FILTHY BANK NOTES.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 15567, 17 April 1916, Page 8

FILTHY BANK NOTES.

TO THE EDITOR OP "THE PRESS." " .V : y. Sir,—We ( hear a great deal just from health authorities as to ,-*A| to prevent tho spreading of Infantile w!' Paralysis, and other diseases of a cons -. '® tagious nature. Now, there is - no'if donbt that the instructions they issue, :'*§£ would, if faithfully carried out by each and all of us, go a good long wav wards exterminating disease, and the public will do well to see that as far-? as lies in their power, those are carried out; but I wish to out another source of danger to puhlic at large for which tho men.t of the country are responsible, but so far. have always evaded tho sponsibility when tho evil has beon"M pointed out to them, and pointed outyt|j| it has been, on more than one sion: I allude to the filthy state of paper currency of the country. To that it is filthy is not in any way stating the case; to say g would b© decidedly understating When pa,per monoy has been circulating''. 5 for years, carried in pockets of people. many of whom suffer from some form otjM illness or disease, it cannot possiblyjjfl escape contamination, and a limiteaJgjß time should be set for the life of thesoalll notes, and rigidly adhered to. Inaltj Great Britain, a five-pound note is notflfisl allowed to leave the bank a second timolaßi and that insures a clean and resnecffiagl able currency; nowadays, out here, ircSfflM is a common thing for people to apolo|®B| gise for handing over dirty money payment of debts. ■ in taking 20 onc : pound notes at hafcfsf | hazard, and referring- to their dates^D||l| 1 Date printed ... ••1905£$|h|K 1 Date written 1910S^M|| 1 Date written ... 19Il$ffiJ^lf 2 Date written ... 19123§-?.'&j 6 Date written ... 1918jSsfeBl 6 Date written •... \l9lJ®Miv'li 3 Date written ...• 1915'VJjai. and I contend that- a note tbatpf£/|® been in circulation six years right to be in existenco. I am quoting the note with dato this is probably the date notewaff .® printed, and not tho date,of issue.: ' f Thero can be no justifiable;excuse for -f this disgustingly dangerousafidculpfr* ble state of things. The banks'ar<s*al- | lowed an immense privilege in cinrulat- .■£ ing paper money, instead . . jj| and the profits accruing to those tutions owing to this monopoly must w gg enormous. "Why, then, should .they/l» allowed to avoid their to the public, Iwho are taking.•_ paper promises instead of cash, thus helping them to carry ort theu ; -?® business at a much greater profit thw l could_ otherwiso be obtained? j -*• ' This is not a new complaint by. means, it has been frequently out. and it is high time the ment took tho matter up and issued order making it incumbent on banks to destroy all notes over months old, or an-p dirty _ notes come back to their institutions. All notes over one year old be redeemable at their respective on first of January of every year,-amlt3|S new notes issued jn their stead. — etc '