1. Savings Bank Department.

 

Deposits for the three months ended 31st March 1943 totalled £4,568,157, being an increase of £1,123,930 on the corresponding amount for 1942. Withdrawals amounted to £2,106,808, being an increase of £73,852 when compared with the previous year. The net deposits for the three months amounted to £2,461,349, being a gain of £1,050,079 on the corresponding amount for 1942.

 

At the 31st March, the Balances standing to the credit of depositors totalled £49,458,397, exclusive of accrued interest. When the final figure of such interest is ascertained, the Balances will stand well over the £50,000,000 mark. Open accounts total 537,030, subject to adjustment on final count.

 

2. House Purchase Department.

 

During the three months ended 31st March 1943, mortgages were arranged in 69 cases, the advances amounting to £16,749. Mortgages paid off totalled 138. At the 31st March there were 7,392 mortgages outstanding, representing an indebtedness of £2,205,512. Repayments have been well maintained; during the period referred to £103,847 were received.

 

3. Investments.

 

During the three months ended 31st March 1943, investments through the National Debt Commissioners amounted to £2,750,000. The Bank’s financial contributions to the War Effort in this direction brings the total figure to £16,000,000.

 

Sales of Savings Certificates through the Bank up to the end of March 1943 totalled £3,149,614, and purchases of Defence Bonds, National War Bonds, etc have been made to the extent of £583,170.

 

4. Travelling Posting Staffs.

 

The experiment in connection with travelling posting has not given the results anticipated. This is not due to the principle being unsound, but because of difficulties in finding personnel able to do the work. It is quite probable we may have to revert to single branch posting, but for the time being I desire the experiment to continue.

 

5. Extension of Premises at Oldbury.

 

The Oldbury Council have agreed to the rental of the premises being increased by 10% of the cost of the extension and alterations to the premises. The work will be carried out by a contractor to the directions of the Oldbury Borough Surveyor, who will himself supervise the work involved. The Town Clerk of Oldbury is preparing an Agreement covering the position and will forward same to the Town Clerk of Birmingham in due course.

 

6.Gates at Spring Hill Branch.

 

The City Surveyor does not consider good grounds for objecting to the removal of the gates, and does not consider the security of the Bank has been impaired by the removal. That being so, no objection has been taken to the removal, but for security reasons we should require replacement of the gates or some other substitute when the war is over.

 

7. Premises at Smethwick.

 

The accommodation over the Bank is held under lease by Mr Hadgkiss, Solicitor, who uses the same for professional purposes. He requires more accommodation and seeks permission to take the bath out of the bathroom; cover in the hot and cold water taps fitted thereto. He would store the bath in a suitable place and keep it in good condition, so that it may be reinstalled when necessary, and would undertake to restore the bath when required by the Bank to do so. He would then use the room as a waiting room or interview room and free another room for his professional use. The work would be done at his expense by a first class contractor. Mr Wilde sees no objection to the arrangement, but suggests a short agreement in the matter might be entered into.

 

8. Tenancies.

 

Approval is sought to tenancies of premises as follows:

 

Shop adjoining Brookvale Branch. Let to Mrs Florence Green as an office for repair of boots and shoes. Quarterly tenancy; rent £45 per annum, plus rates and water charges; rent payable monthly in advance on the first day of month.

 

Flat over Longbridge Branch. Let to Mr A Treppard 12 months certain from 25th March 1943; rental £35 per annum plus rates and water charges; rent payable monthly in advance on the first day of the month.

 

9. Bonds (Maidenhead) Ltd.

 

At the last meeting approval to an account being opened in the Bank by this Firm was not granted because the registered office of the Company was not then in Birmingham. Subsequently I was advised that the registered office was now in Birmingham, and, after consulting the Chairman, authority was given for an account to be opened.

 

10. British Thomson-Houston Ltd, Rugby.

 

The National Savings Movement have again made representations through their Regional Industrial Officer for this Bank to co-operate in a savings scheme for the employees of this Company, and, after consulting the Chairman, I have agreed to open a Bank in the Works, providing satisfactory arrangements can be made.

