Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-06-03
POSTAL SAVINGS BANKS.
The Government will Safeguard the Saw
ings of Its Humblest Citizeu.

just issued by Postmaster General |
Burleson. This important extension
of the service WILDE made possible by |
permitting persons living in commun-
tiles so sparsely settled as not to
justify the designation of their local
post offices as regular postal savings |
banks to open accounts by mail.
Governor Dockery, Third Assis-
tant Postmaster General, who has di-
rect supervision of postal savings. |
was so impressed by appeals from all |
over the country to open postal saw
ings accounts by mail that he took |
up the task some weeks ago of work
ing out feasible and safe method |
for meeting demand well illustrat-
ed in a letter from Saline County
Missourian, who resides many miles
from a postal savings bank.
Having few hundred dollars
saved from fifty years of hard and
assiduous labor and skimping econ
omy on the part of my wife and my
self, we concluded to deposit it in the
Postal Savings Bank Of. We
wrote to the postmaster at the place
and received reply to the effect that
none but patrons of that office could
deposit in that office which is very
disappointing news to us. Our lit
tie farm is not large enough to sup
port US and land is so high that it
is impossible for us to buy more
with what little we have saved and
we are so old that we can't labor
much now and we would be so glad
to lay by at least enough to put us
away in decency."
Under the plan adopted by the
Postmaster General for opening ac-
counts by mail an intended depositor,
residing where there is no regular
designated postal savings bank, will
| apply to his local postmaster who
will see that necessary Identification
data is prepared and forwarded to a
nearby post office authorized to ac-
cept deposits. The intended deposi-
tor will then be given permission to
forward his first and subsequent de-
posits by money order or registered
mail direst to the postmaster at the
banking point for which receipts or
certificates will be issued. He may
withdraw all or any part of his post
al savings by mail and on demand
together with any interest that may
be due him.
The new leaflet points out that any
person ten years old or over may op-
en- an account in his or her own
name; that an account may be open
ed by a married woman free from
any control or interference by her
husband; that post office officials
are forbidden to disclose to any per-
son, except the depositor, the amount
of iany deposits; that Withdrawals
may be made without previous no
tice; and that the Government guar
antees to repay all deposits on de-
mand with accrued interest.
The leaflet will soon be printed in
% foreign languages for distribution
throug local post offices. The for
eign-born citizen has taken very kind
ly to postal savings, and literature in
his own language will be of great as,
sistance to him. In recent article
Postmaster General Burleson com.
mented on the foreign-b born depositol
as follows:
Upwards of 100000 depositors
now have accounts in the Postal Saw
ings System and they represent every
nationality on the earth. They also
represent almost every known occu-
pation-professio men, theatrical
people, mechanics. laborers, fisher
men, pack peddlers, etc. But the
majority are wage-earners, and o1
this class the foreign-born largely
predominant. A census of deposit
ors taken by the Post Office Depart
ment shows that approximately Al
per cent (200,000) of the depositor'
are foreign-born citizens and the!
own more than so per cent of the
deposits-splendid evidence of thu
confidence of our newly acquired
citizens in the ability and good faitf
of their adopted country to fulfill its
obligations.
"There is another reason which lee
guage and business methods, to turr
to the Government to safeguard
immigrants, unfamiliar with our Ian
their humble savings and that reason
is the disastrous experiences many O.
hem have had by the failures of bog
US private banks" officered b!
swindlers of their own tongue WHIT
have preyed mercilessly upon thei
loneliness and credulity."
Postal Swings receipts have brok