FILTHY BANK NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12084, 13 August 1917, Page 4

FILTHY BANK NOTES.

UNPLEASANT TO HANDLE BUT HARMLESS.

"'The matter of filthy bank notes has already been brought to the notice of the banks, «to whom further representations are being made." This is_t.be reply given by the Finance Minister to a question asked in Parliament by Dr Tliacker. Tho dirty bank note (remarks the "Pent") has deservedly a bad name, and is tho cause of frequent complaint to-day, now Ithat gold is not circulating in the Dominion. The extended use of notes and the difficuly of obtaining supplies of this special form of printing paper are assigned as causes for the condition of so many of the notes. It is pointed out by a banker, however, that although the notes may be unpleasant to handle, Mr Warren Ditditch, of the laboratory of Yale University, assorted unreservedly that there is no case on record of the transmission of any disease by dirty banknotes. He made experiments with twenty-four of tho dirties notes he could obtain, and failed to find any evidence of the microorganisms of tuberculosis and diphtheria (then prevalent in the district of collection) on the notes. All the bacteria on the notes were non-virulent. They averaged 142,000 on each of the notes examined. Tho cleanest note had the next highest number (580,000) of bacteria, on it, and the dirtiest of the notes was tho freest from bacteria.