 

11. Pheasey and Perry Beeches Estates.

 

Branches for one occasion only in the week on each Estate have been opened. Pheasey opened on Saturday, February 20th, when there were 27 deposits in the hour and a half available for business. The amount deposited totalled £17. 6. 0d. 13 new accounts were opened; 9 transfers taken, and 2 home safes issued. Perry Beeches opened on Friday, March 5th, when there were 31 deposits in the hour and a half available for business. The amount deposited totalled £219. 1. 0d. 12 new accounts were opened; 18 Corporation Accounts dealt with, and a number of applications for transfer put through. There is every indication that these Branches will meet a need in the districts, and it will not be long before increased accommodation, and probably extra hours of business, will be justified. Up to the end of March 1943 there had been 59 new accounts at Pheasey, and 38 at Perry Beeches.

 

12. Merging of Branches.

 

After consulting the Chairman, arrangements have been made to open Kitts Green Branch on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in each week, and Heybarnes Branch on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, both Branches being worked by one staff. A similar arrangement has been made in respect of Newtown Row and Brookvale Branches. This has given a little help in the staffing difficulty, but I am afraid other amalgamation will be necessitated owing to the impossibility of obtaining help and the probable further call-up of some of the present staff.

 

13. Deposits by way of Credit Advices.

 

The tremendous increase in this class of transaction has resulted in overloading the work in the Savings Bank Department at Head Office. I have devoted considerable time to a re-organisation of the work and have set up a Clearing Department at Head Office to facilitate handling this business. No extra Staff is necessary. My investigations show that much time has been wasted in searching records to ensure the credit getting to the right account because advices did not disclose account numbers. I have insisted upon such advices indicating the account number and name of depositor. Banks and Firms have shown a willingness to co-operate, but some difficulty is being experienced with the Bank of England, which I hope to get over. Some idea of the work involved can be gauged from the fact that 4,552 accounts were affected in the month of November (which month I took for my purpose) and these involved 3,956 credits to Branches. £47,124 was represented by these credits, which come in three ways, viz: (1) by schedules from Firms; (2) by Bank advices, and (3) by the Direct Transfer method introduced by the National Savings Movement. It would be prejudicial to the Bank to give effect to the decision reached at the Bank Committee meeting on the 18th January last to limit these transactions to £25 per month as a minimum credit, and therefore I ask that the direction be cancelled.

 

14. Reconstruction.

 

In May last the City Surveyor asked for a list of the damaged properties belonging to the Bank and for particulars of any schemes for re-conditioning and re-building after cessation of hostilities. The information was supplied.

 

In January 1943 the Chairman of the Reconstruction Committee (Alderman Tiptaft) addressed two letters to Alderman Morland asking for a definite post war suggestions which might be included in a wider programme of post war development, but said that it might be possible to produce a small brochure showing something of what Birmingham will look like after the war, and that any illustrations of our newest ideas in Banks, or particulars of further suggested services, which might be incorporated in a brochure, would be of help.

 

I expressed the view that the Bank Committee would desire to discuss the matter before an official reply to Alderman Tiptaft’s letter was sent.

 

We have already agreed that when the war is over new buildings will be erected to take the place of temporary structures at Tower Hill, Wells Green, Kitts Green and Alum Rock. At Rubery and near to the “Maypole” we own land, on which it is intended to erect Branch Banks. Some of our premises badly damaged by bombing will require re-building or more extensive alterations to put into a proper condition. Other premises are known to be inadequate for our needs, ie, Sparkhill, Harborne, Aston Cross, etc, At Harborne it is understood that when the main road is widened the Bank will be allocated a site, and at Pheasey a site has been set apart for the Bank on land belonging to the First National Housing Trust.

