The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-25
RANKS IN THIS STATE.
rHty-four National Institutions Doing
Business.


"AsHISGToN CRY, May 4.-[special Ma
uohai banks have proved both blessing and a
uaIss-a blessing because they not onlyfaided
sns government In the time OF greatest need, but
Aiso ior tne reason that they have given fnan-
clai securify and stability; a curse because they
nave gwen the harpies something necessarily to
m nAlp SCOUT AS long, though, as the blessings
are maintained. nobody will grieve much over
'ne curses As everybody is interested in
money patters, even when the article is locked
up "a oufglar-proof vaults, the PosTIYTEILI-
skN1ER correspondent intends TO tell some
tnlng about the national banks of Washington.
ihere are in the state fity-four national
panks, having combined capital of $3.50 200.
Inc surplus fund of these banks is in the sum
Oh ti,zoS, $500, and they hold as undivided
profits sss2, 7.39, which, taken together, shows
that tney are in prime financial order. They
nave an outstanding circulation of 81. .263 900,
osck Of which is 81 200 500 In government bonds
deposited with the treasurer of the United
otates for redemption purposes. most i'm
portant feature of the banking business is the
matter Of individual deposits, as this is what
makes The mare 30, to use a vulgarism; and
here again the local banks are first-class They
hold as such deposits sA,S4o,67e, or 100000
more Than year ago. Their total resources
rcaen the immense sum OF s24 ,50o,ls7
In order to make the banking business pay
they have out as loans and discounts, sl5,l06,s24
over ss 100000 in excess Of the previous year.
Turing the last year eighteen new national
banks were organized, having an aggregate cap
itaI OF u $50, ,000 while since the national bank
Ing system was introduced but four banks have
gone into liquidation.
Asfhe banks are loaning out good deal OF
money 1t may be well TO see how they have
placed it. which information can be gained
from the following classification Of the loans
aDd discounts:
Thpt have ont on ra,,aY With al ,ia rer,o rn
secured, $685. ,S02os; on paper. with one or
more indorsers, otherwise unsecured, 5000
1lAW; on demand, with United States bonds,
other bonds, stocks, or eollaterals as security,
s1,24s,7 ,727.99; on time, with United States bonds,
other bonds, stocks, or collaterals, as security,
$2,25l,2S5 oS.
The banks in Washington, like those in all
the states, outside of the reserve cities, are re-
1uired 70 have lawful money reserve of at
leAst l6per cent. of the deposits. This reserve,
Win the local banks, is In the sum OF s2,14s, rs,
hui they are much better Off than the require
1nents Of the law, as they hold as such reserve,
&. ,Gc3, or nearly IS per cent.
Iae question is often raised as to the sui
deiency cf our banking facilities, so the depart
me4f has paid no little attention to tine subject
~ 4rrxpltof the investigation, 1t can be said
me{ while Washington is exceeded in this re-
speak hy s0me, it 10 quite distance ahead of the
nh51dty Of the states The facts for the local
Inetttutions hre told in the following statement:
fhe popuiation of the state, according to the
ree9Ht eentsis, Is s49,5l6. The aggregate capital,
r<Iae. up4i vided profits and individual de-
po4Hsot The national banks ana other fiscal
esf1biisftqetts amount. to $2ss20,62s, or an aver
age 81 3s3 Hper capita The average per capita
OF nntisl|H banks is $67.9S; state banks, sls17:
savtnM A4nks 1886, and private banks, 81 "a.
Som 49<(s, like Arkansas, have an average per
capiu ~ but little more than S., and even
great N Ike Illinois has only $50 per capita.
The &lume Of outside business done by the
local - laztsyear is shown by the following
amerinfbx dratss drawn On New York, s2e,-
o6s.z2f ~ Gh1eago. s4,sSI, ,SSSs on st. Louis,
-, $685. n other reserve cities, s14504 S62; on all
other 1xlks, -, $50 COL total, $74,334,2e4 This
eclipse the record OF such states as Minnesota,
Kentuqky q Mis*ouri, and Is over SIS, 600 600 in
excess u thd retnfns for Oregon
1t becomes Of Interest now to inquire into the
moneyrnakinx capacity of the local banks, for
this Is What they are run for. The returns are
only corrPlete Tor ferty-two banks, as some of
those OF Iate established have only started on
theroad 70 fortune. Naturally, those who have
made retufns show handsome gains. But the
figures tell the 4ofy better than words.
The gross earnings of these forty two banks
amounted, for the year, TO S1,4l4,957 o. But
there had to be charged off as losses and pre-
miums $6Osa9.es, and fcr expenses and taxes
p. This left ss the net earnings $751;
15l.D. There Were paid as dividends s311,74
Thenet earnings 10 capital and surplus were
17.a per cent, while the dividends to capital
andsurplus were but $40 per cent The divi
dends on the capital alone were SIS per cent.
This, as alraady said, is frst-class showing
The returns from the savings banks of the
state show that there are 5,634 depositors,
with total deposits OF S523 129, or an average of
s92s5 to each depositor
-