The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1897-11-20
EngiaEG's PoStai'BankS

William T. Curtis writes to the Chi
cogo Record that advance sheets of the
annual report OF the post master general
OF Great Britain show a remarkable
gain both in the amount of deposits and
in the number of depositors in postal
savings banks His statement furnishes
the strongest kind of an argument for
the Introduction of the postal sayings
system in the United States.
The most striking feature of the re
port is the table showing the various
classes of the population who patronze
the postal savings banks. More than
half, or 50.4l per cent, Of the deposl-
tors throughout the united kingdom
are persons describing themselves as
married women, spinsters, widows
and children; 1913 per cent. are me-
chanlcs: sol per cent. are domestic
servants; S.l4 per cent. are tradesmen
and other employees; 3.SS per cent are
cIassed as " commercial; - 90 per cent
as railway and shipping employees; Isl
per cent. are employees of the civil
service of the government; SO per cent
are farmers; l % per cent. are profess
i sionaI men and l.01 per cent. are school
i teachers.
I The total number of depositors on the
3lst of December, 1895, was &, $50 035.
out OF a population OF about 80, 600 900
souls. This is an increase of 40S, i3S
from the previous fiscal year and is the
largest increase that has ever been
was 344 S34
The amount due depositors on the
Dist of December, 1896, was CLOS, O94 64l,
or in round numbers, $40 600, 900, which
is equivalent to about Sl4 per capita of
the population of the united Kingdom
men, women and children inclusive.
Tie total amount due deposltors on the
3lst of December, 1885, was e97 SOS, 975,
or $3.50, 600, GOO, which is an increase of
about 81 100000 during the year. The
average per capita deposit in 1895 was
el254
The amount Of interest paid during
the year was So 300, 600 in round num-
berS.
The daily average number of deposits
vas Al .O}3, as against 3371.0S4 in 1898. The
average amount deposited each day of
the year was Sl17, 12l, as against eIO4, $50
in 1895. The average amount of each
deposit was 60 LIS ID, as against 60 los
4d in 1899 and the average sum of the
credit of each dcpositor at the close of
the year was Els los Id.
The average cost of each transaction
pense OF the service.
In addition to the personal accounts
the postoitice department is charged
with the care of the funds OF 29.tSl
friendly" societies and other benevo-
lent associations, whose deposits amount
to sc, 100000 The number of new ac-
counts opened during last year by these
societies was 3.32S.
It is an interesting fact that the larg-
est number of Withdrawals of money
from the postal savings banks was on
the day before Christmas and the larg-
est amount ever deposited in a
single day was se503, l25, on the 3lst of
December. The explanation of this is
that great many people drew upon
their savings in order to purchase
Christmas presents ard that an even
greater number who received holiday
gifts in the form Of money deposited ii
with the pOstnaster-gene He says
in his report that it is believed that
600 per cent of the total number Of
depositors are women and children.