Evening star., 1919-11-09

and receiving at each window. instead
or our former method OF having paying
and receiving tellers, 1t permitted US
to divide our depositors alphabetically.
giving to each teller a different section
OF the alphabet to wait on for all mat
ters. such as paying, receiving. makins
change. or the acceptance of payments
on gas or electric bills.
This has worked splendidly since
we adopted It in March, and has elfmf-
mated the old condition of the receiv,
ing teller, for instance. being ruShed
while the paying teller was compare
lively idle. or the paying teller being
rushed while the receiving teller was
more or less idle.
Our customers undoubtedly are
waited on much more quickly. because
a customer has only to go through one
line, and also because we do not re-
quire a depositor to necessarily be
waited on at his proper window. That
IS. we have man on the hoor at an
times to instruct and discuss with
customers any inquiries that they de-
sire to make, and if he sees one line
forming and another teller Is not
busy. he will withdraw from that
line those who desire to make de-
posits and take them to another win
dow irrespective of whether it is at
the proper subdivision or not This
keeps the lines of uniform size and
permits customers to know that they
will not be delayed very long in trans
acting their business at the bank.
liked by the tellers, because 1t per
mits them to settle quicker, in that
they pay out either ny casnng
checks or making change, good por-
ton Of what they take in over the
counter, and therefore at the close
of business have less money to strap.
Each teller has an omnibus con-
tanning the signature cards for his
section. and combination on same,
wherein he places his cash each even
ing and runs same into the vault
Reduce the Taxes.
The New York Times says:
The soundest word yet spoken on
the subject OF reducing the cost of
living is addressed to the country by
the Chamber of Commerce of the
state of New York in a report of it's
executive committee submitted TO the
chamber on Thursday. All the com
missions on earth all the inquiries that
could be ordered by legislative or ex-
ecutive authority. all the prosecutions
of prof1teers that the Department of
Justice could undertake. would have
results quite negligible in comparison
the problem which the chamber of
commerce committee recommends.
The enormous and burdensome fed
eral taxes are incomparably the great
est single element in keeping up high
costs. 1t is an economic and fiscal
question and these are the elements
to be conSidered
The Secretary of the Treasury esti-
mates that federal taxes for the year
ending June 80. 1920. will be: Internal
revenue taxes. S4.9i0.0O0,0 600; GUS
toms duties. s260,ooo. 900; total. So
200. 900 900.
Were these taxes to be collected
equally from the families of the
United States. the average cost of liv-
ing to each would include S235 for
federal taxes. In 1914 federal taxes
amounted to less than $3.50 fam
lily. In other words, this element
threatens to show an increase of more
than 539 per cent.
The people of the United States
cannot continue to pay s5.0o0.00O.O0O
in taxes annually without feeling not
only the immediate drain upon their
resources. but the still greater impost
levied upon them at practically every
the tax For the tax is distributed
in so far as the individuals and cor
poratiors upon which it is levied
can pass it on to others. And II is
a matter of universal experience that
more than the amount OF
the TAX Is pdSScu oH IiiNS
is possible. The delusive notion that
persons to when no tax bills are
rendered pay no taxes must be got
rid of before there can be any clear
of the effect of fed
eral taxation in increasing the cost
of commodities.
The committee of the chamber of
commerce advocates a reduction of
this annual tax of s5.200.000,000 to
s27OO. 100000. Inasmuch as the ex-
penses of the federal government UP
to JUL, l. 1915. less interest on debt,
never exceeded s7e2. 100000. the. COM
nittee estimates that "s1.500,0 100000
should be ample to cover costs of
Therefore, a liberal es-
innate of the annual amount needed
for interest and for ordinary ex-
penses in the immediate future would
be s2.70O, 100000. This assumes that
the interest on the total debt of S26,-
516.509 will, for a time. become
federal expense and includes a charge
Of $3.50, 100000 for that purpose"