The Washington herald., 1920-09-23
Richard Spillane Saws:

Under the direction of w. +.
Gephart, vice president OF the First
National Bank of ST. Louis, a vast
amount of statistical and other in
formation has been compiled regard.
ing labor in banks. 1t appears in
the Bankers Magazine.
This is something new. We have
had. lots of facts and some things
that were not facts about the
branch of labor for which Hr.
Gompers and other gentlemen 20
up and down the land. with occa-
sional side trips to Washington.
bearing a -bedewed handker-
chief in one hand and a club in the
other, but nobody has seemed TO
concern himself much about white
collared labor, that branch Of fhe
family of toilers you fnd in Offices
the. kind that becomes spectacled
prematurely; the kind that has TO
keep up appearances even IL II has
20 skimp to do IL. You know the
kind, of course.
Bank employees are supposed TO
be the aristoeraey of this depart
ment of labor. II they are, II would
appear that white-eollared labor, as
a class. gets far below what blue
jeaned labor receives.
Here are the findings Of the St.
Louis banker:
Per Year
Average salary of assistant
CASHIERS -......-.. -...-.-. sa,4 :
Average salary Of bank tell
ers ........,............. 2.232
Average salary of bank book
keepers (class A)......... 1899
Average salary of bank book
keepers (class b. l.2lo
Average salary of bank ste
nographers (class A).... 1860
Average salary of bank ste
nographers (class B)... 1905
Average salary Of machine
operators Cclass A)........ 1885
Average salary Of machine
operators (class B)... SIT
Average salary Of clerks
(class D...........-.. 1856
Average salary Of clerks
(class b.. ! l,OOo
Average salary Of checkers
and sorters. s................ LOO
Average salary OF telephone
operators ................. 1911
Average salary of foormen.. 1872
Average salary OF messengers 734
From the detailed tsbulation fur
ntshed by Mr.. Gephart il appears
that in the Eastern States assistant
cashiers. tellers and bookkeepers
are paid well above the average for
the nation, while bank stenog-
raphers, machine operators. clerks.
checkers and hoormen get less. In
the Middle West there are bank
tellers who get as low as $3.50. The
highest paid tellers in the country
are recorded in. the East. where
some get $4,000 a year The. best
paid bookkeeper gets $4,000 a year
and there are some in small towns
who get as little as S42O.
One thing that should he made
plain in connection with the above
figures is that in many hanks the
employees get bonuses or share in
the profits. How much this adds to
the pay received by the workers is
not estimated. hut in some instances
1t is known TO be considerable.
From the foregoing it would
seem there is little chance in bank
work for the young man without
influence. But there is.
The president Of one Of the big
gest commercial banks in America
was a clerk in a small bank up the
Hudson. He wrote to a New York
bank and applied for a job. He got
no answer. He wrote again He
got an answer and d job. Now he
Is one Of the big figures in American
finance. Scores OF big men in bank
ing circles might be mentioned who
came up from the bottom runE and
/ had no influence but merit
However. banks pay their people
too little. gauged by prescnt-dav
costs. The evidence furnished by
/ the st. Louis banker is sufficient
/ proof.
Dignity OF employment is all very
well, but it is not negotiable for
[ beef and beans