Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE BANK DURING THE WAR 323and general use could be resumed, the clauses regardingpayment in Belgium, Germany and Austria being cancelled.Another convenience restored by special government permitafter a few months was the use of the bank's own cipher codewith its branch at St. John's, Newfoundland.In looking back on the events of 1914, it must be borne inmind that the enormous sacrifices of young manhood thiscountry would be called upon to make were then unforeseen.There were many who thought that the war would be a shortone; others, more far-seeing, predicted a conflict of at leastthree years' duration. No one conceived that before anarmistice would be signed Canada would have placed nearlyhalf a million men in the field, or dreamed of the unparalleledmilitary power that the British Empire was to develop duringthe war. The first call for volunteers in this country named20,000 as the number required for immediate service, and theresponse exceeded the requisition by more than fifty per cent.It was at the time deemed wise to check the ardour of the youngmen who wished to give up everything and take up arms, forneither this country nor the Motherland had, in August, 1914,developed the machinery to handle such immense forceswere later placed in the field. Earlier in this book someaccount has been given of the staff difficulties that aroseduring the period of expansion which preceded the war.Patriotic enthusiasm at once revived these difficulties in anintensified form, and by the end of August two hundred ofthe bank's officers had enlisted. A circular was sent tothe branches expressing the fear that the younger men hadbeen carried away by over-enthusiasm, and pointing out thatthe first contingent was quite small in proportion to the totalpopulation of Canada. "We have no desire to withhold anyofficer from volunteering for foreign service who feels it incumbentupon him to do so at the present time, but at thisjuncture it does not seem to us at all necessary that any oneof immature years or who is in any way now or likely to becharged with responsibility for the support of others, shouldas