The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1916-06-01
METH0DOF FINANCE
HOW BANKS "MAkE" MONEY FOR
THEIR CUSTOMERS.
little Story Explains the Operation Of
National NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Proc
ess Resolves Itself Intoaa Mat
ter of Credit.

1t would seem that after the bank
takes your money, protects it, pays it
back on demand or as you order, lends
you money, discounts your neighbours
note for you, it would have nothing
else to offer in your behalf. But it
hast makes" money for you, and
incidentally makes money for itself,
according to writer in the Brooklyn
Eagle.
When you see the president or the
cashier of bank signing his name to
row of four crisp new bills (they al
ways come in sheets of four) you Won
der what he is doing, and what is be-
hind it all. We will show you by
simple illustration. Let us suppose
you want to borrow $1,000 and offer
your note to your banker. He knows
you, knows that you will pay, and
wants to accommodate you. He looks
at his books and says: Il can't spare
the money. The law says must have
fifteen cents out of every dollar I owe
my depositors in cash, or where l can
get it on demand; and / have just
what the law requires. If l give you
credit for the note and let you check
against it, l increase my debts and
make my condition worse, for if l do
not pay you in cash must stand ready
to do So"
But being a resourceful banker and
knowing how, he asks you to wait a
minute while he goes to his strong
box. He finds government bond
which he bought a year ago when he
had plenty of spare money, for cash,
and comes back smiling and says:
Very well, in three days you can have
your money. l will turn this bond into
bank notes for you So he sends
the bond to Washington, and in re-
turn the government sends him 200
crisp new S. bills, to be signed by
two officers of the bank, cut and hand
ed out to you.
The government keeps the bond as
security that he will redeem the notes
in lawful money" on demand-that is,
pay greenbacks or gold for them if de-
manded (but this is seldom done),
pays him interest on the bond and you
pay him interest on your note for the
use of his notes. and both are salts
fed.
You see, by this proposition he has
turned your notes into bank notes,
with himself behind it and the gov.
eminent behind him. Your promise
wouldn't go very far from home; these
promises will. Everybody knows them
They are money and circulate
as such.
Now what has the banker done by
this process? He has furnished the
community as well as you with circu
lating medium, handy to carry, cheap
and satisfactory to all. He has taken
your credit and turned it into bank
credit. He makes money and you
take the money he has made and make
some money for yourself. 1t is very
simple proposition, understood by few
but practiced by many. If you don't
fully understand it, ask your banker
to tell you more about it. This fea-
ture of banking, however, is performed
in this country only by banks under
control Of the federal government,
namely, the national banks and fed
eral reserve banks, but is common
banking practice the world over, diff
fering In form but not in substance,
it being a universal function OF the
bank to turn credit which is unknown
into that which is known and will
therefore be freely taken, and bank
note credit is the most common and
useful form. ,..