Evening star., 1942-08-24
Capital Banks Tura
More and More 10
Hiring Women
Trend Toward Feminine
TelIers Developing.
Results Praised
By HAROLD b. ROGERS.

BY HAROLD b. ROGERS.
Faced with an increasing loss Of
men from banks and trust COM
panies to the armed forces, financial
house executives are turning more
and more to the employment Of
women.
The feminine gender has not been
generally placed behind tellers' win
dows throughout the city as yet, but
the trend seems to be in that gen.
eral direction.
Some banks have been employing
women as tellers for several years,
and report that they are satisfactory
and efficient in their work. These
institutions have suffered least from
the loss of men who have volun-
teered or have been drafted to join
the armed forces.
1t has been customary for a long
time to employ girls for steno-
! graphic, clerical, bookkeeping and
other similar activities in the banks,
but the movement to advance them
to still more important posts Of
responsibility now Is gaining head
way rapidly with the pressure Of the
war on manpower.
Old Tradition Broken.
One bank, which has suffered the
loss of many men, recently has
changed its policy and placed women
at tellers' cages for the first time in
it's history So far the feminine
gender has proven its worth, ac-
cording to the bank president, and
the girls are giving serious atten-
ton to business.
AS matter of fact, In this bank,
he said, the girls take less time of
| to go get smoke than do the men.
Another large institution which
has been recruiting more women
than ever before has begun for the
| first time to place them as tellers in
| branch banks, after first training
them in bookkeeping and other de-
partments.
There are a few outstanding wom-
en- In Washington banks who have
achieved the distinction Of bank
| officers.
The consensus of several bank Of
f1cials interviewed on the subject of
women workers in banks was that
they are courteous, efficient, and
serious-minded. Only a very few
tend to be frivolous. it was found.
| Not all girls who apply for posi-
tions in banks are found qualified
to do the kind of work necessary.
Some do not have the skills, of ac-
curacy, and speed.
Handle Fewer Accounts.
| Some banks have found that girls
do not handle quite as many ac-
counts at teller's window as had
the men who preceded them. But
generally all bankers who have been
employing women in an increasing
number were found to be well
pleased with the results.
The replacement of some men and
women, however, does not mean
that all the personnel can be
changed to women, it was emplla-
sized. And the banks still are hard
pressed for experienced personnel.
Many women who have had bank
experience in other parts of the
country have been moving to WASH
ington with their husbands, 1t was
learned. Such experienced women
are most welcome.
4 George p. Schultze, secretary.
treasurer of the Washington Insur-
ance Agency, Is leaving insurance
temporarily in order to devote his
services to the War Production
Board, it was announced today. He
is native Washingtonian, and is a
member of the Board of Governors
OF the Underwriters Association of
the District, and of the Board of
Trustees of the Insurance Club Of
Washington.
ID. c. Home Mortgages Gain.
District banks, building and loan
associations and other approved
mortgages showed a gain in new
home mortgages accepted for insur-
ance in the first half of the year
by the Federal Housing Administra-
ton, it was announced today.
Such loans gained from 81, ,437, 800
In the first six months of 1941 to
81 ,496 ,050 during the first six months
OF 1912, for an increase of Al per
cent. This compared with ma
tional increase of 3.9 per cent.
There was wide fluctuation
among the various States in their
new home mortgage records. For
instance, Maryland jumped from
$8,303, 200 to $12,849 100 for an In
crease of SAT- per cent; Virginia in
creased from $9,545 ,O5O to $21,-
831 $50, for gain of 1897 per cent.
Nevada showed the greatest gain
of 222.6 per cent. Twenty-one
States and the District gained. Many
States showed sharp decreases, up
to 826 per cent for Delaware.
The variations in the showings,
according to Abner H. Ferguson,
Federal Housing Commissioner re-
fleets the impact of the country's
conversion to total war basis on
the home building industry in vari-
GUS areas. But it could not be inter-
preted, he warned, as barometer
for continued new home building.
Insured Loans Proposed.
In an effort to supply the answer
to President Roosevelt's expressed
wish that the Federal Land Bank
system be simplified to relieve the
Federal Treasury of unnecessary
subsidies, the Mortgage Bankers
Association of America, from its
headquarters in Chicago, today an
nounced it expects soon to propose
a system of mutual mortgage insur-.
ance for farm loans. -
1t would be similar in many re-
spects to that now In effect for city
residence loans through FILA ac-
cording to F. p. Champ, Logan.
Utah, president of the association.
| Personal Mention.
Charles w. Fitzgerald, assistant
trust officer of the National Savings
& Trust Co., who was recently COM
| missioned a first lieutenant in the
Army Air Forces, has completed
training at Miami Beach, Fla, and
has left for foreign service. s