The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-10-30
POSTAL SAVING BUSINESS
SHOWS MARKED INCREASE

The war in Europe is proving biz
boon TO the postal savings in this coun
try. From the very day hostilitie:
opened across the seas postal.savings
receipts began to increase by leaps
and bounds and withdrawal fell off, a
result quite contrary to the predictions
OF many Wellinformed persons who, in
their imagination, saw lines of feveriSh
deposltor at post off1c pay windows
anxious to again return their savings.
u the bootleg and body.belt deposi.
tories whence they came before in.
trusting to UuCle Sam. But the forecast
erS failed to reckon or the absolute
confidence of the American citizen, re.
CARELESS of the flag that first met his
eyes, in the ability and purpose of the
Government to carry out its obliga.
TONS not only among the nations Of
the earth, but with the humbleSt citi.
zen of our land.
Two important result have followed;
thousands of people, largely of foreign
BIRTH accustomed to send their savings
abr oad' are now patrons of our postal.
savings systems; and enormous sums
OF actual cash have been released for
commercial uses among our own people
at a time when the need for everv
available dollar is pressing.
The growth of postal savings in the
United States has been steady and
healthy and the system has filled an
Important gap between the tin,can de.
poSltory and the factory paymaster.
On July l, when affairs were run.
nlng smoothly here and abroad and the
transmission of money across the
Atlantic was safe and expeditions,
mere was approximately $43, 900 900 of
postal savings standing to the credit of
about $4,000 depositorS. Since then
over SlO,OOO,OOO of deposits have been
added and the number of depositors has
increased enormously. This unpreca
oented gain is the more Stricking when
II is considered that the net gain in the
last three months is larger than the
gain for the entire fical year 1914.
scores of offices have done more postal
savings business since the war has been
going On than was done by them during
tile previous existence of the service
The increases are confined to no special
localities, but have been felt in every
nook and corner of the country New
York City alone made gain in Septem.
Dor OF more than a million, while
brooklyn showed a relatively big in
crease. Chicago reported a larger
gain in the past three months than for
he previous twelve months. More
man 1000 new accounts were opened
Turing the period, bringing the number
u depositorS in that city up to over ,
4 900,
The unexpected increase iu postal ,
avingS business has not only added
!reatly to the general administrative
IufieS of the system, but has brought c
Up many new and interesting problems :
which have called for the careful per. +
onal consideration OF Postmaster +
General Burleson and Governor Lock. :
ry, Third Assistant Postmaster Gen. t
raj. But Their task has been lightened c
omeWhat by the promptnesc of de. Y
oSItory banks the country, which s
as heretofore declined to qualify as o
epoSitorieS for postal savings funds +
re now among the eager applicants =
n them. r,
Amout OF poStalsaving on deposit at II
'elSh, La, o" Oct,l, 1914 was $1955. Il
| shall he be only too glad to give o
ny prospective depositor any informa. NJ NJ
on he or she may desire. el
Respectfully q,
VIM. NJ. TERRY, P. M. e