bank's cash, and as it is with him that a shortage most usually occurs, he possibly comes in for a greater share of checking and inspection than do the officers outside the "box," and this is just the point which I consider should be emphasized. While not relaxing watchfulness in his direction, we must keep a careful eye upon the other members of the staff, with whom in event of contemplated robbery, he might be in collusion or he might not. While it is heartily conceded that one should consider every clerk an honest man until he has proven himself to be a rogue, this acceptance must not be permitted to interfere with the discharge of our duty, with which we must always proceed fearlessly and conscientiously. If an official's conduct seems to invite suspicion or call for investigation, such investigation shall be gone through with, no matter who is hurt, honesty and integrity must always be upheld. Justice has never been a respecter of persons, and if the suspected one afterwards emerges from under the cloud with a clean record, such fact clearly established can only add to his good standing and increase the trust and confidence hitherto reposed in him by his employers.

This course is the only proper one to adopt, and will prevent many an incipient plan of robbery from becoming anything else.

To briefly illustrate what is meant by a rigid and systematic form of checking perhaps it might be profitable to follow briefly the progress of a cash remittance from one branch of a bank to another.

For instance, a Winnipeg branch has been requested to supply a country branch with a remittance of $10,000 for circulation, and we find that it proceeds in the following manner : The Winnipeg teller having been instructed by his manager or accountant to make up and despatch a package of $10,000 to the country office will, we shall say, select ten packages of one hundred tens, and entering the total sum in a "register of remittances despatched," credits himself with the amount, passes out the cash to two clerks, who count it, and having satisfied themselves that there are $10,000 in the package, seal it up ready for despatch, and both initial the register, certifying to

the amount of the remittance. The package is then taken to the express or post-office and a receipt obtained for it; two officers always accompanying the package to the express or post-office. The correspondence clerk, from particulars furnished him by the "remittances despatched register," now advises the country branch that there has gone forward to it, by express or registered mail, a remittance, as the case may be, No. so and so, consisting of one thousand tens (ten thousand dollars) and requests acknowledgment by return mail, at the same time despatching a memorandum of the transaction to head office. In due time the remittance is received, and after the seals have been carefully examined and the package opened by manager or accountant, it is counted by the teller in presence of a second clerk, and if found correct is duly entered in the "register of remittances received" and initalled for by the teller, who receives the money into his cash and charges himself with it. Advice of receipt is then sent to Winnipeg as well as per memorandum to head office, which has meantime been keeping a record of its own of the despatch and receipt of branch remittances. Should money be required to replenish, or as an addition to the "treasury," then the joint custodians, manager and teller, or any other two officers holding such custody, must separately count the notes and make entry in writing, as well as in figures, of the amount in a journal familiarly known as the "treasury" book which must be signed by both and lodged with the cash in the treasury compartment of the safe. Full particulars of this addition must be supplied to head office which is thereby enabled to keep a record of the total notes held at its various branch establishments as a cash reserve. It is almost superfluous to observe that if these precautions, devised and planned by a careful head office, were always executed with the exactness that it is intended they should be, we would hear very seldom of the lost or stolen remittance. These few remarks merely form an index to the code of general rules laid down for the guidance and governance of their staffs by most banks, and if each particular rule in regard to each particular transaction were as faithfully carried out as it ought to be, disappearing treasuries and other unfortunate things of that kind would soon become very much rarer than they are even at the present time.

It is the neglect of these safeguards that causes much of the trouble. To carefulness in minor matters may be attributed half the success of a bank, or indeed any business; to carelessness half of its losses.

For carelessness there can be no excuse, and those who expect any to be accepted must meet with disappointment.

Every member of a bank's staff has had the importance of carefulness and exactness inculcated in him since he began his career. He has been surrounded by head office circulars, by rules for this and that, by books of regulations, none of which are very difficult to observe, he has had high examples in the persons of many of his superior officers which he might have emulated, but neglected, and as a result loss has ensued, loss which is sometimes more far-reaching in its effects than can ever be estimated, and this must be charged to nothing more, nothing less, than carelessness, the most fruitful source of trouble that general managers, inspectors and others in high places have to guard against and contend with.

THE TELLER'S BOX

It is a duty which every bank owes to its teller to give him a good strong telling box. On the teller devolves heavy responsibility and great risk, and every aid should be afforded him to lighten that responsibility by giving him greater security and minimizing the risk of loss. There is such a thing as foolish economy, and it is well brought to our notice when we find, as we do find occasionally, a poor, rickety, shaky cage doing duty as a teller's box. The accompanying illustration conveys come idea of what seems to me to be a most satisfactory style of telling box. It will afford as nearly perfect security from loss by counter robbery as it is possible to obtain, assuming that the teller uses ordinary care in the keeping of his cash and endeavours to observe the few rules for the managing of his box which are given a little further on. The telling box illustrated here it will be seen is supplied with a heavy plate glass front, which, while affording the teller a full view of the office, closes it in entirely, with the exception of the space reserved for the wicket, which is also composed of heavy plate glass encased in

M-Plate glass, interior of wicket rising from counter to height of 2 ft. N-Open space under front wicket, 2 in. O-Outside ledge counter. P-Plate glass front telling box. Q-Oak uprights. R-Telling table or counter. S-Slides for vouchers. T-Door. V-Wirework sides and roof.

brass frame, locking on the inside with a spring lock. The space of say two inches at foot of wicket is sufficient for the ordinary passing out and in of cash. The box is roofed with extra strong brass wire mesh. The sides, beginning at say three and one-half feet from the floor, are of the same material, resting on a strong oak frame or foundation. The door, which is the same as the sides, is fitted with a powerful spring, and opens only to a key or keys in the absolute possession of teller, or teller and manager. On either side of the interior of the public wicket there is a glass plate as illustrated in the cut. These afford protection from the hooked stick manipulator who has been known to operate with more or less success on past occasions. The cash drawers are also supplied with a spring lock, to be used in event of necessity calling a teller from his post. There is nothing intricate, elaborate or unnecessary about a box of this style, and it will be found to commend itself to the use of bankers solely by its simplicity and security.

A FEW RULES FOR THE GUIDANCE OF TELLERS

Too great stress cannot be laid upon the injunction given to every teller to keep his cash off the counter. Keep it out of sight, in its proper place, the cash drawer. Have a separate drawer or tray under your telling table whereon to place the cash received from customers as counted, but which you may not be able to sort at the moment. Get rid of one customer's

deposit before you attempt to receive a second. Do not endeavour to pay two customers at one time; this will cause loss. Tellers shall never leave telling box except in case of necessity. Any books which they may require must be handed them by some officer of the staff.

Always look closely at the person who requires you to change a one hundred dollar bill, also at the bill. Tellers should not accept packages of silver, said to contain "so much," from any but the oldest and most trusted customers of the bank, in dealing with whom the custom may perhaps be indulged in to a limited extent. These hints it will be seen contain nothing novel, but if adhered to will prove invaluable to good telling.