SAINTS’ DAYS—AND CASH

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 526, 1 December 1928, Page 1

SAINTS’ DAYS—AND CASH

Too Many Bank Holidays BUSINESSMEN VOICE GRIEVANCES IF anv higli-elass cracksmen, men to whom the opening o: strongrooms ami safes is a comparatively easy mattei liad been in Auckland on Thursday or Friday evenings they would have had numerous opportunities of doing good business. Friday was St. Andrews Day. and with all banks closed, cash in big quantities was kept on most business premises on Thursday and Friday nights.

“Why the banks need to shut up shop on certain days of the year simply because it happens to commemorate the patrOn saint of England, Scotland or Ireland is beyond me,'* stated the manager of a large departmental store. “The custom is as dead as a dodo—so dead, in fact, that everybody, excepting the banks, has forgotten all about it. “The inconvenience to the business community is considerable,” lie remarked. “This year St. Andrew’s Day fell on a Friday, which made it more inconvenient still. Wages liad to be drawn on Thursday and kept in the premises over night. On Friday they were cashing cheques for people all day. In one instance they had to oblige one customer —a small business man —in order that he could pay his staff. He had gone to the bank with his wages cheque, completely forgetting that it was closed for the day. In one large concern £7,000 in cash was kept on the premises on Thursday night. Part of this amount was wages for a big staff, and the remainder was cash for Friday’s business. This did not cause the firm a great deal of concern, however, because a particularly effective strongroom is installed and a night watchman was also on duty. “With the Christmas season so close we noticed the inconvenience more than ever,” stated the manager of a drapery and clothing establishment. ‘‘Friday was a busy day and we had to keep a considerable amount of cash on hand from Thursday until this morning. With the risk of burglary it is always a worry having a lot of cash on the premises.”

lie considered that the matter should be taken up by the chambers of Commerce throughout the Dominion and an attempt made to have the bank holidays brought into line with the usual business holidays After all, the banks were supposed to cater for business people, but apparently they had no compunction in closing on the busiest of days in order to adhere to some ridiculous aod almost forgotten custom. This morning saw bank tellers working at high sptea in *UI the city banks and suburban branches. In city banks there were steady and consistent queues of people waiting to deposit money, and de!ay was unavoidable. Whatever advantages accrued to bank clerks' from yest erday’s holiday will be countered to some extent to-day by a particularly heavy morning. The case for the small business man was stated by Mr. D. J. Kenny, president of the Small Shopkeepers’ Association. He uated out that it was a much more difficult matter for a storekeeper to hold large quantities <Tf cash overnight than it was for the larger concerns', which were better equipped as to strongrooms and safes. As a. rule the ordinary shopkeeper had onls r a small safe which would not offer a great deal of resistance to wellequipped burglars. Most of them would have to take their money home with, them at night and, judging from recent happenings, *it -was not desirable to have too much in the house. If this question were taken up with the banks he thought that the Christmas and New Year holidays should also be reviewed. There was certainly strong need for readjustments.