The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1906-03-22
DEFT-F|NGERED
BANK TELLERS
\. H. Pepper Won Unique Con-
test Last Evening.
CHAlN-LiGhTNING COUNTING
lqell Chapter Of Bank Clerks Ais 0 Heard
Practical Address bj'C. H. Mars
Ton Of Boston.

Some lightning calculatorS would have
received a severe jolt could they have
seen some OF the local bank clerks last
evening engaged I'm a speed contest In
counting money: and II would not be sur
prisng II Hetty Green or John ID Rookie
feller should cast Sleeps eyes at sew
eral Of the deft-nngered young men whn
so strikngly displayed their clevernees In
the unique competition that was fea-
ture OF the meeting OF the Providence
chapter. American Institute OF Bank
Clerks, at Palestine hall.
The contestants I'm turn counted pile
OF 30 bills OF various denominations. I20
pieces of silver and a lot OF pennies The
bills were placed face up. face down,
twisted over and mixed as 10 denomna-
tions. The bills were 10 be separated as
TO denominations. carefully racked and
counted and the amounts were to be set
down on regulation deposit slips. The
coins were TO be treated likewise, with
the exception that they were not to be
stacked up
Robert r. u. Collins of Fall River.
Wharton Whitaker OF the Hospital Trust
Co, II. H. Pepper OF the Industrial Truet
company. III. Y Sites OF the old National
bank. II. L. Wilcox Of the National Bank
OF Commerce, g. IL. Pond OF the Pro-
ducers' bank OF Woonsocket II. n. Ar
mold OF the Industrial Trust company and
A. II. Emerson OF the same bank we're I'm
the game: and to Mr.. Pepper went the
victory. his record showing the correct
sorting and counting OF the 1922 u In 530is
minutes. Mr. Wilcox was second In 6i6
minutes and Mr.. Collins third i'm s.22 min
utes. The prizes were 81. 81 and s., re-
spectively Mr. Arnold was one cent shy
in his footing. through dropping penny
on the floor.
The judges were Walter C. Nye Of the
United NatiSnal, John l.. Williams Of the
Rhode Island Hospital Trust and William
c. Angel of the Westminster bank. AL
bert r. Plant OF the Blackstone Canal
National was the manager.
The meeting was called To order at 3
O'Clock by President T.. A Havens. Earl
ID. Armstrong serving as clerk pro tenn.
Charles " Marston, auditor or the Ma
tional Shawmut bank. Boston gave two
addresses. the first on The Envelope
System for Individual Depositors," the
second on collections" Under the first
head Mr.. Msrston spoke OF the auditor
as being ito the moral well being OF the
bank force what a sanitary officer is 10
the physical health Of any body OF men.
He must so arrange the system Of his
bank az TO make II as difficult az possi-
BILE for "A man to do wrong and easy as
possible for him TO do what IL right. He
enumerated the defects OF the passbook
system as follows:
IL IL Is next to impossible 10 audit the
individual accounts by balancing all pass
books OF one date.
20 In case OF overdraft the bank is de-
penOent on the uepoSltoT 10 pIoNt lhe az
count.
80 The bookkeeper is always behind
i'm his work on the passbook, and the la
bor OF completing the list OF credits and
footing them must be done in one. two
or three nights, instead OF being evenly
distributed through the month and I'm
ished in the early evening of the last day.
~ No check for posting credits TO the
wrong account
"5 Omitted entries usually made In
passbook from ledger instead Of from de
posit tickets (Sometimes entries crossed
off book and entered from ledger in
wrong book
'6 II fraudulent transfers have been
made and the passbook OF the account on
which the fraud has been committed IL
presented for balance. In many cases IL
has been possible for the bookkeeper to
cover his tracks
Mr.. Marston. after explaining the bene-
fits to be derived from the use OF the
envelope system, cited many instances or
errors detected and corrected. and de-
scribed how much easier the system was.
The following gentlemen were elected
to membership. Associate-Horatto A.
Hunt Rhode Island Hospital Trust COM
pany; active-Harvey G. Perry. Washing
ron Trust company. Westerly: Foster r.
Davis 212 Ranigan building; John O. San
ford. United National: Robert u. Cauheld
Massasoit- Poca sset National. Fall River;
Robert r. u. Collins. First National. Fall
River: George II. Emerson First Nation
al Fall River: Edwin s. Belcher, Albert
E Rene and James w. Benc of the r. NJ
c. Durfee Safe Deposit and Trust com
pany, Fall River.