The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-01-24
SMALL SAVINGS
Plans for Teaching Thrift
to the Children.
ling Figures In France IN
fIuence on Habits.
written for the Advertiser)

(Written for the AdvertlSer.)
While the opposition of the bankers
of the United States is one of the diff
culties in the way of the establish
ment of a Postal Savings Bank system,
as recommended by the Postmaster
General, the success of the Postal Saw
ings Bank in this country seems to
warrant an extention of the system.
The last report Of the Charity Or
ganization Society Of New York city,
shows what may be done in the way of
educating the children in the public
schools in habits of thrift.
In 1890 there were s. stations OF
the Penny Provident Fund; Feb. /,
1897, there were 321 such stations. The
II $50 depositors of 1890, had increased
to 30 ,449 in 1897, and the deposits
from So, 56857 to S31 ,305.44.
If ever a community needed to train
the young to habits of thrift, it is such
a community as this, where small
economies are rendered difficult by
lack of the smaller subsidiary coins
so that people are taught rather to dis
regard careful expenditure by the dis
regard of small change. That there
is no winter for which special pro-
visions must be made has it's effect
also in lessening the pressure on wage
workers TO lay up for future needs.
1t appears that the expense for work
ing the system in the New York Pub
lie Schools has been met by donations
from individuals amounting to 81 ,O69
So Sight an expense for so much good
accomplished should justify the Board
of Education in making it part OF
the school system of public instruction.
Mr.. Albert Shaw in his book on
Municipal Government in Continental
Europe has this to say about small saw
ings in Paris: "a good system of saw
ings banks is much more than con-
venience to the prudent and economical
of a community. 1t is a powerful pro-
moter of thrift, and constant safe
guard against extravaganza and i'm
providence In the Partisan institu-
ton, the number of individual accounts
increased from $50, 900 in 1890 to $780,
900 in 1898, this is, one out of every
four persons in the city had savings
bank account The average credit in
1893 was $50 francs; but nearly half OF
the depositors had accounts of less
than % francs In 1875 the Savings
Bank system was introduced into the
public schools of Paris. The Epargne
Scolaire now collects about $50 ,00(
francs a year, and from 1875 to 1879;
it had paid over to the main institu-
ton about 100000 francs of child
ren's deposits
There is an inderict but not less i'm
portant advantage accruing to the
children by their using money in buy
| ing savings stamps" 1t prevents
| them from using it in buying bat
literature and from squandering it fol
things positively injurious to theil
health such as cigarettes and candies
| Nor does the habit of saving interfere
with generous impulses, rather does i
! furnish abundant means for generous
| giving, as in the Brooklyn public
schools recently in their contribution!
| for a charitable fund.
One other item should not be over
| looked, the teacher who sells the saw
ings stamps to the children will have
thereby an opportunity to come il
closer contact with pupils, to study
their character, and to influence theil
habits, such an opportunity as is no
afforded in merely conducting the
regular lessons of the school.