The morning call., 1893-01-05
Bank Clerks Gooped Up at
the Noon Hour.
THEIR LUNCH ON THE INSIDE.
Employees of the German Savings and
Loan Society Fed at the Banks
Expense.
Free lunch at a bank.

There is no sign out that grub here is
gratis" but when the hungry hour of noon
comes ali the workers leave their stacks of
gold, drop their pens and make bee line
for the lunchr0om. back of the vaults,
where couple of millions In coin generally
lie idle.
This is how they do it In the German
Savings and Loan Society, and banking
circles are all agog with establishment at the
new movement. There are thirty banks of
deposit and fourteen savings and loan
societies in the city. and the number of
clerks, cashiers. accountants, messengers
and others employed in the city represent
a small army.
All of these are talking about the recent
adoption Of the free-lunch plan in the Ger
man Savings and Loan Society Some of
them are in favor of tn Q movement as con-
ducive to a reduction of expenses, 9th ers
oppose 1t vehemently on the ground that it
is a restriction on tn cir personal liberty.
All are intensely inte rested in the matter,
and besides talking abo ut it are wondering
whether the plan will bee ONE general.
No one passing the handsome new struc-
tuTe Of the German Savings and Loan S o.
cisty would imagine that it is a com bina-
ton Of restaurant aud bank, of chef nd
cashier. Look up at the beautifully pol
ished granite, the marble stairs, the Mu-
nieh stained windows, the carved angels in
relief over the entrance the golden letters
on the facade and the Byzantine ONE at
the top and ask yourself, could you suspect
that behind all this election of architec-
tuFal magnifcence, behind t he polished
mahogany coun eFs. with their heap OF
glittering gold and silver, was a coo ksh0p
and feedery.
And yet such is the fact. A CALL re-
porter visited President Gottig OF the bank
Yesterday and asked him il it were true, as
was being told in banking circles, that the
German Savings and Loan Society had
adopted the plan OF not allowing It's EN- =
pioyes out al the noon hour and of feeding
them at Its own expense.
Mr.. Goltlg was little taken by surprise
at the question, but any one who knows
the siX-fOOt, neutrality-suspicious. presi-
dent of the German bank knows shat he is
nothing if not direct and frank
I'VE have q restaurant attached to the
bank" he said. None OF our employees
sre allowed cut at the noon hour. When
lunch time comes the employees retire to q
lunchTo0m, where they are served free Of
charge"
How was the idea adopted ?" was asked.
''Oh, when ! was in New York recently l
there. and paid particular attention 10 the
government of employees and the details of
the offices. | found In many instances that
the banks bad adopted the restaurant plan
for the better management Of their en-
ployes, and that ii worked with success
| When / returned here, after consulting with
the directors, our bank decided to make the
innovation, as We desired to be in the front
rank of prC greSs.
What reasons induced you to feed your
ennloyes at your own expense"
well. you know that banking hours are
very Short" replied Mr. Gottig. ''Just
think Of il. from 10 O'Clock 10 8, only five
hours. Yet what an enormous amount of
business We have to transact IN that short
time. how many people we have 10 see,
what multitarlous accounts to settle and
arrange.
Now we desire to obtain the use Of as
much of cur employees time as possible.
In compensation for keeping them in We
give them their meal free. This is great
advantage and acts as considerable in-
crease in salary.
al freque atty happens that me- rail- in
lie efiice on the most important business
requiring immediate attention. The clerk
or accountant having charge Gf the par
ticClar department In which the business
is connected happens TO be out TO lunch.
THIS causes a delay which is often not
only inconyenient, but fatal TO the pro-
posed transaction.
"By furnishing our employees with meals
we have them here all the time. The plan
Is to the advantage OF the bank aud TO
the employe also. There are great many
men employed who would like to have their
noon meal paid for every day, especially
when they are accustomed to pay 90 cents
or six bits for IL.
That's all there is to It." continued Mr.
GotLig. smiling a bank-presdent smile
while he busted few specks of dust of his
black frock Goa Eve want our employees
here al the time during business and are
willing to pay for their meals. The cost?
you ask. Oh, that Is nothing. About $500
n month or so. What is that to bank ?"
And the big German Bank president
LAUGHED at the idea.
Il can tell you the plan is very satisfac-
tory. They have had tie same plan at
Fourth and Townsend streets for some time,
but the clerks have to pay there for their
meals. We give our lunches free. aud they
are good ones, toe. We all eat them, from
the resident down to the humbleSt en-
plnye. Is there any dissatisfaction? l
suppose ycu mean among the employees.
Ne. none al all. The hoys are all pleased.
Go in and ask any Of them. They have
taken to the idea and like it immensely. not
alone for the saving it makes in their
monthly salaries, but for the cultivation Of
good fellowship at the table. 1t Is like a
large family ali sitting down at one big
table. Everybody feels himself part and
parcel Of The whole gathering.
Both sides are pleased. the bank and the
clerks" concluded Mr.. G0ttig, as he stepped
down the marble steps Of The bank.
''At first we did not take kindly to IT,"
said one If the clerks when questioned,
because we believed it infringed on our
personal liberty. Being employees, of course.
we had 10 obey rules. and now we have no
regrets to make. Instead OF bowling TO q
yoke we have found our chains to be very
silken. indeed. We have our time to eat,
| and the food is Of the best quality.
1T is Nell cooked by an experienced chef,
and there is plenty Of it. No one who is
hungry has any hesitation in asking for
more. You can have all you want. There
is no restriction placed on our drinking. Ii
We want 1t we can have both wine and beer
or course for those we have to pay our
selves. But tea and coffee are furnished
| free lust like the rest of the meal We ali
laugh and talk and joke and have free
| jolly time together. II is a great idea, and
according 10 my calculations 1t is like d /
ing $50 a month to my salary"
Inquiry at other banks among the clerks
who had heard of the restaurant plan of the
| bank did not disclose the same unanimity of
sentiment IN its favor.
"You can put me down as saying I am
| oppo.ed to this free grub plan" said clerk
in the California Bank.
''Pll also tell you tho real secret OF ii.
The idea Is not to always keep the eni-
| poyes on hand rs you say, but II is to
prevent the possibility Of any of the banks
secrets leaking out by loquacious clerks,
and glib-tongued accountants who do not
understand the Importance of business non.
communicativeness.
1.-THE idea is TO prevent any tips from get
ting on the street regarding important
transactions. Just stray HUT Is some
times enough to do whole lot of damage
And 1t has been frequently done. | don't
say in the German bank, mind you.
"But am opposed to the idea," said the
clerk, because 1t ties a man up all day.
All of us boys have been discussing the
plaE pretty thoroughly, and we have about
concluded that we don't want any tree
grub in ours. We want our noon hour OF
freedom to go where we list. A dollar
day could not buy TINT hour from me- III
have an. engagement between ~ and
O'clock ! want 10 keep it. | don't care