HOW THE BANKS SUFFERED

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 138, 7 December 1918, Page 4

HOW THE BANKS SUFFERED

THE CONGESTION AT THE COUNTERS. "It is unfortunate that at the time when the glad tidings of the signing of the armistice reached the Dominion, we should have been suffering from one of the worst and most far-reaching epidemics that the country has ever experienced," remarked' the Chairman of the Bank of New Zealand yesterday. "The disease —influenza, in man; cases attended by complications—was, there is little doubt, introduced by returned soWiers and visitor* from overseas. Unhappily, a Urge number of deaths have taken place, and business has been more or lees disorganised 'throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion by the universal sickness. When the ravages of the disease had reached their most intense stage, the staffs of the various backs (already seriously reduced through so many officers being absent on military duties) were affected to such an extent that it was impossible to carry on business as usual; and' with the sanction of the Minister of Finance, nil bank offices were closed for one week from Wednesday, 20th November, to Tuesday, 26th November, both inclusive, the object being to give the incapacitated officer* an opportunity to recuperate and the attenuated staffs a chance of overtaking tbeir work and pulling up arrears. Moreover, banks are places where, on' occasions, the public congregate and the congestion at the counters is some tiroes considerable, particularly when there is an insufficiency in the staff of tellers." Closing wac therefore also desirable with a view to assisting to check the spread of the disease by reducing- —** nnmber of places of public assembly where contact with infected people might take place and the disease bo pro■pagated.

"The preventive steps from time to time taken under this Act make clear the need for something more of thfe nature of a comprehensive crusade against all 'cnre-alls' and other more or less fraudulent medicaments than the. taking of action against individual quack remedies. A movement in the aforesaid direction will be taken in hand so soon as-existing pressure on tho medical staff from other eatttee is relieved." —Extract front ti\* Hfwrt if tij» tiiu»>»*j ,vj«fti