======+==================+====================+============ | DEPOSITS AT THE | | AMOUNT PER YEAR. | END OF THE YEAR. | NO. OF DEPOSITORS. | DEPOSITOR. | _Yen._ | | _Yen._ ------+------------------+--------------------+------------ 1875 | 15,000 | 1,800 | 8 1878 | 286,000 | 14,100 | 20 1881 | 821,000 | 38,900 | 21 1884 | 5,260,000 | 141,200 | 37 1887 | 18,213,000 | 568,800 | 31 1890 | 19,197,000 | 833,700 | 25 1893 | 26,155,000 | 1,060,200 | 24 1896 | 28,251,000 | 1,273,300 | 21 1899 | 23,455,000 | 1,397,600 | 16 1902 | 28,536,000 | 2,707,500 | 10 1905 | 54,754,096 | 5,858,560 | 9 1908 | 92,389,473 | 7,886,279 | 12 1911 | 200,000,000 | 12,000,000 | 17 ======+==================+====================+============ The sudden drop between the years 1896 and 1902 is owing to the fact that the extraordinarily high interest offered by the ordinary banks during that period of monetary stringency diverted deposits from the Post Offices. The gradual fall in the general rates of interest since then has already begun to turn the tide back in favor of the Post Offices, as shown by the figures for late years. What is particularly satisfactory is the increase in the number of depositors, the increase in this respect being far more remarkable than the increase in the amount of the deposits, as shown by the decreasing amount per depositor. This means, if it means anything, that the advantages offered by the Postal Savings Bank are more and more extensively appreciated by the poorer classes. The amount of deposits at the Postal Savings Bank seems to be steadily increasing, as is shown by the table. The figures for 1909, not given there, show 9,717,236 depositors, and 122,098,101 _yen_ deposits. Not altogether unsatisfactory as is this result of the official efforts to encourage the saving habit among the people, it must be noted that we are in this respect far behind some of the European countries. Consulting the statistics for the year 1898, we find the postal savings reached in that year to £120,000,000 in England, £33,000,000 in France, £21,000,000 in Belgium, £4,800,000 in Austria, £1,000,000 in Hungary, £2,700,000 in Holland, and £3,400,000 in Sweden. In spite of the great improvement effected in the system of late years, especially in the way of simplifying the official procedure connected with the acceptance and repayment of the deposits, much still remains to be done in order to bring the facilities provided by it within easy reach of the people by increasing the number of the Post Offices authorized to receive deposits throughout the country.