The customer, by examining his pass-book, will soon discover whether a rate has been deducted, and if he consider that the balance he keeps at his credit amply repays the bank, then he can request that the commission be returned to him, and that his name be placed on the free list with those of other “conscientious objectors.” Where the face-value of the coupons is given in a foreign currency, he will, of course, have to discover the rate of exchange at which they were sold. Allowance, too, must be made for income-tax. When purchasing stocks or shares through his banker the latter divides the commission with the broker, and it is perhaps advisable to see the broker’s note, as a zealous manager, anxious to augment the profits of his branch, and believing devoutly in the old-fashioned maxim “every little helps,” occasionally adds a small charge of his own. Should he do this, then he sends the customer a _copy_ of the broker’s note instead of the note itself, and in the copy he has, it need not be said, added a small commission of his own to the broker’s. As a banker guarantees the customer against loss through the failure of either the broker or the jobber, purchasing shares through a bank has its advantages for the bona-fide investor; but the speculator, who may want to “carry over” from account to account, must deal with a member of the Stock Exchange. Again, when buying foreign drafts through one’s banker inquiry should be made as to the rate of exchange, so that one can check his figures. In a small book of this description much must necessarily be omitted, but it may just be added that in these days the facilities bankers grant their customers range from taking charge of their plate and valuables to allowing them to have their letters addressed to the bank, while they will even pay their subscriptions for them. The difficulty is to say what they will not do, and some day, perhaps, we shall have their young men calling in the morning for orders with the baker. CHAPTER XI UNCLAIMED BALANCES I would describe this banking custom as legal stealing.[B] Bankers, as well as other estimable persons, obtain their gleanings and their perquisites, which are credited to certain sundry accounts, such as “unclaimed dividends,” “unclaimed balances,” and so on. Those banks, too, that issue notes must profit to a certain extent by the paper that is lost and destroyed by the public; and though it is impossible to estimate the gain to the banks from these sources, their absolute silence on the subject seems to indicate perhaps more eloquently than statistics, that the fund thus derived must be considerable, even if it be not vast. [B] The Government is not prepared to promote legislation for the purpose of requiring the banks of the United Kingdom to make a return showing the sums of money in their hands in respect of dormant and obsolete accounts.--Vide Press, Feb. 1908.