Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-12-02

| prepared and the clerk would merely ask
him, How'll you have it," Now many
banks make it rule to cash checks only
for their depositors, and positive identi-
fication is demanded. The way of q for
ger under such circumstances is decid-
edly hard.
Activities of check artists vary in the
different states according to the stringen-
cy of state laws and the vigilance of
state prosecution. In some states the
passer Of an overdrawn check is given
"a hours in which to make 1t good; in
other states a longer time is set. In
practically every state the penalty for
forgery is heavy. In the District Of CO.
lumbia artists and bad check reformers
are both very active. There is no def
mite law penalizing presentation of bad
checks in the district. The matter is
largely covered by general laws on lar
ceny and misdemeanors, but the general
opinion is that specific law would bet
ter conditions.
Washington has for some years been
one of the fayorite haunts of check art
lists. Right now about eighty men and
women are under indictment for passing
bogus government checks in Washington
Yet the number of war workers engaged
in this business has not been excessive,
according to the Washington detective
bureau. That is, the increase in bad
check cases during the war has been in
fair proportion TO Washington's increase
in population.
The uniform is used as cloak for all
sorts of check schemes. Two profession
ais, for instance, toured the country for
some time dressed as United States sol
ders. One would offer check in pay
keeper looked it over, the other soldier
would step up, stating that he was re
cruiting officer. and offer TO indorse the
check and vouch for the boys character.
These crooks, among many others,
were pursued through the bulletin Of the
merchants credit association and through
retail credit bureaus. The retail deal
ers' credit rating bureau is. as one busi-
ness man puts it, the Bradstreet of the
retail merchant. 1t is a local affair, Il
central storehouse of credit information
for the city, where the merchant can OBJ
tain facts as TO the standing of Joe Doe
and his wife il they have had any expert
ence with checks or other forms of credit.
The problem Of the merchant is to as
certain the value of a check while the
customer waits The function of the
central credit bureau is to furnish the
customers rating instantly. These cen
tral bureaus are being established IN va
rious cities. They claim never to express
an opinion on any individuals character
or finances. and to keep their records
strictly confidential.
Bad check operators, persons who are
not good pay. persons who skip without
paying their bills. are reported each night
TO the central credit station and the mer-
chants of the city are warned IN the next
days bulletin. These daily bulletins of
local bureaus are simply mimeographed
memoranda, reporting local credit news
of the day before. They are sent out to
all the merchants, bankers. doctors, law
yers, and other business and professional
men who belong to the credit association.
The work of the credit bureaus is said in
many towns to be extremely effective.
The final and logical outcome of the
bad check deals is that the public pays.
Not that the merchant who finds that he
has been cheated out Of ten dollars imme
diately adds ten dollars to the price of
coat in his window. But the merchant
deposits the worthless check. 1t comes
back. and the merchant has to subtract
the sum from his balance in the bank. II