60

POSTAL  SAVINGS

about  75  per  cent  of  the  native  whites  were  10
years  of  age  or  over,  and  97  per  cent  of  the
foreign  born.  Multiplying  the  crude  figure  15
given  above  by  75/97  we  arrive  at  10.9  as  the  correct ­
  figure  showing  the  ratio  of  the  per  capita  deposit ­
  in  postal  savings  banks  of  the  foreign  born
10  years  of  age  or  over  to  that  of  the  native  bom
of  the  same  age  group.
Viewed  by  countries  the  figures  show  striking
differences,  the  natives  of  Greece  being  well  in
the  lead  with  a  per  capita  deposit  of  $11.70,  or  a
figure  51  times  as  large  as  that  for  native  bom
Americans.  The  natives  of  Russia  and  Italy
follow  closely  with  per  capita  deposits  of  $7.85
and  $6.95  respectively,  then  come  those  of  Hungary ­
  with  $5.69  and  those  of  Austria  with  $4.86.
The  per  capita  deposits  for  the  natives  of  other
countries  fall  far  behind  these  figures,  that  for
the  American  born,  viz.,  23  cents,  coming  up  in
y
the  extreme  rear.
Any  satisfactory  explanation  of  this  situation
would  require  a  thoroughgoing  investigation
among  the  depositors  themselves  in  the  different
communities  most  affected.  With  such  evidence
as  is  at  present  available,  most  of  it  coming  from
communications  sent  by  postmasters  and  others
to  the  Postal  Savings  Division  at  Washington,
the  best  one  can  do  is  to  name  a  few  of  the  forces