The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-09
HOLIDAY SAVINGS
 DOUBLE IN BANKS
Christmas Accounts For Bir- mingham And Vicinty To-
 tai $266,000

Four hundred and nineteen thou sand dollars in Christmas spending money is being distributed in the Birmingham district by the six banks conducting Christmas savings clubs. an increase of A per cent over last years showing, when s291, ,000 was the total.
 The Traders National bank, the Bank of Ensley, the North Birming ham Trust and Savings bank, the Fede1ated Bank and Trust company. the First National bank of Fairfield and the City National bank of Bes- semer are the institutions which have been encouraging this means of accommodating holiday spending money. Deposits ranging from cents weekly to S5 have been made during the past 30 weeks by thousands of depositors, and the total means block of money put in circulation which is regarded cheerfully by merchants of the dis trict.
 The Traders National bank. pioneer in the Christmas savings field. has been conducting clubs of this kind since 1914 though the war inter- fered with active participation in the plan until 1917. In that year the total saved was sS40 In 1918 it grew to $40,000, in 1919 it was s95.000, in 1920 it touched s1S3,000, in 1921 the S190,000 mark was reached. and in 1922 the fund grew to $266,000. This year breaks all records with total of S266, ,000
 The Bank of Ensley reported s100,- 900 distributed this year, against S75.000 last year.
 The increase in Christmas ssv- incs club deposits is a sure in- dex of prosperous conditions exist ing throughout the year." said :. '. King, vice president and cashier of the Bank of Ensley. because the money is saved during all seasons, from week to week, and it's reflects the good conditions of steady em- ployment and undisturbed industrial progress in our district"
 The Federated Bank and Trust company indicated total of $l4,000 distributed and this was the first year of the Christmas savings plan with that institution.
 We have great variety of ac- counts, ranging from small sums to
 
 president of the Federated bank. We started late with our Christmas club, and under the circumstances we con- slider the showing very gratifying. We find great interest displayed in the savings club plan for next year"
 The North Birmingham Tust and Savings bank doubled it's 1922 total of $10,O00, disbursing 0,000 this year.
 An increase of 50 per cent oght to be good sign of North Birming ham prosperity" said G. c. Bryant cashier. "A great many new families have moved into our community dur ing the past year industrial plants have been going full tilt, and there is prosperity among the workers. We are out to double our 1923 showing next year on the Christmas savings club plan, and we believe we are going to do it.''
 Another institution which showed 50 per cent gain in holiday savings club deposits was the First National bank of Fairfield.
 The total deposited this year was about 5000, as against $4500 last year" said B. N. Gilley, cashier. This is our fourth year in conducting Christmas savings clubs, and each year we have shown an appreciable gain over the last. The continued growth of Fairfield indicates that WIG ought to be able to show another big increase next year."
 The City National bank of Bessemer had Christmas savings deposits az gregating S10000, whereas the 1922 total was 5000.
 We have been pushing this plan of encouraging savings. for a number of years" said w. w Hollingsworth president of the Bessemer bank, but the war, of course. interfered with it's development. For the past threo OF four years, however, the total saved in small sums weekly by this means has steadily risen. Our increase of 50 per cent over the 1922 showing is highly satisfactory indication of good in Bessemer."