PROMISSORY NOTES,
•RAFTS. AND CHEQUES
f^rww.
l^^l^^yi Cy^i^^"^^^ 0
^TPromissory iMotes,
ftND BILLS OF eXCHftNGe.
WHAT A BUSINESS MAN SHOULD KNOW
REGARDING THEM.
—BY—
J. W. JOHNSON, F. O.A.,
Author of "Johnson's Joint Stock Company Book-Keeping,"
Joint Author of "The Canadian Accountant," Principal
Ontario Business College, Belleville, and First
Vice-President of the Institute of
Chartered Accountants of
Ontario.
PUBLISHED BY ONTARIO BUSINESS COLLEGE.
BELLEVILLE, Ont., Canada.
REVISED AND ENLARGED.
BELLEVILLE :
Printed for Ontario Business College,
iS93-
PREFACE.
In the Oniario Business College, Belleville, the Author has for the last seven-
teen years been lecturing upon and teaching such subjects as this book treats of ;
and as a Practical Accountant and Business Man has been for twenty-seven years
in daily association with them. The book was primarily prepared for the Students
of the College, and is one of a series covering the whole ground of Commercial
Papers. The faithful study of its contents, even by those not having the advantages
of the lectures and blackboard work in the class room, and the practical work in
the College, will prove helpful in doing business.
Before being printed in its present form, the matter contained in the first
edition was published in the September and October numbers of the Educational
yournal, Toronto, iSSS.
The fifth edition has been prepared since the passing by the Dominion
Parliament of an Act relating to Bills of Exchange, Cheques and Promissory
Notes, cited as the " Bill of Exchange Act, 1S90,'' and the necessary changes
and additions consequent upon the jjassing of the Act have been made in this
edition.
J. W. JOHNSON.
Ontario Business College. )
Belleville, 1S93. )
S^EntereJ according to Act of the Farliament of Canada, in the year One Thousand
Eight Hundred and Eighty-Eight, by J. IV. fohnson, at the Department 0/ Agri-
culture.]
Introductory.
It is desirable that a business man should have some knowledge
of the principles of law, particularly in its application to commerce,
and more especially in relation to Bills and Notes. Ignorance of it
can never be successfully urged in prosecuting or defending an
action.
COMMON LAW
is the unwritten law that has come to us by tradition, custom, and
the decisions of the courts, based on well-known general usage, and
common-sense principles of justice.
STATUTE LAW
is the written law, or Acts of Parliament, made from time to time by
the Legislatures, and its enactments wholly over-rule the common
law.
l"he History of Bills of Exchange and Promissory Notes shows
how the usages of merchants, bankers, and traders became the com-
mon law in regard to these instruments. When disputes arose in
connection with them, the courts simply required that the general
usage among merchants and bankers should be proved, and this
being judicially ascertained, it received the sanction of legal decision,
and consequently became incorporated into the common law. These
legal decisions, again, as precedents became the basis of other de-
cisions. This law-making power of merchants is known as the
Law-merchant (Lex mercatoria)
which the courts of justice are bound to know and recognize. The
controlling effect of the Law-merchant is well illustrated in the
transfer of Notes and Bills from one person to another. By the rule
of the ancient common law, no property that was not actually in
possession (or that could be reduced into possession) could be trans-
ferred. Bills and Notes only express the legal right to possession of
money in the future. But merchants had established the custom of
transferring Bills of Exchange by delivering from hand to hand, or
by writing a name on the Bill, which not only transferred the right
of action, but created an unwritten conditional contract of guarantee to
any one who might be the lawful holder. Not only did the Law-
merchant thus overcome the general principles of the common law,
but to some extent the Statute of Frauds (explained further on) was
surmounted.
Another illustration of the Law-merchant is seen in the exemption
of Bills and Notes from the ordinary rules that apply to contracts and
the law of evidence.
Contracts.
Promissory Notes and Bills of Exchange are the commonest forms
of contracts. They enter more than any other into the daily com-
mercial life of the people of any civilized country and into the trans-
actions between the various nations of the world.
When men enter into other forms of contracts — such as those
represented by deeds, mortgages, bonds, etc. — they usually, and in-
deed of necessity, resort to a trained solicitor for direction and guid-
ance, but in giving and receiving notes and bills, the individuals con-
cerned should be able, without recourse to a lawyer, or even to a
banker, to deal intelligently and safely with them, under all ordinary
circumstances.
This work in its earlier editions has imparted practical knowledge
of Bills and Notes to hundreds of students and business men, and to
other classes of the community that have to deal with them; written,
as it is, by a practical business man, and having as its basis practical
experience and observation, and not mere theory or technicality.
5
"While it is desirable, as has been said before, that a reliable solici-
tor should be a person's guide in making other contracts than Bills
and Notes, yet there are certain fundamental principles relating to
contracts in general that should be universally known.
There are Two Kinds of Contracts.
Contracts are divided into two classes, which are known as Simple
contracts and Specialty contracts. Simple contracts may be made either
by word of mouth or in writing. Specialty contracts must not only
be in writing, but must likewise be under seal.
