Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE BANK DURING THE WAR 363excellent living quarters, usually free of charge, that enabledhim to eke out his often modest salary. As the countrybecame more settled and the population of the cities andtowns increased, municipalities began to provide safeguardsagainst fire and burglary and the practice from the bank'spoint of view became less advantageous. The same processof growth had also rendered the business section of the townless attractive for residential purposes, and gradually thecustom fell into disuse. The one-time managers' residenceswere occupied by caretakers or turned into offices, and thenewly erected bank buildings showed by their design thechange which had taken place. A few of the old-fashionedbank houses still lingered, and occasionally a manager, insome place where a suitable dwelling was not to be had,would prevail upon the bank to erect or purchase a house forhim, or else to lend him the money wherewith to build orpurchase one for himself. Then came the opening up of theWest, and the enterprising efforts of the banks to carry theirestablishments as far as and sometimes beyond the very confinesof civilization.They opened branches on the prairies atrailway junctions and other strategic points, almost in advanceof population. At first younger men took charge of thesebranches, and were more or less satisfied to make the best ofany makeshifts they could obtain for living accommodation.This stage passed away in its turn. After extensive experienceThe Canadian Bank of Commerce found that theownership of residences for the use of branch managers was notsatisfactory either to the bank or to the manager, and for awhile the policy of making loans to managers to enable them toprovide living quarters for themselves was adopted. Thisagain was subject to the objection that in very few cases wasa subsequent manager willing to take over the residence of hispredecessor. Finally, in 1917, the problem had become a verylive one, owing to the opening of numerous branches in districtswhere building conditions were in a primitive state, and the