The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-04
PATRONS MAY
BANK BY MAIL
New Department Opened by
Walker Brothers Bankers to
Facilitate Business.
AIM TO SERVE ENTIRE
INTERM0UNTAIN SECTION
President Recalls Days When
Pony Express" Was Swift
est Messenger.
Salt Lake city has entered actively

Salt Lake City has entered actively
into the "banking by mail" field
For a number of years, some of the
banks in Pittsburg and Cleveland have
made rapid strides along mail banking
lines. demonstrating the practlcabliity
of this system. The announcement was
made Yesterday that Walker Brothers
Bankers had opened special depart
ment for "bankiug by mail
''While we will receive deposits from
anywhere, our principal idea in making
this move is 10 better the banking Ia
cilities of the intermountaIn region and
10 make this an intermountaln bank as
well as q Salt Lake bank, said Mat
thew II. Walker, president OF Walker
Brothers Bankers. yesterday,
s'There is nothing new in itself about
banking by mail ever since this in
stitution was established in 1859.
Enlarges Banking Field.
"The departure, so far rs Walker
Brothers Bankers is concerned, is the
opening of a special department. TO cul.
tivate this business more closely, and
bank to mail depositors, no matter
where they may live, This applies es-
pecially to the acceptance OF small de-
posits by mail We allow savings ac-
counts to be opened through the window
at the bank with ST. Hereafter we
will accept dollar deposits by mail.
We are making no distinction between
the man who may live few steps
from the bank and the man who may
be living on ranch far from rail
road in northern Montana or southern
al, ,xstr /, apb
OF the mails.
''While it is possible for persons liv-
ing anywhere in the world where
letter may 90 to take advantage of the
opportunity, our primary object Is to
bring the bank into closer touch with
the people throughout the intermoun'
tain region.
''It is interesting to me to look back
and contrast conditions under which we
first transacted mail business with our
customers and the way VIC can do 1t
now. When we first started in bust
ness there was no railroad west of st,
Joseph, Mo. There was no through
overland mail service then. and when
it was proposed to organize n pony
express to carry letters in ten days
between st. Joseph and San Francisco,
this was regarded by many as an am
possible undertaking. 1t was an eXclt-
ing event when, in the spring of 1850,
George W. Thatcher, the first pony
express rider to reach Salt Lake, came
in with his broncho on "A dead run
and stopped in front Of Walker Broth
ers. Bolivar Roberts was i'll charge of
The western division of the pony eX-
press, with headquarters in Salt Lake
City
"Sam Gibson. who is still living in
Salt Lake City, was one of the riders.
Banking by Pony Express.
''The riders had many hairbreath
escapes, and the service was of great
value in many ways. One of the great
feats performed, for example. was the
carrying of Lincoln s first inaugural
address from the Missouri river TO Sac.
ramento in seven days and seventeen
hours. We did some of our first bank
ing by mail through the medium of
the pony express. but the price for
messages-$5 for half an ounce-made
the service prohibitive except for mat
ters of great importance.
For long time the stages ran
only about twice month, but when
about the time of the pony express, IL
daily stage service was established.
this gave us more frequent mails, and
our friends began using the mails
more TO send money to us for deposit
"When the railroad came. about
ten years after the bank was founded,
this. of course, improved the mail serv.
ice still more. and with the extension
of the railroads and the growth and
improvement of the postal service this
branch of our business grew steadily.
"Therc are men in different parts
of Utah, Idaho. Nevada. Wyoming and
Montana who for great MANY wears
have always kept their accounts here
and have done their business almost en-
tirelv by mail Whenever they have
received any money. they have mailed
it Immediately to be credited to their
accounts with US, and then they have
drawn against it by check as re.
quired.
HThus our experience with banking
by mail has extended over a period
Of about fifty-two years. and it has
proved highly satisfactory.
Serve Intermountain Region
"When we opened the savings de.
partment couple of months ago, so
much interest in 1T was exhibited out
side of Salt Lake City that we have
decided to open "A special banking by
mail department. This department
will not only look after the receipt and
withdrawal Of deposits by mail, but
it will study the needs Of the people
throughout Inc eutlre 1nternOGnr3ln ID
region. and will endeavor to make this
bank of greater service to them
"We already have large number
Of commercial customers outside OF
Salt Lake City, and we expect to get
into still closer touch with them and to
enlarge our circle of acquaintances in
this branch. But we naturally expect
that the most popular feature of ouI
move will be our acceptance by mail
! of dollar savings accounts. on which
we will pay per cent compound inter
est. This places the bank within reach
Of everybody. including children, aud
it is our intention to encourage espe
cially women's and children's account:
by mail,
"We are endeavoring to more thar
keep pace with the development OF
the country and we are now availina
ourselves of the greater facilities OF
the modern mail service. Fast specia
mail trains. city and rural free deliv
cry service and many other improve
ments have come, in marked contras
to conditions when we first started
banking by mail
Gas progressive bank, we arr
taking advantage of the modern facili