DAY OF MECHANICAL BANK CLERK APPROACHES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6884, 13 April 1929, Page 3

DAY OF MECHANICAL BANK CLERK APPROACHES

The day of the mechanical bank clerk draws rapidly nearer One of the leading English banks has now installed 200 ledger-posting machines, which are posting over 4,000,000 entries each month. Nor is the mechanisation of the banks likely to stop at ledger posting. In a number of the big German banks during the last year or so the reorganisation has resulted in the introduction of pneumatic tubes, addressing machines, ediphones, stamping machines, and many other types of office machinery, in addition to ledger-posting apparatus. Naturally, bank staffs are watching these developments with great interest. In the German banks which have introduced such reforms staffs have been reduced. It is, however, extremely unlikely that there will be any big reductions by the banks in Britain. In a number of cases senior officers aro being retired with a pension at an earlier age than normal, while at least two of the “Big Five” banks have closed down the recruiting of staffs for a year or two. Middleclass families who have looked to the banks as providing an automatic outlet for their sons on leaving school

will have a new problem to face. The changes will introduce a new type of staff into the banks—girl operators of the machines, who naturally will be on a lower scale of salary. Another question is the effect on training. In the past the junior bank clerk could look forward to a steady progress. By the time he had reached an administrative position he had behind him years of routine work, which made the ordinary details of banking second nature to him. By posting up pass books he learnt by heart the signature of the bank’s clients, and when he was promoted to the counter was in a position to detect attempts at forgery with comparative ease. Undoubtedly the executives of the banks must have given consideration to these aspects of the case before deciding on this innovation.