St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1914-10-31
WONDRODS GROWTH
OF POSTAL SAVINGS
Uncle Sans Banks Stronger
Now than Ever
Before.


The war in Europe is provin!
a big boon to postal savings il
this country. From the very da.
hostilities opened across the sea
postal-savings receipts began t
increase by leaps and bounds an
Withdrawals fell off, a resul
contrary to the predictions 0
many well-informed persons who
in their imagination, saw lines O
feverish depositors at post-offic'
pay windows anxious to again
return their savings to the boot
leg and body belt depositorie'
whence they came before intrust
ed to Uncle Sam. But the fore
casters failed to reckon on tht
absolute confidence of the Ameri
can citizen, regardless Of the flag
that first met his eyes, in The
ability and purpose of the Gov.
ornment to carry out its obliga.
tons, not only among the nations
of the earth, but with the hum
blest citizen of our land.
Two important results have
followed; thousands of people,
largely of foreign birth, accus-
toned to send their savings
abroad, are now patrons of our
postal-savings system: and enor-
nous sums of actual cash have
been released for commercial
uses among our own people at a
time when the need for every
available dollar is pressing.
The growth Of postal-savings
in the United States has been
steady and healthy and the sys-
tenn has filled an important gap
between the tin-can depository
and the factory paymaster. On
July |. when affairs were running
smoothly here and abroad and
the transmission of money across
the Atlantic was safe and ex-
peditious, there was approx
mately $43, 600, 600 of postal saw
ings standing to the credit of
about 1888, 900 depositors. Since
over $40. 600, 900 of deposits
been added and the number
Of depositors has increased enor-
mously. This unprecedented
gain is the more striking when it
is considered that the net gain in
the last three months is larger
than the gain for the entire fs-
cal year 1914. Scores Of offices
have done more postal-savings
since the war has been
on than was done by them
the previous existence Of
the service. The increase are
confined to no special localities,
but have been felt in every nook
and corner of the country. New
York CITY alone made a gain in
September of more than a million
Brooklyn showed relative
ly big increase. Chicago report
ed a larger gain in the past three
months than for the previous
twelve months. More than 1000
new accounts were opened dur
ing the period, bringing the num-
Der of depositors in that city up
to over q, 600.
The unexpected increase in
postal-savings business has not
only added greatly to the general
administrative duties Of the sys-
tenn, but has brought up many
new and interesting problems
have called for the careful
personal consideration of Post
masser General Burleson and
Dockery, Third Assis-
5ant Postmaster General. But
their task has been lightened
somewhat by the p%romptness of
depository banks in furnishing
additional security to meet the
abnormal deposits. A number
If the very largest banks in the
country, which have heretofore
declined to qualify as repositories
or postal-savings funds, are now
among eager applicants for them.
The local Postal Savings Bank of
his city is hardly patronized by
,ur citizens. 1t should really be
mnnr the first in this mart Of