Twenty years ago to enter the service of the best banks was not so easy as it is to-day. Though there was always a demand for junior clerks, it was by no means keen or insistent. Vacancies were to be filled, caused by wear and tear on the staff; occasionally a series of promotions became necessary when a new branch was opened. Generally, a file of applicants awaited the positions. The young men who seemed to promise best were selected leisurely. To-day the banks are keen and eager for good material. Youths of the right sort are snapped up, whenever they present themselves, in all parts of the country. Even then it is difficult to supply the demand. It is necessary to bring clerks from Scotland or England to take positions in good Canadian banks.

Change In Character Of Staffs

A remarkable transformation latterly has been effected in the character of banking staffs. Before the awakening of the West, the largest banks had systems of branches, numbering from thirty to fifty; banks of the second degree in point of size had from fifteen to thirty. At the end of 1912, there were two banks, each having more than 300 branches, and ten others, each having more than 100 branches. Under the former conditions, promotion and advancement in salary were sluggish compared to what they now are. The branch managers, especially in the important places, were generally men at or past the prime of life. To a modified extent the same applied to the accountants or branch lieutenants. At the present time, youthful managers predominate. Even in the large cities, many young men manage the branches. An altogether different spirit is noticeable in the banking business, largely due, no doubt, to the change in the personnel of the staffs. The older men have been hurried along the road taken by their younger confreres. The banks are striking out aggressively for business, opening their branches in new territory, introducing innovations, changing their ideas as to what is proper or dignified for banks to do.

In short, it is an age of vigorous enterprise. The high confidence that prevails as to the country's future has assisted in bringing this about; it has led, too, to the taking of risks which result in loss when the tide of prosperity runs not quite so strongly. In the meantime, promotion is quick, increase of salary rapid; the circulation, so to speak, of the men from branch to branch is active. A good, bright junior is appointed at a country branch at a salary of $200 or $250. He can look forward, in the ordinary course, to increase of salary at the rate of $100 per year, with prospects of promotion, first to the ledger-keeper's post, and from thence to the teller's and to the accountant's. The exigencies of the service of late have led to phenomenally rapid advancements. For the new branches, managers are in strong demand. Normally, the managers are recruited from the accountants' ranks, but some years ago these failed to produce material enough to supply the demand. Many branches have had to be placed in the charge of tellers, ledger-keepers, and other clerks.