The work of the general bookkeeper's department is divided, on the basis of the books kept, among more or less specialized clerks. The general ledger clerk, with one or more assistants in the busy morning hours, handles the general ledger and other related books, such as the statement book, the suspense ledger, the weekly averages book, the borrowed bond book, the rent book, etc. The general journal and the handling of the double tickets require a number of clerks most of the day. The in terest balance book and interest disbursement book are likely to be kept by the same set of clerks and to engage their time for a good part of the day. The various other books require fewer clerks each, and the keeping of one or more may be assigned to one clerk or a set of clerks. The objects in view are to fix re sponsibility, to expedite the work that requires immediate atten tion, to keep the clerks usefully employed at a fair proportion of the total work, etc.
The most important, most comprehensive, and the control ling book of the bank is the general ledger. To facilitate posting to this ledger a recapitulation book is kept, and extracted from this ledger is the statement book for the daily use of the officers. The size of the general ledger is very much reduced by keeping special books for certain accounts which have voluminous entries, and by carrying their totals to the general ledger. Furthermore, the special books can be adapted to the peculiarities of the ac count and in this way a much fuller record kept. With this idea in mind, clarity of presentation will be served by describing some of these ancillary books before the ledger and statement books.
The Cashier's Check Book Every cashier's check drawn in the bank must be accompanied by an offsetting credit. The initial record is made from the credit ticket which bears the number of the check issued, the name of the party to whom drawn, and the amount. In the cashier's check book there are columns of record as follows: date paid, to whom drawn, number of the check, amount paid, amount drawn, date drawn, and remarks.
As a department issues a cashier's check, it affixes its initial, for example: B for bond department.
D for discount department.
L for loan department. GB for general bookkeeper. S for customers' securities department.
Upon presentation of the cashier's checks, they are sorted first alphabetically and then numerically, the indorsements are carefully examined and passed upon, and due care is exercised to see that the amount and the name upon the face of the check agree with the book record. The credit is then charged out and
the checks canceled and filed. The total of checks drawn are proved each clay against the general ledger. The outstanding cashier checks would be proved, say, weekly.
Checks issued by the mail teller and returned by the clear ing house are treated in the same manner as cashier's checks. A record is kept showing the date issued, the number, the amount, and the date paid.
Certificates of deposit may also be recorded in the cashier's check book. These are of two kinds and the entries differ: The demand certificates are entered by date issued, date paid, number, interest to and including, amount, deposited for, deposited by, and remarks; and the time certificates are entered by date issued, number, payable to, amount, auditor's check rate, interest, paid to and including, notice of withdrawal, number of clays and date, due, paid, transfer to demand deposits, and remarks The Expense Ledger The expense ledger, which, as its name implies, classifies and records the various items of bank expense, is a very useful book of record in a large institution where the control of expense is a diffi cult but important matter. The ledger is so arranged that under the proper date a detailed record of every expense transaction can be noted and the same amount extended under the heading to which it belongs. These extended amounts are totaled and proved and then recorded upon comparative monthly expense sheets. They are also used in further analytical computations.
Expenses are commonly divided under two heads, the build ing expenses and the operating expenses. The subdivisions of the building expense include such items as advertising, altera tions, electric light and power, insurance, maintenance of light ing, repairing (elevator, machinery, miscellaneous), salaries (superintendent, help), steam, supplies (engineer's, superin tendent's), etc. The subdivisions of the operating expenses include advertising, cab hire, carfare, cartage, clearing house membership, directors' fees, examinations, expressage, furniture and fixtures, insurance, lunches (food, help, supplies, utensils), mechanical equipment, maintenance and repairs, postage, pro fessional services, rent, salaries (officers, clerks, superannuated), special services, stationery, surety bonds, syndicates, telegraph and cable, telephone, traveling, revenue stamps, etc.