Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-17

idleness and strikes, unorganized
labor is showing some discomfort,
while organised labor is making de-
mands that might have been en-
forced in war time, but seem impos-
sible now
The railroad problem is not settled;
foreign exchange is suffering from
acute weakness. capital hesitates.
money is accumulating in banks and
conservatism is popular.
one-way market is out Of the
question; we will have advances, but
we will have declines and they will
be intermittent.
In the meantime safe interest bank,
bond and Treasury certificates are in
viting.
A Merry Young Teller.
1t requires considerable nerve on
the part of the young receiving teller
take the chances Of ducking under
the protection Of the marble counter
with gun in the hands of a crazy
but determined man within less than
a foot from the teller's face.
The fact that the man did shoot
and with intent to kill was evidenced
by the course of the bullet.
1t is impossible to tell what results
might have followed had the teller
simply complied with the demands
of the hold-up and handed out the
currency. 1t would have been diff
ficult for the man to have made his
escape; a hue and cry would have
been set up within a few seconds
that would unquestionAb1y have
resulted in his capture or death, but
before that had been effected MUIR
der might have been done, with per-
haps several lives sacrificed as the
cost of the capture.
Give Employees Protection.
Bank employees should be given
some protection, but there is small
chance for a successful hold-up in
this city. Downtown banks in large
cities have rarely been chosen by
daylight robbers for their ventures
the chances Of failure are too great.
Banks in the suburbs are their
particular victims. as we'll as banks
in small towns, where comparatively
Few persons may be employed and
where the quick getaway of an au-
tomobile may lose the robbers in
a big city in a few minutes.
Insurance is the chief protection
of the banks. together with appliances
of a private nature.
There is no good reason why q
teller should keep large sums of cur
rency in the money till. 1t would
cashier. or a cashier. to go to the
vault and supply the paying teller or
take cash from receiving tellers two
or three times daily, and would be
an assurance against heavy loss.
A secret drawer might be arranged
the bulk of the cash might be kept
during business hours and funds
shifted from there to the till.
One precaution that should be
taken by all banks not only as
means Of protection, but to facilitate
business, is a special policeman In
uniform as a floorwalker.
Such a man should be familiar with
the officers and employees OF the bank.
with the different tellers. the clerk
in charge of new accounts and be,
IN 1aes bureau tS or r.,ne. 10 ma
Strangers entering q bank
should not be permitted to loiter
around taking in the situation: they
should be addressed Immediately by
the bank policeman with q view Of
finding out his or her business and
to assist in expediting 1t. Courtesy to
visitors would readily suggest itself
to any sensible man and no man other
than one of gentlemanly instincts
should be given this position.
Fine Goods Cost High.
A large manufacturer Of shoes says:
Il have no desire to seem ungallant
toward the ladies. especially after
and unpaid war work and in the forth
tude they showed. But in this after-war
period they are causing my trade
some little bother, both as work peo-
pie and as customers. 1t may be only
temporary psychological matter-the
rebound from war strain.
TN our factories find the female
operatives much less dependable than
during or before the war. It Is none
Of my business that 30 many Of them
should dress SO well out Of their dou-
bled wages, any more than that some
male workers should take to certain
ever worn. 1t means stinting else
where, on more sensible parts Of their
personal budget; 1t accentuates that
Of demand on certain
lines of human wear that has pushed
prices for the finer goods to extreme
attitudes. 1t accelerates the swing
of extravagance. But it is a natural
q long-repressed de-
sire for fine things
But what does Affect my business
is an unsteadiness in the way OF
work. Many young ladies. with quite
or in liberties. vote themselves hoii-
days with rather startling frequency.
Some days the total runs into scores.
We find new stiffness in labor that
bothers us in calculating capacity and
output: And imagine that many
manufacturers In other lines will
corroborate my observation that not
only is the quantity Of labor become
a problem, but also. in q unit sense
of cost and output, it's deteriorating
quality.
NJ
I'm different way the coloners
lady-or even the corporars-is quite
as perplexing as is Judy O'Grady. She
viii, as class, have none Of the me-
dunn grade. medium price, Sensible
style shoes she used to accept. She
actually seems to gloat over the ex-
helps to make them SO. She goes to
the swell store. She wants novelties
In style and exQuisiteness in finish as
well as in superf1ne quality. l know
of factories east and west that have
practically had to give up making
certain brands. once in good demand,
of very reasonable make and price, on
which they had spent much time and
money in creating reputation.
perhaps here also there Is q per-
fectly natural revuision from war
time repression and sacrifice, as well
as reflection OF plenty of gross II
not net income in the family purse.
ut is thus a social phenomenon. Bat
1T is also strong economic factor.
And 1t is the single one most re-
sponsibie for the scarcity and high
cost of the stun that goes into such
shoes-and doubtless into other ar
ticles OF wear
Il am strongly tempted to hint to
the Investigators. 'Cherchez Ia
femme"
Gold Reserves Down $4,000, 900.
Gold stocks In the hands of the fed