Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-05-06
CONSERVATION OF CASH
AS WELL AS FOODsTUFF
n Habit That Has Been Taking Hold
Of Richmond People for, Sew
cral Years Back.
SAVING DEPOSITS IN ALL BANKS
Farmers Who Keep Accounts
Larger in Number Than Ever BE.
fore Known. in Spite of Heavy
Drafts for Liberty Bonds.

You would hardly believe II pos
Siblc. but the fact is that notwith-
standing the heavy investments made
by all classes of Richmond citizens in
Liberty bonds and War Savings stamps.
the savings deposited in the banks OF
this city are larger to-day than they
Lave ever before been"
This is information which an officer
of prominent bank of Richmond
furnished the newspaper man ON sat
riday afternoon. lie said he vas not
speaking alone OF the condition OF
savings deposits i'll the bank with
which he was connected. but he hap
pcncd to know that il is true OF those
in all the savings banks OF the city-aii
the institutions are savings banks nov
adays. Further inquiry on the part Of
the reporter. who had become very
much interested ia the statement,
proved that the gentleman had the
thing down fine.
II is true that right nov many saw
ings accounts arc somewhat rum down
having been heavily drawn on to mako
payments on Liberty bonds and to pay
for War Savings and Thrift stamps
but in the number of savings dcpoSi-
deposits. they arc much larger to-day
tan they were a year ago and very
much larger than they were two years
ago.
The fact is. Richmond people have
been quick to ACQUIRE the saving habit
and ii has been growing on them more
rapidly since the government has been
preaching 1t so loudly as a war meas
urc. The habit of conserving foods
and fuels and such things is suggest
ing and is leading to encouragement
of the habit Of conserving the cash
and more people arc acoui. ing that
habit than ever before. Then. too. il
is no new thing with the banks to
preach tho saving habit. The Rich
mond banks and bankers have been
doing that vigorously for the past
several years I'D they have taken
advantage Of the war time prca chments
about conservation generally to i'm
press az the same time the importance
Of savings bank accounts. little ac-
counts. that 80 on increasing night
and day hy the interest route even
though they may he added by regular
and systematic deposits ever so little.
More Richmond women are drawing
wages than ever before in the history
Of tho city and more young men are
drawing big wages" than ever before
I'D while they arc all paving out
moro FOR living cXuenSeS than ever be
fore. A vast number Of them arc Guilt
waiting the saving habit more than
they ever did befcrc the fact that they
arc handling more money than hereto
fore seeming 20 suggest the idea. II
is true that many. entirely too many
Of the wage carners Of this city are
>pcndth-ifts and apparently take no in :
tercst in tho conservation doctrine
that ono hears on ever hand. and the
bankers and others who arc 50 earnest
, In preaching the good doctrine Of wage
saving and preparation for the newt
able rainy DAY have yet a great deal
Of 'nateria! "a work upon in this good
OLD town.
Nevertheless. an irve stiEation of the
books Of tho banks Of Richmond ill
show At this time that tho vaults of
the savings departments arc full OF the
colin of tho realm and that there il
q larger number Of Individual dcposi-
tors OF the savings Kind drawing in
ts-sSt than a. any time in the history
Of Richmond. And here is another
cheering thought: a banker has been
heard % express the opinion that an
other careful investigation would prove
that 9h per cent Of tn" savings deposit
tors .: Richmond have been investors
i- Liberty bonds or War Savings
stamps or both.