The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-06
amounts in round numbers rather than
down to the cents

| amounts in round numbers rather than
down to the cents
ONE DAYS EXPENSES.
What have you spent today, Mr..
Seoretary?' I asked.
The general items are all down on
this statement" was the reply I'VE
have spent today for the war depart
ment $254, 600, for the navy, $4,000 for
the Indians, $40. 600. for civil and mis-
cellaneous, $4,000 and for pensions,
$3Oc,O00. We get a statement of this
kind every day showing exactly what
we have spent for the day, for the
month and for the year This gives us
knowledge of just how we stand at
the close OF each day, and tells us
whether we ire running ahead or be-
hind our recJpts. At present we are
considerably behind. So far this month
we have received $423, 600 less than we
have spent, and so far this year our
receipts have been $33,000000 less than
our expenses
l should think IT would scare you
to have charge of SO much money! How
does it feel to handle millions?"
"As long as the figures are all right
and the balances on the right side of
the account it is just as easy to handle
millions as thousands or hundreds, -
said the secretary. 'I have been deal
ms in large sums for years The bust
ness of the First National Bank of Chi
cago ran we'll up into the millions Our
foreign business alone amounted to as
much as $50, ,000,0 900 year A business
of that kind soon becomes matter of
figures. The figures represent money.
but they do not impress you any more
than they would if they represented so
much wheat or corn
THE MONEY SCARED HIM.
And still. Mr.. Gage, you once worked
for So month. [ should think it would
! be hard for a person who had work &c
for SO little to become used to handling
SO much"
L suppose | came to it gradually
replied the secretary of the treasury.
Il can tell you, hoWevr, of a time when
! [ was really scared by having what
seemed a big sum of money on hand.
1t was when | was boy and had just
received my first wages. / worked for
a fruit vender in a little corner store
! at Rome, n. Y. We sold oranges, ap-
! pies. pears, ginger ale, peanuts and
! Graffenburg pills. The hours were
from early in the morning until 10 at
night, and my wages were IS a month.
/ 1t was about 1890 O'Clock the last Sat
urday night of the first month when
my employer paid me my first So Tha
-,
each of these half dollars seemed as
! big as dinner plate. / was a small
boy then and the sum filled my hand
l was afraid | should lose it. and ran
all the way home, hoping to get there
before my mother had gene to bed
and show it to her"
A GREAT BANKERS START.
Did you work long for such wages p
l asked
Yes replied Mr. Gage. II worked
for several years for from IS to SS a
! month. l was employed in the post
office at $1G0 a year Then a bank was
started in our little town. It was known
as the Oneida Central bank. The cash.
ier received $1,000 a year, the teller
| $500 and [ got a place as messenger
at $100 year. I had to sweep out the
bank, make the fires and run errands.
as well as do other things After ]
had worked for the bank year and 9.
| half l wanted an increase of wages.
l had learned to keep some of the
books. | was in my twentieth year.
and / thought that l ought to have
more pay. The cashier said he would
| refer the matter to the directors He
did so, and the next day he told me
that the directors had said that tho
times were hard and that they could
not afford to increase their expenses.
but that if | waited for few years a
vacancy might occur and I could b..
the teller at a salary of $500. Upon
that l decided to leave. Had they Of.
fered me $3.50 a year [ should hava
stayed, but as it was 1 concluded t.
go West and try my luck in Chicago. >
What did you do in Chicago?'
first tried to get place in Il
bank, was the reply "but there were