The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-16
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
EREDERIC y. HAsKN, Director.
Washington. D. @.
THE BANKING PUBLICATIONS

and if a man sought to keep up with
its full volume he could spend his
entire time on nothing else and still
be far behind. No one can hope to be
familiar with all the publications is
sued periodically in this country but
perhaps the least known group, so
far as the general magazine reading
public is concerned, is composed OF
publications of the highest quality.
This group is composed of the
monthly bulletins issued by the great
banking institutions of the country.
Business men and bankers who are
clore students of current events and
take every preeaution to be informed
are familiar with these publications,
but they almost entirely escape the
notice of the general public. They are
not advertised and they are not dis
played on newstands. Yet some Of
the best literary talent in the country
is engaged in their preparation and
they are given away free.
A few of the banks restrict their
lists to customers and depositors but,
as a general rule, any person may be
placed on the mailing list to receive
these bulletins without charge.
One of the longest established and
best of these publications is the
monthly bulletin of the National City
Bank of New York. 1t usually is
publication of about fifteen pages, all
are carried. This publication is edited
by George NJ. Roberts, vice president
of the bank. Mr.. Roberts formerly
was director of the mint and has for
years occupied an enviab1e position as
economist and commentator on bust
ness. social and political affairs. Mr..
Roberts salary probably is greater
than that of any magazine editor in
the country, not excluding the great
nationally known monthlies. Were he
not connected with the bank and fol-
lowed the vocation of writing for the
general press. his articles would be in
great demand and his name would be
advertised on many covers. AS 1t Is,
his talents are devoted to the mod
estly conducted but immensely valu-
able periodical which the public never
sees because it does not take the trou-
BILE to ask the National City Bank to
be put on the mailing list.
Take the current issue of this pub
LEGATION as typical example. 1t con-
tains carefully written discussions I'M
ness conditions; industrial conditions,
clothes and shoes. building operations,
the agricultural situation. the foreign
demand for American products, corn
and livestock, the cotton crop, trade
conditions, the shortage of unskilled
labor. immigration and its effects upon
the farming population, profits of in
dustry, foreign competition, money
and banking, condition of the bond
market, initiation OF the currency,
prices, wages and the cost of living,
scarcity of currency in Germany, the
federal reserve system, labor banks,
personal incomes, the new tariff.
FARMER Works Night and Day.
The publication is by no means de-
void of human interest.~~On the con-
trary it is full of it. 1t tells such
stories as that OF the Russian farmer
in North Dakota who, single handed,
cultivated 400 acres of land, in the
harvesting season working all night
on moonlight nights as well as all day.
1t tells of the western farmer who
with his two boys, one II and the
other Ia or Is years of age, raised
1900 sheep and cultivated a 500-acre
farm in addition without assistance.
At the other end of the country the
Mercantile Trust company OF San
Francisco publishes a monthly review.
Among the articles contained in the
current issue are those on Mexico's
debt, past and present; water power
in California, metal mining in Utah.
the financial situation in Japan, the
status of the Oregon lumber industry,
Hawaiian sugar and the farming sit
uation in Idaho. This issue contains
fac smile reproduction of q map of
North America published in 1850.
California is shown as an island and
Alaska does not appear at all. At
the time of original publication, the
publishers described the map as new
and most accurate" The bulletin fire.
quently publishes such curiosities of
special interest on the Pacific coast.
One CT the liveliest and most read
able of the bank bulletins, from a hu-
man interest point of view, is that
published monthly by the Northwest
ern National bank of Minneapolis. It
is smaller in size than either of those
named above but always brimS%OVer
with interest, not only to bankers ann
business men but to every one who is
| interested in the way human beings
live. While it contains serious discus
sions of business and financial condi-
tons it does not exclude an occasional
| story about bank robberies, nor does
it scorn anecdotes. Always these are
connected smoothly with the point of
| the main discussion.
The guaranty survey is another
| monthly published by the Guaranty
Trust company of New York. Com
publication issued by the National
Bank of Commerce in New York
Both of these are invariably serious in
tone and prepared in a style unlikely
to captivate the casual reader.
The Girard Letter, published by the
Girard National bank of Philadelphia
| is a small pamphlet but invariably at
tractive. 1t contains stories of bust
ness which vie in interest with the
best published in the commercial
ma gaines.
Each of the federal reserve banks
publishes monthly bulletin, report
ing in careful detail the condition of
business, industry, trade and finance
| in its district. These are rather
| heavy publications, that published by
the Federal Reserve bank of Cleve-
land probably being the only one
which occasionally prints matter of
general interest.
Editors Are Unknown.
| These bank publications are anony-
/ nous. The articles are not signed and
usually no editors name IS given. The
| men who make them get no glory out
| own organizations, but the public gets
the benefit of their best efforts.
The list could be continued almost
Unfortunately. There are hundreds of
1 h II 11~