 

As to how far the Committee might desire to extend the sphere of the Bank’s activities has not been discussed. The right we possess would enable us to go into the area of any County or County Borough adjoining Birmingham with the consent of the appropriate Authority, and this covers a wide field. It means we could establish Banks in any part of Staffordshire, Warwickshire or Worcestershire, except where the Bounty Borough does not adjoin Birmingham, such as Coventry, Wolverhampton, etc. There is definitely scope in such places as West Bromwich, Rowley Regis, Tamworth, Lichfield, etc, and there are still parts of Birmingham where a Branch would be acceptable and where the prospects are good.

 

I do not, however, think that any development by the Bank would have a vital bearing on the deliberations of the Reconstruction Committee. Anything we do would be gradual and would be dependent upon the state of our funds, because we do not look to the Council for any development. We could, of course, supply Alderman Tiptaft with any photographs he may desire relating to our Banks, showing the building type which has been erected, etc.

 

15. Additional Hours of Labour by Staff.

 

Under the scheme approved by the Committee for such extra hours to be spent on examination of small munition parts, it was agreed in September last that the “make up” hours should be four per week. Since that time the normal work of the Bank has increased, and from an analysis of the time sheets, it is found that the Staff have worked an average of one hour more per week than was the case in September 1942. This being so, it is now proposed to adjust the “make up” hours to three per week.

 

16. Resignation of Mr Danks and Mr J Baker.

 

Mr Danks, (Branch Manager), who joined the staff in November 1921, retired on the 1st March 1943,having reached the age of 65 years. The customary Testimonial will be presented to him at a later date. On the authority of the Chairman, Mr Danks has been engaged as a temporary officer, with remuneration at the rate of £7 per week.

 

Mr J Baker, who joined the staff in 1920, resigned on the 28th February 1943, in order to take up a post with a Commercial Firm.

 

17. Return of Mr B Cooper.

 

This officer was discharged from the Army on the 11th March 1943. He had been in hospital for some time with a lesion of the spinal cord; has been under treatment with his own doctor, and consulted a Specialist, who has prescribed treatment for him. The circumstances of his case are such that the Chairman and I felt it desirable to solicit the good offices of Dr Newsholme with a view to everything being done to help Cooper for his future life. His head and hands are not affected and he is able to do clerical work which does not involve much standing. I have accordingly placed him in the Accounts Department.

 

18. Discharge of Mr C P Addis.

 

This officer has been discharged from the Forces owing to disability and the Army allowance to his wife has ceased. Addis has not been granted any pension on the ground that his disability was not directly attributable to his service in the Forces during the present war nor materially aggravated by that service. This appeared to me to be unjust, so I gave the facts to Group Captain Wright, MP, with a request that he would take up the case. The Minister of Pensions has promised to give it his personal attention.

 

Addis joined the staff of the Bank in March 1925 and passed the usual medical test for Superannuation purposes. Throughout his service he enjoyed excellent health, and joined the Forces as a fit man. He enlisted on the 6th August 1939; trained with the Territorials; went out to France in 1939; returned to England; then went out to the Middle East. He came back to England last year and was in hospital in Birmingham. It would be unfair to expect his people, or his wife’s people, to maintain him without pension assistance, should he not recover sufficiently to take up duties with the Bank, or find other employment. His wife (who has a young child) has no financial means. I am hopeful that the representations made by Group Captain Wright will bear good results, and I equally hope the treatment Addis is undergoing will restore his health. His return to the Bank would be welcomed. He has a good record of service, and is one of the younger man whom I had marked out for promotion.

 

19.Annual Balance.

 

The work involved in this Balance has been a severe strain to the staff and a trial to many who were having their first experience, but it was accomplished with reasonable celebrity. We were handicapped this year by by a greater proportion of absentees owing to illness and other cases. The work of collating the final figures is proceeding, and I anticipate the Report to the Council can be made as usual at the June meeting.

 

20. Short Cash and Excess Cash.

 

Short cash during the year ended 31st December 1942 amounted to £308. 14. 0d, and excess cash for the same period amounted to £312. 2. 11d.

 

The usual resolution should be passed to make good short cash from the funds of the Bank.

 

J P HILTON.

April 16th 1943.