"BANK EMPLOYEES AND THE COST OF LIVING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 182, 28 April 1919, Page 8

"BANK EMPLOYEES AND THE COST OF LIVING

Sir,—l have read with evergrowing satisfaction the varied , letters under the above heading, and the staffs of the banks owe you much for your courtesy in giving them the widespread publication which yuur widely-read paper confers. The i'net that the miters include apparently all grades of the service only serves to emphasise the universality of the discontent referred to in the! opening letters. 1have discussed the whole question again and again with bank men, especially during theso last few days, when I have run across' a number from different parts of New Zealand, and without exception they have been bitterly resentful. It is the spirit of the times, and the bank "worm" is getting a/little of it into Ma spinal column. It is a spirit that is only going to be appeased by fairer treatment and' a , more equitable .■ distribution of profits.' It miisY ever-be a'source of resentment when bank staffs see huge profits being made, but no attempt being made , to improve , their .condition. '.' he first call on profits is reasonable pay and conditions for those who earn them, then a fair rate of dividend to shareholders, and then—and not till then-additions to ever-increasing reserves and. secret reserves for the ultimate benefit of future shareholders. The attitude of directors in apportioning profits is the direct reverse , of this order. ~.,.. In agitating for the general uplifting of the , banking profession to a higher economic plane, I by no means wish to confine my remarks to the rank and file only, though . they -are. tho ones whose need is most immediate. Take our semiState institution, for example..: The very destinies of our Dominion are bound up in. the stability-of the Bank of New Zealand, and never more eo than in- tho years immediately to come. Its head—anil by that I mean its general manager— ehould be a financial expert, a man of vision, with a sure grip on the' pulse of internation.il finance with all its ramifications. Such a man would not bo overpaid at .£SOOO a year, and let hie subordinates and understudies be proportionately well paid, and so attract brains and not merely mediocrity to the banking, service. And let the managers of the big lending branches be paid adequately, •for their responsibilities, and eo improve, tlu possibilities of banking as a career that men with ambitions for their sons will find in banking what they desire. '[ am glad to say that the idea of en association of bank men hae been received with enthusiasm, and the/ formation of such an association is being, onerKBtically taken ,ur:nand. and it-is. only a'liwttorof days -.when' it: will take de"finite form.' . Let all bank men.understand that this association has their,interests deeply at heart and support-it to a unan. v Finally let mo add on-behalf of, all bank men- a few words'of .appreciation of the letter of "A,Baak 'Shareholder,'^whic> appeared in-your issue of-; April ■ ii. me generoua attitudo ' has given us. • real Rope of bettor things; ;.for,;-facing our 'directors, it is throughshareholders that wo'shall appeal for the reforms; so .ong overdue. Thereis wide room for improvement in salaries without; encroaching on dividends, as bank balance-sheets..do very clearly show. Thanking you for .-your continued

' si r _y O ur correspondent; "Ba)ik'>S! la , re " holder" is deserving of all praise for.hu championing of a" just cause, but since such charitable sentiments aro the ex« ception rather -• than the rule amongst shareholders, it is not from them that the struggling -bank clerk must look for aid. Too long he has taken his individual grievances to headquarters,, and there been placated by the soft word' that turneth away wrath and the ambiguous, evasive promise that has been-as P»c-crust. Now ho must surely recognise that tno time has come when ho must placo himself in a position to demand that justice which he cannot get by grovelling at the feet of officialdom. Too long ho has stood apart fronr his fellows refusing to recognise the truth Of that age-worn platitude, •"union-is strength," but he can no longer ignore tho writing on tho wall. The advent of tho-woman .clerk, and the muW titude of additional injustices that haa brought in its train has awakened him from hie torpor. After filling tho breach; loyally for tho last four, years,, working with necessarily depleted and inefficient staffs, and doing his best to counter:** their shortcomings by his own >™wa*d labours, he finds that no. honest attempt has been made by the -uwWuh™ J 1 ?* ho serves to cope with tho increase in his living expenses. Beforo the war ho was underpaid; now he is grossly sweated. How much longer can honesty, and efficiency of servico obtain? So it behoves the bank clerk to act, and act lmmediately. As suggested by a previous corresmndent, tho fivst attempts at organisation mus'; come from the larger centres, and must be led by men of sufficient standing in the service to command tho trust mid respect both of their employers and of thoir fellow employees. By such a movement only can a hotter understandine be brought about between the banks and' their staffs, and an end be made of the present widespread nnd aU-too-]usu< liable, dissatisfaction. Wβ can no longer tolerato those conditions which allow a highly trained specialist with responsib.il- • itics far beyond the. average to receive the wages of an irresponsibly and unskilled dav labourer.—l am, etc., MW , BLAVE OP THE PBSf.