notes are unlque. Their bright
colours and exceptlonal de
signs set them apart In the
world of paper money.
The ingredients for a bank
note are just simply paper and
ink. But the way in which both
materials are used is compli-
cated. There are all kinds of
stipulations to fulfil. Each of
the Netherlands bank notes
has a different colour and de
sign. The illustrations serve
mainly for recognition and to
allow for various graphic secu-
rity devices against forgery to
be included. Traditionally the
watermark is the hallmark of a
genuine bank note. The Ameri
can dollar has no watermark in
contrast with the Netherlands
notes which have one. Dutch
paper money is the only kind
in the world which is marked
for identification by the blind.
Each bank note has a mark in
the lower left-hand corner
which is in relief, as shown on
the photograph.
The central bank, the Nether
lands Bank, was set up in
1814.Bank notes were first is-
sued in that year. The highest
denomination was DFL 1000,-
(approx. 500 US$), the lowest
was DFL 25,-. The average
weekly wage at that time was
DFL 10,-! The lifespan of a
Netherlands bank note is now
between 11 and 30 months.
Every year some 300 million
soiled or worn notes are re-
placed by 'fresh' ones. There
are some 400 million notes
now in circulation altogether.
Until 1981 the Netherlands
paper money was illustrated
with historical figures such as
the artist Frans Hals and the
naval hero Michiel de Ruyter.
Research by the Netherlands
Bank showed that illustrations
from history had no general
appeal. As a result 'nature'
was chosen to be the topic as
from 1981. The series in-
cludes a brown DFL 100,- note
depicting a bird, a yellow and
orange DFL 50,- note with a
sunflower on it, and a purple
DFL 250,- note showing a light-
house among the dunes. The
Netherlands money differs
clearly from that of other coun-
tries in its modern design and
use of colour.
The Netherlands is vlsited
by 5m tourlsts every year.
Anyone interested in history
or culture will enjoy vislting
any one of the 600 Dutch mu
seums, which house collec-
tions ranging from 17th cen-
tury paintings to toys, skates,
clocks, money boxes, ceram-
ics etc.
The most famous museums
are the Rijksmuseum in Am
sterdam with its collection of
paintings by Rembrandt and
the Vincent van Gogh Museum
in Amsterdam. The Open Air
Museums in Enkhuizen and
Arnhem display authentic
farmhouses, cottages and in-
dustrial premises which have
been transported to the new
site brick by brick.
Each of the Dutch towns and
cities has its own distinctive
character. Amsterdam with its
canals, bridges and 17th centu-
ry houses attracts millions of
visitors every year and is a dy-
namic city with a cosmopolitan
flavour. In the summer months,
people enjoy relaxing and meet
ing friends at pavement cafés.
The famous flower season be-
gins in March and ends in
September. The bulb fields are
in bloom from the end of
March to the end of May, de-
pending on the weather. Mil
lions of tulips, daffodils and
One of the offices of Rabobank
Leeuwarden, estabiished in an
ancient building.
hyacinths in countless varieties
cover the polders of the west
ern part of Holland with a
breathtaking carpet of colour.
Many foreigners think of the
Netherlands as a flat country of
windmills and water where
everyone wears clogs. But that
is only part of the total picture.
There are still a thousand or so
windmills to be seen and many
people in country areas still
wear clogs. But the Nether
lands is first and foremost a
modern country with extensive
facilities for recreation and
tourism. In many countries,
tourist information can be ob-
tained from the local branch of
the Netherlands Tourist Office
which produces 5m brochures
every year in several lan-
guages.
The 906 Rabobanks in the
Netherlands together have
some 800,000 members.
Members of local banks have
the right to vote at the annual
general meeting of their own
bank. The policy of the local
Rabobank is discussed on
this occasion. Members may
also be chosen to join the
Board of Directors or the Su-
pervisory Board of the bank.
In fact the members of a local
bank also have a considerable
say in the policy of the whole
organization.
Each bank belongs to one of
the Regional Delegate Assem-
blies of banks, of which there
are 43. Three delegates from
each of these 43 assemblies
together form the Central Dele
gate Assembly which we call
the parliament of our organiza
tion. These 129 delegates at-
tend meetings with the Execu-
tive Board of Rabobank Neder
land four times a year.
Every Rabobank holds one an
nual general meeting. It is a
statutory obligation to con-
vene a general meeting of
this kind.But it also reflects
the cooperative nature of the
bank. All the same there are
banks which question the val-
ue of the general meeting.
They prefer to hold informa
tion sessions and seminars
on commercial grounds. But
there is al"so a growing num-
ber of banks which take the
annual general meeting very
seriously. The objective is a
more professional presenta-
tion of the bank and its poli
cy. There is a course which
General Managers and Chair-
men of the Boards of Direc
tors can follow before the
general meetings concerning
1988 are held. It teaches
them how to preside over the
general meeting and how to
prepare a good presentation.
The first courses have been
completed and according to
participants from the
Provinces of Friesland and
Groningen they are well worth
In Raboband International
1988/1 we wrote that the
Rabobank Group had 915
member banks and in the
second edition 1988 we
stated that there were
912. Meanwhile this num-
ber has been reduced to
906. This is not because
the Rabobank Group is in
any difficulty. The reason is
that mergers between local
banks are still taking
place. In some places
there are two banks in one
neighbourhood and in oth-
ers two smaller banks may
feel that they can be of
more service to customers
if they form one bigger
bank. To merge or not to
merge, this is one of the
possible items for discus
sion at the annual general
meeting of a member
bank.
the effort. Professionally or-
ganized meetings will have
more appeal for members.
An essential item on the agen
da of a general meeting is al-
ways the speaker. A number of
obligatory items such as the
approval of the annual ac
counts and the appointment oi
new board members if any, is
dealt with before the interval.
As a rule a talk on a specific
topic is given after the inter
val. This is usually done by
someone from outside the lo
cal bank. It may be one of the
experts of Rabobank Neder
land, or for instance, someone
from outside the organization
to give information on town
planning, or land consolidation
in the region. Legal and fiscal
subjects are also popular. The
choice of a speaker can make
the meeting more interesting,
which helps to win over more
members. Once a member has
attended a meeting which was
interesting, it will be easier for
him/her to overcome any hesi-
tation the next time. Hopefully
members will begin to feel that
the ins and outs of the
Rabobank Group are their con
cern.
denederlam
Dutch paper money is marked for
identification by the blind.
