Evening star., 1945-12-23
Several Banks Plan
Return 10 7 O'Clock
Thursday CIosings
Nv EDWARD G. STONE.


Several Washington banks will
soon abandon their late schedules
on Thursdays and return to the
regular daily o'clock closing, II
was learned yesterday. This de-
cision follows action taken by the
Washington Clearing House Asso.
citation authorizing the banks tt
close at $50, instead of $50.
The Security Savings & CONNER
cial Bank and the McLachlen
Banking Corp. are the first institu-
tions to notify patrons that the
late service will be dropped after
January /. Officials said a survey
disclosed that closing of the big de-
partment stores on Thursday eve
nings had made the longer hours
unnecessary.
Six or more other banks are ex-
pected to post similar notices in
the near future. The action of the
Clearing House Association, an
nounced by Chairman Robert ".
Fleming, prevents any bank from
remaining open later than $50. The
ruling Is permissive and not man.
datory. each individual bank being
free to close before $50. if it so de-
sires.
Swing to Saturday Banking.
The closing issue has caused
some heated discussions among
bank officials. In locations where
Government departments pay of
on Thursdays, the banks are busy.
In other locations there is not
enough activity to guarantee keep
ing the employees on duty, an ex-
tensive survey by the District
Bankers Association indicated.
The new five-day week has given
Federal employees fine chance to
do their banking on Saturday
mornings and the lobbies are jam
med to the doors every week. No
doubt many former Thursday night
patrons are in these throngs.
Christmas Trade Still Rising.
Continuing the new all-time peak
for Christmas trade, department
store sales in Washington for the
week ended December Is were
per cent ahead of last year and 6
per cent above the preceding week
this year, the Richmond Reserve
Bank announced.
Cumulative sales in the four
weeks ending on the same date
were 3 per cent ahead of the 1914
period. Gains were practically the
same in the rest of the district.
The Richmond Bank also an
nounced that department store
sales in the Capital during No.
vember we're 6 per cent ahead of
last year and showed 9 per cent
gain in the first II months of 1945
over 1914.
League Fixes Banquet Date.
The annual dinner of the District
of Columbia Building and Loan
League will be held Saturday, Janu-
ary 26, at the Mayfower Hotel,
Chairman j. Hawley Smith an
nounced. This is the leagues big
gest social event of the year.
The committee plans will invite
many leaders in Government and
business and expects an attendance
of $50. The new league president
Rudolph w. Santelmann, will pre-
side.
Broker Given High Award.
1t. Col. Wallace M. Burgoyne,
who recently rejoined the invest
ment firm of Johnston, Lemon &
Co., yesterday received the Legion
of Merit award as chief of the
Logistical Analysis Branch in the
headquarters, Army Air Forces He
was in the Army about four years.
Walter M. Bastian, Washington
lawyer just elected treasurer of the
American Bar Association, has been
director Of the National Savings
& Trust Co. for many, years.
Operating Revenues Off.
Figures from the November re-
port of the Capital Transit Co.
show that operating revenues of
1892 ,967 were 1922 ,230 or 13 per
cent under last year. The two sus-
$4,000.
The company cut operating ex-
lenses to $1,273 ,221, a decrease of
$204.416 or 13 per cent. Taxes were
$1,000 higher than in November
Of last year, an increase of 81 per
cent. Depreciation was up more
than $4,000 or 10 per cent.
Tax adjustments had much to do
with the November decrease of
$199, 1874 in net income. In the II
months, net income totaled ST.
225, ,037, a decrease of $200,312 from
last year, or IA per cent. Traffic
was off only OIL per cent
High 1916 Output Forecast.
High production in 1916, espe-
cially in the last half of the year