Evening star., 1929-06-30
By the Associated Press.
BY I. A. FLEMING.

1 D1 L. a. r LEM1NUs
Washington is one of the best adver-
tised and advertising cities in the
world. It's position as the worlds
greatest Capital has assured the for
mer, and the merchants of the city,
recognizing newspapers as the greatest
aid to merchandis. .ng, have given 1t the
latter reputation.
! Practically unimportant retail stores
have evoluted into big commercial es-
| adjustments through the very gener-
Gus use of the columns of the press,
while the growth of the more important
| mercantile concerns, via the advertfS-
| ing way, has been sufficiently remark
able to cause much comment and to
warrant larger advertising appropria-
tions, year after year, than might be
expected in cities in the half-million
population class.
Bankers have not been slow to rec
ognise the benefits of publicity ex-
pressed through proper mediums and
| have been amply rewarded.
There Is something very. interesting
1 in one feature of bankers advertising,
| in that one of their largest appropri-
ations. on the speciality order. is more
helpful to others in the net results
| therefron1 than to the banks them
| selves, and, Furthermore, through it the
general public is taught most valu-
able lesson and is given the greatest
possible opportunity to indulge its taste
| for shopping as a re-. of this pub
licity.
Refer to Christmas Savings Publicity.
| Naturally, one may recognize in
these things the great advertising cam
paign of the banks OF the city under
! taken each year in the interest OF
| Christmas savings-one OF the most
successful.
! that a few years ago efforts to- stii1l-
ulate this particular kind OF thrift
were greatly restricted and q very few
| banks would accept the labor and in
| convenience attendant on handling
| savings clubs for the small resultant
| returns. Some few that advertised Tor
| the business were nearly swamped on
| the days scheduled for the weekly pay
! ments. so much so that regular and
!, important patrons were Inconvenience
| in the transaction of business. The re-
suit was that some banks abandoneo
the idea entirely and others mace no
| effort to increase this feature OF tnelr
| business.
| Important Merchandising Factor.
| Since then there has been a great re-
vival in the Christmas savings CLUBS
so called, but in reality simply bank
! savings deposited regularly for certain
period, payable just before the honoay
| Trading reaches its zenith, thus giving
| the final grand impetus to push oyer
the happy seasons business each year
! to record marks of success.
| Last wear the total of these savings
reached the stupendous amount OF ST.
o46, ,497.
This year the amount available at
] the close of the period will be, baSed
| on official statistics of the District OF
i Columbia Bankers Association, ST.
462, OCT.
Last year s3,178 persons. very large
percentage of them employed In the
city, participated in the savings move
ment. This year S7,701 regular savers
| viii, be responsible for the gain OF
s415,5 over the aggregate for the
previous year.
Returns to Banks.
Bankers estimate that not more than
/ 10 per cent of the total savings will re-
| turn to the banks to be placed to the
credit of the original depositors. This
means that the banks will add to their
savings again $746,2o9, leaving more
| than $500 900 for perfect orgy OF
spending and giving in the holiday sea-
tson.
Some of this may go to pay bills, may
| be sent home by Government workers
and used for other purposes, but in any
event enough will be expended with
| local merchants to round up the hoii-
day trade to the great satisfaction OF
| the retailers and manufacturers.
The holiday savings campaign makes
possible a very large part Of the giving
that would not otherwise have been
made. Many workers on small salaries
are enabled to participate and, through
the success of this operation, to know
the real value of thrift.
With the Liberty Loan bond cam
paign, they have inculcated more thrift
than all other lessons since the dis
covery of America.
Cost of Advertising Campaign.
~ In the advertising campaign that
| initiated the 1928 Christmas savings
the banks of the city to- the number of
| 30 united in meeting the cost, which
was but 81 ,780. a maximum of $165 to
| the largest banks and from that to $35
| for the smallest assessment.
There was no other advertising but
the cooperative ads in furtherance of
! the savings plan.
So we'll was this service handled by
the committee In charge that banks are
now depending entirely on the reports
of the former on all advertising nnedi-
ums Very wisely, the recommendations
of the committee have raised the bars
against anything but newspaper pub
licity and occasional radio publicity.
Solicitors of other mediums must stand
on their actual merits, and If they have
| none, then they are passed up.
Plan Big for 1880.
Cooperative advertising of all banks
| in q series of advertisements running
through all daily papers of the city dur
ing period of six months, intensified
| by newspaper and radio, with collateral
| features that will interest the public,
are planned for this year.
Every feature of banking would be
| touched upon and the spread empha-
sized on Thrift week and Christmas
savings.
| At the recent convention at Montauk
Point Eliot N. Thomson, chairman of
the committee on advertising, outlined
| these plans and reported on last year,
| results. He was given great hand by
| the convention, indicating that his COM
mittee might be able to get whatever
| appropriation 1t may ask for.
An Able Analysis.
| Harry H. Mckee, president of the
| National Capital Bank of this city, a