The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-06-17

viously therefore, affecting his own fortunes Banks can serve the countryS interests and their own by keeping before their respective com munities such facts as the size of our national debt of s24 1000, 900 which remains to be paid. They can interpret for their sections the effect upon the world production of the loss of nearly 15,0GO, 900 men killed in the war. They can explain that the great war cost the world probably $500, 0,o0o,0o0,o 900 and that this is equivalent to the total wealth of America; also that the capital thus destroyed must be restored through a long process of accommodating saw ings; and that the world can regain it's prosperity only through hard work and thrift
 Accelerate Prosperity.
 World reconstruction. business re- vival, the 'new prosperity will be accelerated in proportion as all the people cooperate toward this end and business men know, that the present demand for capital is unpre- cedented Following are a few fig ures which may well be kept in mind in connection with current require ments:
 Six billion dollars needed for con struction of factories, homes, schools, etc.
 Six billion dollars needed for the complete rehabilitation of railroads (one-third of this construction should be undertaken in the near future).
 Two billion dollars needed for pub lie utilities to permit community de- velopment, especially in outlying city sections.
 One billion five hundred million dollars needed for highway construc- ton.
 Suggestive Figures.
  It is well also to remember that bil- lions of foreign capital invested in this country before the war have since been withdrawn. Not only this but something like $t3,000, 900, 900 have been advanced to Europe in the form of government and private
 One of the functions of bankers is to maintain substantial equilibrium between funds loaned or invested on the one hand and the supply of money held to deposit, on the other A proper balancing of loans with de- posfts, of credits with savings and in veStments, is necessary to insure healthy financial conditions. It is coming to be nearly as important a function of banks to stimulate Ithe de ve1opment of capital as to take charge of the loaning of such capital. With out the one, the other is impossible; they are in a sense two aspects of a single operation. The main question
 
 The time has come when the people of America know the need for econ omy; in a great many cases they have learned this from recent personal ex- periences-
 Opportune Moment.
 Viewing the situation from the of developing new sources of capital it seems therefore that this is an opportune moment to drive the savings idea home to the individual JZG the value of a fund saved for emer- gencieS and when he again returns 10 work he will be grateful for an op. portunHty of safely investing some of is not out of employment takes a les son in thrift from the regrettaole condition of many of those who were until lately his co-Workers in 1nous- try
 Different countries have developed different methods to facilitate the in vestment of savings Among the necessary elements of any SucceSSiuI plan are these: the method must De easy to understand, must require the least amount of effort on the part or the saver, must have his comptsUe and must afford the hlSh- est degree of protection In A1neI!- ca the present tendency is In the ol- rection of a system in which the en- p1oye receives the cooperation Of ms employer There need, however, be nothing paternaISt1c aDout SuCh plan. The employe voluntarily re- quests the management to w1thnolo 3 stated amount from his wages each pay day, the money to be invested as directed This plan, which is adVo- | cated by the United States Treasury in connection with the sale of Treasury Savings securities, IS the hearty cooperation or employers throughout, the country The employer may either invest the | savings of his workers in S5 War Savings Stamps or have the payrnas- ter substitute the new S1 Treasury | Savings Stamps in the pay envelope l in place of the money withheld An | important advantage of the Treas 1ryS plan is that it is adaptable to any orga nization, regardless Of now large or how small, anywhere in the United States and it requires minimum of effort on the part of the employer and the employe-
 Bankers Opinion A prominent Banker of wide 1n- | dustrial interests in one of our larg- | est industrial centerS recently ex- pressed his judgment of the value or | the savings movement as foIlows-
 There is no more important ser vice that can be rendered, no pur- pose mora worthy, than to aid in the present movement of the Savings Di-