Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-02
By
Theodore L. Weed
Chief Clerk of Postoffice De-
Board of Trustees for Govern
ment Postal Savings Banks
Drawing by Joseph Clement Coll

nv =
time. If little girl wants the Government to take
of for her, she goes to the postoce and
hands it in to the postmaster, who gives her white
card having in its center the encen stamp ordered for
this purpose After that, she gets dime she sold
a stamp to stick the card. When she has bought ten
stamps and stuck them the card she it all in
the postmaster, who gives her certificate of deposit for
dollar No amount smaller than ten cents can be
deposited in postal savings bank.
big percentage of patrons of postal banks in this
country will be found among Italians and Slav
They the who work like mad on excavation and
other unframed labor jobs throughout the day and spend
little money during the night. They have here to
make money and to save it. From time to time they
send back home they have managed to accumu-
late They are busy always making up that annual hun
dred and ten million dollars which, according to political
economists should be kept in this country Not
ing banks of the United States and reading from time
time of bank failures and loss of money by poor peo
pie who have patronzed those Institutions the Italian
and the poor European generally pay out real money for
the privilege of sending their coin the where
it will be kept for them until they need it until they
return to their native homes.
Moneyorders as Banks
THIS inclination the part of this class of people
regard the postofce as the best banking agency
be found made very clear by George Won L. Meyer
when he Postmaster General in 1908. In his annual
report at that time he made these interesting state
ments:
As evidence of the public demand for postal savings
banks, it appears that many patrons of the postal
moneyorder system temporarily deposit for safe
keeping by obtaining moneyorders; for which, of course
they the fee prescribed by law The purchaser has
simply to have moneyorder drawn his favor, know
ing that the amount thereof will be refunded demand
Such an order may also be Endorsed and payment will be
made thereon to the indorsee Or if lost duplicate
warrant will be issued without The department
has for sometime the absence of postal savings banks
in he faat,,r aOff ho
postal moneyorder system, and it should be borne in
mind that the thus converted into moneyorderS
not lost to the circulating medium.
1T is interesting to note that during the twelve
months from March l. 1907, to March l. 1908, no less
than 12S,146 moneyorders, aggregating in amount
49, 1O4 447, issued at the first and second class
postoffices alone for savings purposes
This statement is all the significant when it is
remembered that the first and second class offices
only larger cities and towns and number only about nine
teen hundred. There in this country to-day nearly
sixty thousand posofces. and of this number with the
postal savings plan in full swing, than forty thou
sand will have postal savings banks Mr.. Meyers
figures show that the people had created real demand
for postal banks before politicians and statesmen began
the agitation of the question: and they have strong foun
dation for the belief that the immigrant and the poor
will turn to the postOfCe future the logical
place for banking business
The details of the United States plan it will be put
into force worked out by the following committee
of officials of the Postoce Department after they had
studied the postal savings bank systems of twenty
other countries: H. H. Thompson, chairman, supern
tendent of the division of finance; Bayard Wyman.
superintendent of the division OF postmaSerS appoint
ments; Basil Miles. superintendent of the division of
foreign nails James B. Cook, chief of the division of
inspectors: c. H. Fullaway assistant superintendent of
the division of finance; c. G. Thompson, superintend
of the division of supplies and George G. Kimba
postoffce Inspector Their report was submitted to
Postmaster General Hitchcock who took it up with his
Attorney General Wickersham and Secretary of the
Treasury MacVeagh These three members of the