The Washington times., 1915-11-26
BANKS KEEP RECORD
OF FINGER PRINTS
Preserve Absolute Identifica.
ton Of Depositors by Up.to.
Date Method.

NEW YORK. Nov. 2s.-If one Of
the clerks in the savings bank
pushes an inky pad toward you
the next time you go to draw out
money or make a deposit and asks you
for your finger print don't become in
dsnant and assume that the clerk Is
in reality a detective who imagines that
your finger print would be OF particular
Interest at headquarters. It's Just
new method OF establishing your iden-
tity. The plan has been adopted re-
Gently by several New York savings
banks
In these banks little placards are
hung UP in the cashiers office or some
prints Of three fingers OF somebody's
gence that. Your signature may be
questioned or initiated. but your finger
print never changes" All persons
opening new accounts In these banks
are requested to leave the imprint of
the first three fingers OF the right hand
on the reverse side of the identifca-
so there can be no question about the
Identity of the depostors in the fu-
ture Old depositors are also asked to
leave their finger prints.
cannot sign their names the hnger
prints replace or accompany the old
fashioned cross mark for signature.
The American Savings Bank adopted
the plan about month ago and about
, 80 persons have loft their finger prints
on Slips OF paper thus far
"The plan .hsr Is working adm,T"hI} nI,n
| having record made Of his finger
prints. but up to the present time not
a single objection has been heard. Our
women dcpositors seem especially in
tprpstrI n tho nlan and all of them
! have been eager TO have their finger
prints recorded. Many Of them seem
TO think 1t very amusing experience
and insist on being allowed to mike
half a dozen extra copies OF their f,ng-
! er prints to take home rs souvenirs
The record Is taken with little Gcla:
tine pad covered with thin layer OF
printers ink. and the clerk in charge
| keeps a small bottle of alcohol beside
his desk for tho depositors to clean the
ink from their fingers after making
| their prints.
At one bank 1t was said yesterday
that the plan had already prevented
frauds. Foreign laborcrs have hereto
| fore been considered troublesome de-
positors. 1t was said. because Of the
frequency with which their fellows stole
their bank books and impersonatcd
them In attempting to withdraw their
funds. The dcpositors of this class are
said to he better pleased with the
scheme than anv others when they
| learn tnat nODOuy Gun make lngcI
| print precisely like their own.
| The ordinary signatures Of this class
of depositors. too. have often caused
| trouble. because the laborers. signing
| their names only rarely. sign them DIFF
ferently almost every time. and theiI
signatures seldom look the same twice
| in succession. This Ia another OF the
problems which the plan has solved.
The police authorities are as VOL
plcased with the adoption OF the finger
prints plan by banks as are tho bank
officials. and believe that II II Is r"n
orally adopted 1t will prove effective II
minimizing the number OF frauds per
pctratcd on the banks by experienced
criminals.
The finger print system Of identified
tion has long been In use by the police
of this and other countries. and in th'
various police headquarters there are
records OF the finger prints of many
check forgers and other offenders
/ Criminals who know that the police
have records OF their finger prints. It /!
believed will be inclined to keep away
from the banks which have alst
adopted the finger print plan.