The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-10-30
Uncle Sam Finds That His DEPOSIT
tories Are Increased When the
Clash Across the Sea 10
in Full Swing.
KEoKUK IS IN ON THIS
Several New Accounts Have Been
Opened at Local Office by Those
Who Seem to Appreciate
Service.

i
boon to postal savings in this country.
From the very day hostilities opened
across the seas postal-savings receipts
began to increase by leaps and bounds
and withdrawals fell off. result quite
contrary to the predictions of many
well-informed persons who, in their
| imagination, saw lines of feverfsh de-
/ positors at postoff1css pay windows
anxious to again return their savings
Ito the bootleg and body-felt deposit
tories whence they came before in
trusted to Uncle Sam. But the fore
casters failed to reckon on the abso-
lutte confidence of the American citl-
zen, regardless of the flag that first
met his eyes, in the ability and pur-.
pose of the government to carry out
! its obligations. not only among the
nations of the earth, but with the
humblest citizen OF our land.
| Two important result have follow.
ed; thousands Of people, largely Of
1 foreign birth, accustomed 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 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 system has filed
an important gap between the tin-can
depositors and the factory paymaster.
On July / : when affairs were running
! smoothly here and abroad and the
transmission of money across the At
lantic was safe and expeditions, there
was approximately $43,000,O0O of pos
tai savings standing to the credit OF
about 3ss,0O0 depositors. Since then
over $10,000.0OO OF deposits have been
added and the number of depositora
. has increased enormously This un
, precedented gain is the more striking
!, when it is considered that the net
gain in the last three months is lar
, ger than the gain for the entire fisca
year 1914. Scores OF Offices have done
more postal-savinss business since thu
war has been going on shan was done
by them during the previous existencs
of the service The increases are con
fined to no special localities, but have
! been felt in every nook and corner o
the country. New York City alone
made a gain in September of more
than million, while Brooklyn showed
a relatively big increase Chicago re
ported larger gain in the past three
. months than for the previous twelve
= months. More than 1000 new accounts
. were opened during the period, bring
!. ing the number of depositors in tina
Q city up to over 21,00O.
The unexpected increas., in postal
). savings business has not only adde'
It greatly to the general administrative
= duties of the system, but has broueh
l. up many new and interesting prob
II lens which have called for the care
It full personal consideration of Postmas
k ter General Burleson and Governo
|, Dockery, third assistant postmaste
general. But their task has beel
I. lightened somewhat by the prompt
d ness of depository banks in FURNISHING
Y additional security to meet the al
9 normal deposits. A number of the yer.
g largest banks in the country. whicl
IS have heretofore declined to qualify a
repositories for postal-savings funds
ii arc now among the eager applicant
!, for them.
a The Keosuk postofice has recent,
added a number of new depositors
s. who seem to appreciate what the gov
n eminent has done in establishing thi
d service.