Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

THE BANK DURING THE WAR 381the ban was placed on the sale of Canadian securities in theUnited States without the consent of the Capital IssuesCommittee, Washington, D.C., an organization which wasgiven power, in the interests of war finance, to pass on allsecurities placed on the market in the United States.By order-in-council, dated July 18, 1918, the Secretary ofState of Canada was authorized "to grant licenses permittingthe transmission of money to enemies, allies and neutralsin enemy or enemy-occupied territory, to authorize communicationor intercourse with enemies or persons in enemyor enemy-occupied territory, to authorize the expenditure ofmoneys in Canada on behalf of, or for the benefit of, enemiesor persons in enemy-occupied territory, and to carry outsuch financial transactions as may be advisable and necessaryfor the purpose of protecting property or securitiesheld or situate in Canada." Up to this time, owing to thevarious enactments against trading with the enemy, it hadscarcely been possible to carry out lawful transactions of thekinds enumerated, and cases of real hardship had sometimesoccurred. By this order-in-council the matter was placedupon a regular and practicable footing.Though 1918 brought peace, it was not to close withoutsome elements of domestic misfortune. During the lastthree months of the year an epidemic of Spanish influenza, inits career around the world, reached Canada, and the ravagesof the disease were so severe that grave difficulties wereexperienced in carrying on the work of the bank. It becameimpossible to providerelief for all the branches where thestaff was crippled by the disease, and the managers were instructedto take such medical precautions as were available.In Alberta the Government of the province made itcompulsoryfor the employees of large office buildings, restaurants,banks and other places where numbers of people congregatedduring business hours to wear gauze masks over the mouth. 1*A photograph taken of the staff of the Calgary branch while this precautionwas in force is reproduced on plate 58, facing page 882.