Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE BANK DURING THE WAR 373the local tribunals of the importance of retaining a sufficientnumber of trained officials for the proper handling of theintricate financial business of the country. Even after thedecision referred to above was given, it was not alwayscorrectly interpreted by the local registrars, and new difficultiescropped up as fast as the old ones were solved.In April, men of Class I who had been placed in medicalcategory B were called out, and efforts were made by those incharge of the administration of the Military Service Act tosecure men more rapidly for the army by obtaining amendmentsto the Act including men of nineteen in Class I, alongwith those who reached that age from time to time. Powerwas also sought to cancel exemptions previously allowed,except when granted for physical disability or to those havingother members of the family serving overseas. On May 6 aproclamation was issued calling for the registration of menwho had reached nineteen years of age. It was recognizedthat the face of things had been changed, since the earlierexemptions were granted, by the success of the great Germanoffensives of March and April. Six weeks before the armistice,under a convention between Canada and the UnitedStates, all male citizens of the United States in Canada withinthe ages called out in the United States were required toenroll or to apply for exemption. In the event of not doing sothey became subject to the Military Service Act of Canada.Though this did not affect the banks materially, it had itsimportance for a considerable number of business concerns.neither the men in Class B nor those of nineteenEventuallywere actually called for service.During 1918, on account of the extreme height to whichthe cost of living had risen, a general bonus was twice grantedto the staff, one in June and one in December. A period ofhigh prices, such as the country was then passing through,is felt specially by salaried men, for in the nature of thingssudden and temporary increases in the cost of living cannot bemet by corresponding increases in salaries, unless the downward