GIRLS IN THE BANK.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 8340, 6 January 1916, Page 8

GIRLS IN THE BANK.

LONDON'S EXPERIENCE

Oh, the little more, and how much it is! And the little less, and what 'worlds away!

—Robert Browning

This couplet was quoted good-hu-mouredly by a bank accountant who was opening letters of application for posts of women clerks to fill the places of men who have- enlisted (reports a London journal). They are all "willing," he said, "trustworthy and reliable," with "unquestionable references," and have all been "well educated" ; but the fact remains that they do not know much about accounts. An elementary knowledge of these things would make them most valuable. As it is we ,have to "train them on."

"Women clerks, on tho Whole, are very good, I,', said the accountant. "On the 'correspondence desk' we find many openings for : women in writing 'acknowledgments, \, 'overdraft reminders,' and other things of a more or less routine nature with a common form of wording,, but we. still find that more particular letters have to be dictated by men clerks. For the bankers' clearing we employ some women in preparing the different bank lists of cheques, and we have one or two who are wonderfully export on the adding machines,' ;"For the rest of routine banking work, I do not doubt that our women clerks will very soon be efficient. We have one or two excellent young women just now whose work I am watching closely, because so far as I have seen they "seem remarkably quick and able, and I believe they can be eventually put into responsible, posts."