The Greenville times., 1910-09-09
BY F. J. DYER.
Special to The Times

Washington, Sept. 8,-Some idea of
the great value that the Postal Savings
Bank will be to the people of this coun-
try may he gathered from the expert
ence of other nations. Six European
nations, in 1907 and 1908, had 26,OO0,-
600 depositors in their postal banks,
with deposits amounting to $l,64l ,OO0,-
600. England led with 100000 in
dividual deposittors who had $766,000,-
600 on deposit, an average of $72 each.
Italy and France each had 5,O000 900 de-
deposit was $58 in Italy, and 500 in
France. In Belgium there were 2,
100000 depositors having an average
of $64 each, in Austria 100000 deposi-
tors having $22 each, and in Russia
100000 depositors having $72 each.
Canada in 1909 had 10000 depositors
with $45 100000 or 1920 each to their
credit. The average savings bank ac-
cOunt in this country is over $400. In
New York state alone the 139 savings
banks had, on July l, 1909 81 ,444, ,974,
8G061 on deposit, almost as much as all
the postal banks in the six big c0un-
tries of Europe. This is believed to
indicate that the Postal Savings Bank
in this country will have a volume of
business that will be tremendous. Tt
Fo1lor-r +l,o+ 4l,o roool,;rorv fOr +hn
handling of this business will of neces-
sitv be complex The central office
in Washington will soon require a
building Of large size and many clerks
to do the bookkeeping. For the pur-
pose of deciding on the many details
connected with putting the postal bank
ing system into effect, board of off
cials is now engaged in working out a
comprehensive plan, and it is probable
that many, AMI perhaps all, of the de
tails will be tested in a bank to be es
tabIished in Washington.
Travellers and Customs Duties
The American Economist. organ Of
the protected industries of the United |
States, is annoyed, not to say angry, |
because the Secretary of the Treasury |
recently made a ruling that "upOn the
identity Of wearing apparel and other
personal effects, which have been alter |
ed or repaired abroad, being establish |
ed to the satisfaction of the collector |
or his representatives. on the pier as
articles taken abroad as baggage by |
residents of the United States, duties
should be assessed upon the value of |
such repairs or alterations only, upon
the production of satisfactory evidence
of the character and cost thereof
Residents of the United States re-
turning from abroad have been much
annoyed by the requirements that they
pay duty on repairs or alterations to
articles in their possession. They may
not have been justified therein, but the
ordinary American citizen resents the
prying scrutiny of the customs officials,
as they would police surveillance. The
American Economist, however, thinks
that the Secretary of the Treasury is
too lenient. 1t says: ''This ruling
is contrary to the universal practice
from time immemorial Already it is
causing trouble to customs officers
The great objection to the ruling is
that it opens wide the doors for fraud,
How easy it will be for fashionable
lressmakers to take abroad dummy
gowns and bring them back made into
the latest creations and escape the pay
ment of duty upon everything but the
actual labor performed in such remodel
ling. Under this ruling no customs
ean be collected upon the ideas, the ori-
ginal designs, which form by far the
greatest part of the foreign market
value of the Paris-made gowns
The Economist thoroughly defines its
position when it says: E" And there is
no equity on the side of the traveller
whereby he should escape the payment
IF duty on the full value of the articles
n its advanced or improved condition.
No one who has met the customs of
icials at New York or San Francisco
face to face, who has been compelled
o submit to a searching catechism as
% his baggage, whose statements and