The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-13

From 1914 to the last statement
shows the greatest gains for it jump
ed from 101 millions in June, 1914 to
Al millions in March, 1915.
Today they are 961 state and pri-
vate banks in Kansas that report to
the state bank commissioner and To-
peka, with the Bank of Topeka, heads
the list both in point of deposits and
capital stock.
The Bank of Topeka is capitalized
at $4,000 and carries deposits of
$2,711,699 Wichita runs a close Sec
ond with the American State Bank
which has deposits of $2552,000 and
capital stock of $150.000.
Bank in Every County
Every county in Kansas has its State
bank. Greeley, Hamilton, Morton and
Scott stand at the bottom of the list
with one each to their credit while
seven counties claim but two.
Sedgwick county heads the list with
81 state banks while Marshall stands
second with IS, Sumner. %, Reno, 81,
and Wyandotte claims 20.
There are 1877 banks in the state
with a capitalization of $4,000 and
over and 42S; with a capitalization of
$4,000 each
There is about 20 millions invested
in capital stock in all the state banks
in Kansas and in a summary report
from the bank commissioners offices
this statement is made under the
heading, per cent of gross earnings
to capital" 4S.16s This means that
the State banks made nearly $40, 000.-
900 profit in the year 1913 on the
amount they actually had invested in
capital stock
The dividends paid by all banks fig
ured on capital on which dividends
were paid varied from 1878 per cent.
to 1886 per cent.
Over 500 of tbe State hanks il, Kan
sas operate under the guarantee de-
post laws which guarantee the deposi-
tors funds. The state treasurer holds,
under this law as guarantee fund for
the protection of the depositors. $685.
900 in cash and S475, 900 in gilt edge
bonds which is available for in
slant use in case one of these banks
should fail.
The laws which govern a bank COM
ing under this head are stringent and a
close inspection is made not only of
the amount of capital stock of the
bank, but of the personnel of the bank
officials. for at bottom honesty is the
bed rock on which this law is founded
and few crooked bankers could east
ly wipe out this fund held by the treas
urer of the state if they so wished
The tremendous prosperity that
Kansas. has enjoyed within the past
few years, is easily reflected in the
various statements made by all of the
banks and they show that a general
state wide prosperity has prevailed
for the past three years.
With such wide spread prosperity
farm values have risen and this fact
should not be lost sight of. This
story deals with dollars alone and
makes no attempt to take into con-
sideration the money spent in paying
off mortgages, purchase of automobiles
which alone runs into the millions OF
dollars, the up-building of the farm
in general, improvements in homes in
both country and city, nor with the
vast amount. of money spent in other
states for live stock. 1t deals simply
with the dollars that are in the var
ious bank vaults in Kansas and il
does not touch the National Banks OIL
the Trust Companies.
Those two institutions hold a story
within themselves but they would
simply add to this already enormous
figure for Kansas is booming and will
continue to boom. The story of the
state banks shows that statement tt
be true.