The Washington times., 1920-10-18
By JULIUS l. PEYSER.
President Security Savings and Com
mercial Bank.


President Security Savings and Com
mercial Bank.
One OF the most important PROD
lens that the banks and banking in
stitutions are facing Is the question
of obtaining and maintaining eff
cient bank employees. In the age of
scientific inventions which are play
ing an important part in the life Of
greater America, we stop to listen to
the advanced theory of newer and
different Industrial and commercial
activities, but In our haste we do
not hesitate long enough TO think
about the men ana women behind the
desks and cages working day in and
day out in the large counting houses
and banking institutions. Psychology
is method Of many different tests,
and all sorts and kinds OF mental
measurements are being advocated
for obtaining the best brains in all
business pursuits but we forget, in
our hurry, TO obtain tests for the pur-
pose of helping employees to live bet
ter and under better conditions. We
speak of measurements for accuracy
and how these measurements should
be made through memory, through
proportions, and through images. and
yet we forget to create sys-
tenn of mental and physical strength
to assist persons to become accurate.
Some people wonder whether the men
at the head of the banks and bank
ing institutions ever stop to give a
passing thought to men and women
who are employed by them: whether
they ever think of them as human
beings who are in need OF proper
housing. or of proper food, or Of
proper recreation or diversion
CONDITIONS QUAsI-SLAvERY.
1t has been for a long time q stand
ing bitter humor-the long hours and
small pay of the bank clerks, just as
il we have not returned to the dark
ages OF quasi-slavery or If we have
remained stagnant in this readjust-
ment period of American life. Per-
sons on the outside are fright tened
away and good employees lost-afraid
to select banking as their chosen pro-
fession. Have we not passed away
from that stage Of apprenucesship.
like the sailors of the early days used
to sing:
"Sx days shalt thou labor and DO
all thou art able.
The seventh, holystone the deck and
scrub the cable"
Banks and banking institutions, IN
cities the size of Washington, ought
to have uniform hours of employ
ment, not for the purpose Of seeing
how long the clerks are at work, but
such uniformity so that the clerks
may know that they are all work ing
the same length Of time; that the
eyes of the executive and administra-
tive officers must see that the best
services are obtained for uniformity
-
which will cause the employers to
give a gentle imaginary slap on the
shoulders of the employees Whisper
ing, "Your work has been well DONE"
For instance, certain banks keep open
on Saturday nights. This custom
should be eliminated. Banks should be
closed on Saturday nights and open
only on Saturdays from o'clock un-
til noon; half day Saturday is q legal
holiday and should also be real
holiday, so that the employees may
have the benefit of few hours Of
tennis, base ball. golf, swimming or
any recreation that will get them In
communion with air or sunshine.
Some bankers have raised the cry
that the merchants and patrons com
plain about the IL o'clock closing on
Saturday. II has been a mooted aues-
tlon whether the merchants and pa
irons really do complain, and Il Is a
question whether II Is not the mental
attitude OF the bankers themselves
imagining that tho merchants and
patrons complain. Last summer witt
messed in the city OF Washington the
all day Saturday holiday for all de-
partment stores and more than a ma
jority of the smaller stores. Long
hours with the merchant are n thing
of tho past. The merchants. by rea-
son of the eight-hour law for women
and other welfare laws, have created