BANK CLERKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12423, 12 February 1901, Page 3

BANK CLERKS.

THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE. DISSATISFACTION AND DISCON- ' !?TENT. "■Much work, small pay, many responsibilities, arbitrary rules, and intolerable restrictions are; what make the lives of bank clerks miserable." 'Judging by inquiries •m'aide throughout. the colony, this, at any rate, is the , position in. New Zealand. There seems to f be hardly a branch of any banking institution in any village, town, or city in the'' colony which' is not full of dissatisfaction with regard to salaries, conditions of Work, and prospects for the future. A tone of bitter discontent runs through'the remarks of the bank clerk -whenever he is induced to speak of his daily duties. It is-clear that,, instead of taking a pleasure and a pride in what he has to do, he looks upon, ib with disgust*,,and abhorrence.

" It simply amounts 4o this," said: a clerk to a representative of this journal recently.' "To banking institutions in this colony there is no such'thing as liberty of the, subject. As clerks, we do, not know the meaning of the phrase. ,<■ Every .-movement we make ia hampered by' rules and regulations, and even.when: we are outside tne precints of the bank, we are not our own masters."

"Is the .'matrimonial clause' bull en'orced am the banks?"

" Yes, and that is one of the chief-causes of our discontent. At first 'the regulation' in this direction stipulated that no man employed in a bank should; marry unless ho was receiving £250 a. year, or over, but some time ago, the minimum was reduced to £2OO. Bud the authorities seem 'to take very good.care that a man will lTot reach that sum, unless under very exceptional circumstances."

"But you don't mean to say that many men holding responsible positions in the banks eo£rn less than £2OO a.year?" " That is'the actual position. _ln Wellington, twelve men are employed in one bank, and of these only five receive and ov«r> There are worse cases in Christchurch. It is the same in ail other places in the colony where banks are represented. There is quite an army of clerks in Christchurch living as best they can on £IOO a year and under."

'• How do they manage to do it?" "Well, many of them have .simply to find' means of 'augmenting their salaries from outside sources. ■ You would bo surprised, if you knew what many clerks had .to do in order to'make their income ' pan out,' • so as to avoid naming into debt. Thfa fact of the matter is, our lives are practically without hope. We are condemned to a life of celibacy, and can never look forward to the comforts of a home of our own. Even if we were prepared to face the little discomforts,of a humble home, the 'matrimonial clause' prevents us from marrying, though we, could live pretty well on £lii> a year, or, perhaps, less. The very meanest artisan in.the community is in a better position'than we are.. Fancy a teller in a bank in one of, the' large centres getting £llO a vear, a receiving teller £lls, a cashbbok-kieeper £9O, a ledger-keeper between £IBO and £l9O, and a-second ledgerkeeper between £IOO and £l3O. There is a, confidential shorthand-writer and typewriter who receives £4O a year, and one cleric, doing senior work, £9O a year. The latter is twenty-five years of age. A correspondent, an old and competent officer, in one of the chief cities of the colony, is thirty-three years of age, and he receives £135 a-year. These mem are doing senior work> and, for three or four months of the year', they are called upon to do nightwork. Every Monday night of the year they have to return to balance cash-books and ledgers, and for nearly two months of the year every night is taken up with the | work in" connection with the ■half-yearly balance.' For this they receive no extra remuneration.'' "To many of us," said another clerk, " the position is almost unbearable. There is practically not the least prospect of our ever receiving £2OO a year, no matter how hard we work, and if we marry with less than that; it means dismissal. If we do not live and dress tip to a certain standard, dismissal again stares us in the face. And if our 'resignation is requested, what on eartli is to become of us? We have been trained in a peculiar branch of business, and the bank is positively the worst recommendation we could have-. The cases men-, tioned are not isolated ones, but may lie taken as.; typical of the state of affairs throughout the colony, and also in Australia, In all the batiks there are many minor injustices to which the men are subjected. I might mention, as an instance, the Tellers'"Cash Fund. When a teller finds, at the end of the day, that, he has a surplus,. a£ sometimes happens, the,, money goes nito the fund, and; from the fund into the pockets, of the- bank's shareholders,; but when the unfortunate teller that he has.a de r ficit, the amount has to opine out of liis own, pocket. In spit* of our small salaries, we ■'have, to dress somewhat stylishly, and in the 'fashion. In the North Island, recently,- :i ;.clerk, went toHhe> bank" wearing what --is .called a fpre-and-aft cap, and ,the manager ;'told Mm that ,'te would have to wejir a' '•hard:,fitter.' It is these? little : rules and

i-fcgulations which irritate us, arid'';«anse] much of the discontent'which exists.".':^■';!'! In further conversation, the clerk, stated!: - that a. competent man was oaten, psomibited,]: but the increase in salary was looked ,for in! ; vain, and' the promotion was. a farce.' 1 ,"' : * ',.,. , "13ut surely," said" the reporter., ; is soma method whereby the derfe; ..cpuld'r ; form an Association, so that they would'bar able to improve their prospects."' ;;"',,"" '; •; " Aa attempt has already been miif,. but' ; it was.KS successful. This, is attriitiuted'; partly to the firm hold the officials invcoin-i. inaiid have over their subordinates:* ''An-! other reason is that seme'clerks areiiot"de-L: pendent solely on their salaries, as theyjre-j:'. ceive .help from their ; relatives. They :arfti ablo to gel along with salaries which are not; commensurate with their responsibilities''orl: length of service. The unfortunate L »; ioriir. who have entered the' service,", and! who*'depend Jpitlyj on; what they, 'receive,,; "■ are- -tiais ■ heavily, handicapped. .Their: in-1 ■' comes a<re hardly sufficient to maintain lhem,'j , and they are without a' chance of saving] money ,or making a home for themselves,'" preferment coming to. those whose jposi-! tions'and connections can best advance the: bank's interests."

AH the clerks communicated with, said.' th it thi.y -\\uo \ery grateful for the opportunity + > make their grievances known, and that the Prec- the only means by which, they con 1 1 redreis.