Evening star., 1918-02-24
EVANGELICAL AND OTHERWISE.

next loan and will not hesitate to
It is probable that other conferences
will be held in other districts in the
immediate future in preparation for
the inevitable.
In New York state. committees have
been appointed to see that the govern
ment gets the fullest cooperation from
bankers. and that the latter may real
lie the needs of the situation and the
necessity for full cooperation. The
New York State BankerS Association
has undertaken the work of impressing
the needs OF the hour on its members
An Excellent Movement.
AFTER arguing the question pro and
con for many years. many Of the banks
OF the city have taken the bull by the
horns and will either weed out un-
profitable accounts or make them
profitable through the monthly charge"
said r. N. Harper, and, he added. tits
the best thing the bankers of Washing
ton have put over for many years"
president that he would gladly have
some one throw 5000 accounts out of
his institution They cost money to
carry on the books and paid no returns
Many bankers have been compliment
ed on the movement by the very Gus
toners who will be affected by the rll-
ing. They recognize that there is no
money to be made by the bank on
500 is imm ediately followed by several
checks for nearly the entire amount of
the deposit and they are willing to pay
the small monthly charge for the
checks. The committee of bankers in
vestigating reported $4,000 unprofit-
able accounts in the banks of this city.
The minimum estimate of checks
n Qtxyy1 lot ;pck
that preclude payment on presentation
is estimated at 800. When this evil is
eradtcated by a charge of so cents for
each mo funds" check, Washington
banking business will be clean and rea-
sonably profitable.
Showing Interest in Utilities,
The administration is beginning to
show more than a passing interest in
public utilities. 1t is stated that serv-
ice must be maintained at the peak.
In this interest is foreshadowed in the
belief of some people that the govern
ment will not stop at the control Of the
railroads, but that utilities, where
necessary for the speeding up Of the
war may also be. taken over. There
seems to be an impression that the
government can do something that
corporate ownership cannot-and yet
the Senate vote shows strong trend
against government ownership.
Baby liberty bonds will retain their
place in the family circle if John Muir,
father of the baby bond idea, has any
influence with Secretary McAdoo, to
whom he appealed by wire on behalf of
covered that a movement has been
started to eliminate the hundred-dollar
bond from future liberty loans in order
to leave unhampened the. work of the
war saving stamp campaign. Mr. Muir
said in part: LAS chief exponent Of the
partial payment plan and constant care
taker of millions of liberty bonds
thrown over by small investors, has
ten to call your attention to the efforts
now being made by war savings stamp
baby bonds and the partial payment
plan. They now want attention con-
centrated on getting enough subscrip-
tions from small people to make up the
imperil success of third liberty loan
and future war financing"
John Muir's Baby Bond Views.
In a pamphlet "How to Raise the
Money!" John Muir. sponsor Of baby
bonds. has this to say:
For the success of the third liberty
loan, the solution is bonds of $50 and
500 denomination as before, long term is
sue, with the privilege OF redemption at
the holders option July /. 1923. The
partial-payment privilege is necessary,
with uniform and fair terms all over the
country. preferably with monthly instead
of weekly installments. There should be
national central direction: so that all
federal reserve districts will be working
on similar. systematic lines
Mr.. Muir is not in favor of street corner
campaigns or the efforts Of this or that
group of buttonholers, having cards signed
and q dollar down-the dollar being fre-
quently the salve to the pride of the
solicited. These subscriptions he consd
ers wasted energy, and even il carried to