ABSTRACT
In native banks, the dates for settling up all accounts are customarily fixed at each of the three Chinese festivals: the fifth day in the fifth month; the fifteenth day of eighth month; and the last day of the Chinese calendar year. The first two festivals are less important than the third one: only the interests received and paid are calculated. Two kinds of temporary records are usually adopted to facilitate the calculation of interest: one is the interest calculating book and the other is a list or a rough paper on which the amount of each balance is written, together with the number of days, and the product. The current accounts are of the utmost importance. Each transaction, either for deposit or for loan, is recorded in the “Hsien Chin Liu Shui” or the “Chuan Chang Liu Shui” according that the amount is paid or received in cash or in other bills.
