The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-01-28
London Bank Tellers.

A London bank teller, says the Boston
Commercial Bulletin, always experiences
feeling of relief when he finds his money
correct at the close of Fridays work, and
this feeling is usually shared in by the rest
of the staff, who can not leave the bank
until he either discovers his error or salts
fies himself as to the actual shortage The
great bulk of the shortages made across
bank counters in England are believed to
occur on that day.
Next in order of bad days for the teller,
or cashier, as he is designated in London,
comes Saturday, but there the bad luck is
intelligible. Saturday is wages day, and
no sooner has the teller filed his till and
loaded up his shelves with silver in e5 and
e10 bags than the days work sets in like
food Until twelve o'clock he is paying
away with both hands; after that hour, if
he is receiving clerk as well, he begins
to receive heavily, for Saturday is also the
last day of the week and every one elects
that the bank should receive his deposits
rather than he should keep them in his
own less secure custody over Sunday.
In beginning work on Saturday the Lon
don teller faces an open mahogany counter,
of which the portion controlled by his desk
is probably six feet long by three feet wide.
He likes to have good, square view of his
customer, and it is one of the canons of
British banking that the eyes of the staff
shall command the counter With such
an open counter the chief clerk is able to
keep the whole field under his eye at one
time, and to relieve the oyerstrain at any
particular desk. The effect of the exposed
condition is beneficial, too, on the staff, the
members of which preserve steadier de-
meanor and attend more closely to business
while under the eyes of the public.
The London teller is a quick manipulation
of coin. This is largely owing to the fact
that the smallest note issued in London is
Of the value Of 95 or S25. When asked
for gold in a greater amount than his eye
can count at a glance, the teller, after
counting it quickly with piapoforte
motion, throws it with his copper scoop
into his faithful scales, and so check his
count. The weights of these scales are
arranged in suitable numbers. The teller
also checks the gold which he receives by
weight, and here his knowledge of his bust
ness will be tested. One hundred new
soyereigns are of full weight, rather more,
in fact, but the same number taken at hap
hazard will be found to be nearly half a
sovereign Cor ! per cent. short in weight,
while 100 pounds sterling in ordinary half
sovereigns are sometimes 20 shillings (or
/ per cent short in value The teller
can quickly satisfy himself as to whether
the deficiency is caused by shortage in the
weight or the count by dividing the amount
and weighing one moiety against the other.
If they balance evenly the count is correct,
and the difference is due to underweight.
If the latter exceeds the average state the
coin will need to be specially examineds
there is probably something wrong.
The edge of the English bank counter
is provided with lip to prevent the coin
from rolling over and to aid the teller in
scooping up the money. The teller usually
counts with she first two fingers of both
hands simultaneously, sometimes he uses
six fingers and teller has been known to
count four hundred and fifty soyereigns in
one minute, working against time. An
expert teller will count one hundred pounds
sterling value of silver in seven minutes.
When 1t is remembered that the coins are
always mixed, and consist of sixpences,
shillings, fiorins, halfcrowns and crowns,
with never a decimal convenience among
them, this will reasonably be considered as
a remarkable feat
The annual loss from wear and tear Of
gold coin in England by reason of the
absence of small notes is almost incredible.
In Scotland the issue of one-pound sterling
notes displaces gold to great extent. The
Scotch teller exeels in counting paper
money. In lingering bundle of notes
he is king of men. Placing the packets
upright against his left palm, and seising
the top corner between the finger and
thumb of his right hand, he will turn over
the notes so quickly that an ordinary OBJ
server will be as entirely deceived as by
the three card trick, and will probably
count only sixteen or seventeen to the
tellers twenty. Thee, to check his count,
he will either alternate his hands, or, plac-
ing the notes horizontally on his counter,
he will count them toward himself with
the same paralyzing speed,
The scotch counter Is twice as wide as
the London ONE it is elevated in the center
and is minus the rim, which facilitates the
English tellers dexterity with the coin.
The Scotch teller in Edinburgh is rallied
in. His domain is little island by itself,
he takes no responsibility, he carries no
balances in his head, and will not look at
a check until the ledger clerk, far off in
the corner, has countersigned it.
An advantage which the England teller
possesses over the Americanand the Scotch
teller lies in the fact that he issues clean
notes only The Bank of England has
the exclusive privilege of note issues in
London and within radius Of sixty miles,
a right conferred for a certain valuable