Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-12
lands NOT WRONG,
BANKERS HERE SAY
Declare Clerks in PhiIa. Banks
Receive Living Wage, but Do
Not Justify Stealing
REALIZE RESPONSIBILITY

! ''"i NNAhNG "u'u luuaN WHHI lutN
thought of the jurist's action in sus .
pending sentence in the case of Francis
f. Carey, twenty year old bank teller,
who sa id he was forced to steal because
nc received only $40 a month pay. His
shortage was 500. 800.
II feel that bank officials have n
heavy responsibility in such cases" said
T.. PuSey Passmore. formerly governor
OF the Federal Reserve Bank OF the
third district. Il read the dispatch
from Chicago, and it seemed to mc there
was good deal Of merit in the judge S
criticism of the officers of the bank.
Naturally great deal depends on
environment and circumstances, but if
II Is true that farm hands in the COM
mun'ty where the young man was en-
ploEed received twice as much as was
paid him. the officials certainly are sub
Jcct to criticism.
No Justification for Crime
1t must not be argued. of course.
mat i'll paid clerks in any business are
JuStlned IN stealing from their en-
ployers, but at the same time employ
ers must remember that they arc sub
lecting employees TO temptation when
they pay them unjust wages
Mr.. PaSsmore was asked about sal
aries paid in Philadelphia for work cor
responding to that done by the young
paying teller of the National City Bank,
which is at Ottawa, Ill.
In philadelphia there are very few
Junior clerks, men Just beginning the
banking business. who have neither re-
sponsibiity nor experience, who are
paid as little as this young man was
getting. But the pay here for RESPONSE
Bile work in banks is very much higher.
| should say that tellers in the banks
IN this city are paid at least $1,000 or
5000 year. ranging upward to as
high as $4,000 or $1,000. depending on
the size of the bank and the years OF
service of the teller. Good tcllers are
very hard TO get and they rank in re-
sponsibility.. next to the Junior officers
of a bank.
Got Less Than Stcnographcr
Asa $. Wing president Of the provi
dent Life and Trust Co. likewise com.
mented on the smallncss Of tho salary
paid the young teller of the Ottawa
National City Bank.
"A good stcnographCr cannot be oh
taincd today for under $1,000 or Sl501
n year, said Mr.. Wing. THE 500 a
month reported paid tho Young man
who was brought before Judge Lands
seems TO me extremely low considering
the responsibility of his position.
You will not find any bank in Phil
adelphia paying so little for work of
this character. should say that about
5000 would be the lowest salary paid
a teller here"
Carey pleaded guilty to the theft Of
The Ottawa banks funds. He had taken |
the money when left alone late one
night In the bank. He did not appear
for work next morning and officials at
first thought that he might have been
shut in the big vault by accident. The .
vault was closed with q time lock and /
IT was necessary to get experts to open /
II. The currency was missing and q |.
note left in its place. saying: IF YOU
bad treated me different this wouldn't t !
have happened.
Calls II Astonishing
Wien it was. brought ont at the !
Youths trial that his pay had been only /
$40 month, and that he had tried to ,
support his widowed mother and two
sisters on this sum, Judge Lands whiS. T,
tod and pushed back his chair.
lhlS Is most astounding dscloS. |
Ire,' he said. of course. it doesn't !
Justify stealing, bur it is hard 10 realize /
that this boy, who | understand han
ll"u S-b,'"O day IN money, was not ,
getting as much as the elevator men in !
the Federal Building. who arc noto-. |
ously undcrpad.
The jIdg" said that be could not set
the boy FREQ. but would send him home !
whilc the court considered til" case. |
This boy was put in the way Of |
said the judge. The re-
Sponsibi.ity is entirely on tho bank di- |
rectors. ! don't want TO send him to
Lcav"nworth but I'll have to send him |
somewhere. There is tremendous lot !
Of human nature and tremendous lot ,
II equity involved in this case. It's Il !
hard nut to crack aud III have to figure |
il out
Salaries Higher Since War
"Snco the war" said Robert Fus-
sell, cashier of the First National Bunk
# Media and secretary Of the Pcnusyl-
raniu State Bankers Association, com
m"ntlng on Judge Lands attack. "thr
Of bank employees has been
largely rcmedied.
THE enormous war industries" hc
continued. "such as Hog Island. which
.prnDg up, then depended upon the banks
for their cushicrs and t"llcrS and paid
them high salaries. Nov, in order ~
get these men to return ~ tho hauks,
,yc have been obliged to offer them
greater financial Inducements.
REpORT HnIIcE PIUEpc pUI