The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, MAY 9, 1881.

Kumara Times, Issue 1439, 9 May 1881, Page 2

The Kumara Times. Published Every Evening. MONDAY, MAY 9, 1881.

The ridiculous proposal of some individual in one of the Government departments, to allow juveniles to convert post-offices into savings banks, where postage stamps can be stored up and the amount represented remitted in cash to the holders of the stamp receipts, does not appear likely to find mnch favor in New Zealand, or elsewhere. The system, if not based upon, certainly includes what must be admitted to be a most vicious principle : an encouragement to children to acquire the art purloining. This system of banking postage stamps has been tried in several parts of the world, and, after trial, has been universally condemned. The idea was originally started in England, by Professor Fawcett, and was for a short time very popular; but it soon became evident that the thing would not work well, and that the system would have to be abandoned. An officer connected with the Post-office Savings Banks in Victoria, recently visited England on leave of absence, and on his return, forwarded a memorandum on the subject we have mentioned to the head of his department that " it tempts boys to steal stamps, as they have now an easy way of disposing of them ; and tempts postmasters to increase their commission on the sale of stamps by placing them on these slips as if they had been received as deposits." With regard to the introduction of the system into Victoria, the memorandum goes on to say :

" I do not think it is so necessary as in the old country, for the poorest, if desirous of saving, can soon gather together a shilling without the trouble of buying a penny stamp every time they save a penny, and sticking it on a piece of paper, which is liable to get lost, or get torn or dirty. We receive a very large number of deposits from all classes of the community, and the shilling deposits bear a very small proportion. Thus, if we find from experience that a shilling is considered too small to deposit, it is not likely that, after the novelty has worn off, smaller deposits will find favour. Financially, the introduction of the scheme would entail a loss on the department, as the average cost of each savings bank transaction is ninepence, which is rather too much to pay for the loan of a shilling, and the more successful the new scheme is the greater would be the loss, unless the inculcation of thrifty habits is considered an equivalent." It is to be regretted that the New Zealand Government have thought fit to act as they have done in introducing a system which every honest-minded man must condemn. If the Government would limit its action for a time to carrying on the various departments in an efficient manner, and making such reforms as are obviously necessary, it would be well for the colony generally; but to patronise such useless innovations while the general administration of the departments is utterly neglected is at once absurd and impracticable.