Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

1901 TO 1914 263over fifty per cent, between November, 1900, and May, 1901.On the other hand the year 1914 was one of shrinkage ratherthan growth. A period of remarkable trade expansion,culminating in1913, had been followed by sharp contractionand the Great War came just in time to assume much of theblame for the conditions of depression that this country musthave experienced. It was therefore under somewhat shortenedsail that The Canadian Bank of Commerce, in common withthe other banks of this country, faced the sudden outbreak ofwar in 1914.During the period under review the management of thebank had learned many lessons. The very rapidity of itsgrowth and the constant increase in the volume of workwhich its officers were forced to handle had accustomedthem to changes in organization and in methods, and forcedthem to adapt themselves to meet unexpected circumstances.It had acquired a reputation for leadership in the technicaldetails of banking, partly due no doubt to a willingness toshare the results of its experience with other institutions andto aid them as much as possible in solving their problems.A readiness to meet emergencies bade fair to become a partof the equipment of its officers, as was evidenced by thealacrity with which they opened up new fields for banking onthe very confines of civilization. These characteristics didnot forsake the bank when the clouds of war finally burst.Among the vivid recollections of that period are the groups ofexcited men that gathered at its head office when the stormwas breaking, to go away calmed and soothed by contact withthe leaders of The Canadian Bank of Commerce.