DEPOSITORS  AND  DEPOSITS

75

which  the  system  has  been  in  operation  was  as
follows  :

1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916

$  57
83
102
112
125
143

While  this  shows  a  healthy  increase  in  the  average ­
  balance,  it  throws  little  light  upon  the  sizes
of  the  items  that  make  up  these  averages.  Third
Assistant  Postmaster-General  Dockery  said,  December ­
  4,  1915:  “We  have  now  more  than  30,-000
  depositors  who  have  reached  the  limit—who
have  deposited  all  they  are  permitted  to  deposit
under  the  postal  savings  law—and  22,000  of  the
30,000  who  have  reached  the  limit  of  deposits  are
foreign  born.” 16  This  was  exclusive  of  the  deposits ­
  which  had  been  withdrawn  for  investment
in  2J  per  cent  postal  savings  bonds.  On  the
other  hand,  the  facts  previously  noted 17 —that  on
June  30,  1916,  there  were  259  postal  savings
banks  each  having  only  one  dollar  on  deposit,
and  447  whose  deposits  ranged  between  $2  and
$10—are  evidence  of  a  large  number  of  petty
accounts.
From  the  earliest  agitation  for  a  postal
lf>  The  U.  S.  Post.  Savs.  Sys.  p.  8.
17  Page  55.

sav-