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The Savings Bank For the purpose of allaying fear and to give people confidence in the soundness of the Bennington County Savings Bank, against which there has been a small run this week, we have taken pains to get reliable information as to its condition. We assure our readers that it is not only well managed but that we believe there is not a safer bank in existence to-day than ours. Its securities are first class, its deposits have steadily increased for years and a "run" on it at this time is a very senseless proceeding. Indeed the run is dead after a very brief existence. As near as we can ascertain this flurry was all caused by false stories that one of the trustees was financially embarassed. This grew to include the falsehood that the trustee aforesaid, owed the bank, and hence the rumors and consequent uneasiness of the depositors, or a certain portion of them. None of the trustees have or can have the use of any funds, as we state in another place to-day. During this week everybody thus far has been paid who desired it, yet the following by-law of the bank is well understood. Sec. 17 says: "While the trustees are expected to keep on hand sufficient funds to meet, on demand, all the ordinary and reasonable calls of depositors, the latter cannot expect to have their money so loaned as to produce them interest and at the same time be in the bank earning nothing. Therefore, to guard against contingencies and to enable the trustees to meet all the obligations of the bank within a reasonable time, although any deposit or part of a deposit not exceeding $25 will be paid on demand, for larger sums the trustees are authorized to require notices as follows: Over $25 and not over $50, five days; over $50 and not over $100,ten days; over $100 and not over $200, twenty days; over $200 and not over $300 thirty days: over $300 and not over $500 fifty days; over $500 sixty days. Providing that no depositor by dividing his deposit otherwise than as above, shall be entitled to require payment any sooner than he would have been entitled had he given notice for the whole at once." We learn from the officials that there is positively no ground for fears. Our readers will recall that under Vermont laws it is practically impossible for a savings bank to fail; none to our knowledge has ever done so. It therefore remains with the depositors largely to say whether by their future course they shall injure an institution that is of so much blessing to this community or not.
