The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-12
FIVE HUNDRED PAID IN A DAY.
CENTRAL EMPLOYEES RUSH AT THE
CITIZENS BANK.

The New system of Paying on Begun.
Over S5O.OOO Handed out by Teller
Clark on the First Pay-Day-The
Checks Made Payable to Bearer
and Are Negotiable With the Mer-
chants and Storekeepers.
One feature OF the working OF the Cen
tral of Georgia Railway cOmpanys plan
OF paying of its employees in checks was
seen yesterday around the Citizens Bank,
when the employees, waite and colored,
were lined up for half block almost all
the morning. right up TO the teller's win
dow. and all waiting to get there to re-
ceive cash for their vouchers.
Between 400 and 800 employees must have
been paid off during the banking hours.
The checks averaged from $50 TO $40, and
the total amount paid out and to be
paid out TO the employees in the city is
about $4,000. This does not include the
salaries of the officials Of the system and
the heads of the different departments,
who are paid by voucher on the first Of
the month. 1t does take in, however, all
clerks, operators foremen, conductors, en-
gineers, mechanics and laborers, many
of whom want to get their money as soon
as they got their checks.
The Citizens Bank was prepared to pay
all the checks had they been ten times
the amount named and more, but the
rush on the bank was a little more than
Teller Clark could handle all at once, and
it was pretty near 2 o'clock before the
end of the line arrived at the window.
Seeing the difficulty which confronted the
bank, President Henry Blum of the Ger
mania Bank came over and offered Vice
President M. b. Lane of the Citizens Bank
any assistance he could render him. Mr..
Lane asked If he could take about half
the line and pay off the checks. Presi-
dent Blum readily agreed, and cut the
line off in the middle and marched the
half out on the sidewalk over TO the Ger
mania Bank, where they received the cash
for their checks.
The Central mas about 1900 employees,
consequently there will be that number or
checks to issue every month. The month
ly poy rolls amount to somewhere between
$4,000 and 100000. Steps will no doubt
be taken TO avoid a repetition of SINH
lar occurrence next month, by providing
another teller to attend 10 the checks,
and leaving the regular teller to attend to
the business of the bank.
1t was not intended when the check sys-
tenn was adopted that there should be any
such occurrence as this. The checks are
payable to bearer, and when indorsed as
they are in the presence of the party who
delivers them to the employees, he signs
them also to certify that they have been
properly indorsed, and by the right party
They are then paSsable from hand to
hand, being payable to bearer, and the
employe can take his check and pay his
grocery bill and get his change just the
same as if he had greenbacks or treasury
notes
The railroad officials say there is no rea-
son whatever why this should not be
done. When the parties are in possess
sion of the checks, that Is prima facie evil
dence that they are all right and that
there is no possibility of anything wrong
There is no reason, therefore, why they
should not be as readily accepted by
tradesmen as money. Next month It is
said the checks will be issued consider
ably earlier than the 10th.