A consideration, that is to say, an equivalent offered by the one
party and accepted by the other, is essential in every contract not
under seal. When sueing upon a simple contract the consideration
must in general be proved, but this would not be necessary when en-
forcing a specialty contract.
The Statute of Frauds.
There are some simple contracts which the law requires to be in
writing. The Statute of Frauds^ pissed in the reign of Charles II.
(1676) which is still in force in Canada (as all English common law,
and all applicable statute law, prior to 1791, is. unless it has been set
aside by Canadian legislation), requires that a verbal promise shall
not be sufficient in certain cases, but that the agreement or
some memorandum of it shall be in writing, and be signed by the
party to be charged therewith, or by some one authorized to sign for
him. The principal cases are:
I. Where a man promises to pay the debt of another person, or
answer for his default. For example, a man steps into your store
and says, " I will be responsible for goods you may sell John Smith to
the amount of $50.00." If, in your ignorance of the law, you did
not cause the guarantor to put the agreement in writing, even though
you could bring a dozen people to swear to the verbal statement, you
would have no legal hold upon him, nothing beyond the moral
claim, and that might not be of any value.
2. To enforce the sale or purchase of goods to the value of over
$40.00, the contract must be in writing, unless there has been a part
of the purchase money paid upon it, (otten called earnest money'i be
it ever so small, or a partial delivery and acceptance of the goods,
even the smallest portion of them.
3. Where an executor or administrator promises to be liable out of
his own estate.
4. When an agreement is made which is not to be performed within
a year. For instance, if you engaged with a man to serve him as a
book-keeper for two years, the agreement would not be binding, un-
less it was made in writing.
All contracts affecting land or any interest in land, such as a con-
tract to purchase, must be in writing ; but instruments that are in-
tended to pass an estate in land, such as deeds and mortgages, must
be not only in writing, but under seal. A lease for any term not
more than three years may be made verbally, but for a term beyond
three years it must be in writing and under seal.
What Constitutes a Seal.
A seal in this case means any adhesive thmg, or distinctive mark,
that you may adopt as your seal, and attach to the instrument.
Who are Competent to Make a Contract.
Any person of either sex who is twenty-one years old, and of sound
mind, is competent to make a contract. A person who is under the
age of twenty-one years is, in the eyes of the law, an infant, and in-
capable of making a contract. Many persons are under the impres-
sion that a woman is of age at eighteen. This is a mistake.
A mmor (a person under age) could not engage in business on his
or her own account, but it would be competent for a minor to con-
tract for necessaries suitable for his or her station in life.
A contract with a corporation (say a joint stock company or muni-
cipality) must be within the scope of its charter, and to be binding
must have the corporation seal attached.* This would not be re-
quired in connection with promissory notes and bills of exchange,
.issued or drawn, indorsed or accepted in the ordinary course of its
business.
An agent may contract for his principal within the scope of his
authority, which is usually conferred by an instrument under seal,
called a Power of Attorney.
A valid and binding contract may be made by correspondence or
telegram. All that is required is an offer and an unconditional ac-
ceptance of it. Letters sent by you that are intended to constitute a
contract, should be copied into your copying press book, and those
you receive in such connetion should be carefully filed for reference.
When Contracts are Outlawed.
Simple contracts for debts not referring to land are outlawed after six
years from the date of maturity, or from the date of the last payment
on account, or from the last written acknowledgment; contracts affect-
ing land ten years, and personal covenants under seal, twenty years.
For instance, (i) a note made April 5th 1893, at three months, would
be outlawed after July 8th, 1899, if, in the meantime, no payment had
been made upon it, or no written acknowledgment had been given in
reference to it. (2) The land secured by a mortgage upon which no
payment had been made for 10 years, or regarding which no written
acknowledgment had been given within that time, would be released
at the expiration of that period. (3) The personal covenants for
payment on the same mortgage would not be outlawed for twenty
years,
Canadian Legislation,
In the year 1890 the Parliament of Canada enacted a Statute
known as the "Bills of Exchange Act, i8go," by which previous legis-
lation and decisions respecting Promissory Notes, Bills of Exchange
and Cheques have been codified.
PROMISSORY NOTES AND BILLS
OF EXCHANGE.
Promissory Notes.
A person has become indebted to you either for goods sold or
work done, and you have duly placed the amount to his debit in your
ledger; but you find that it will be much more advantageous to you
to have this resource or asset of your business in another form, so
you obtain from your debtor his promissory note, or get him to accept
your draft. Should you desire that the amount owing to you be paid
to some one to whom you are indebted, then 5fou will draw the draft
payable to his order. Your object in obtaining the written obliga-
tion is three-fold: —
1st. It is in itself an evidence of the debt, requiring no confirma-
tion (unless the signature be challenged) nor proof of the considera-
tion given for it, nor the production of the original entry.
2nd. It fixes a definite time, and usually a stated place, for the pay-
ment, so that the holder, when it falls due, will not have the trouble
of hunting up the maker, nor the maker of finding the holder. The
former havmg provided the funds at the place where he promised to
pay it, the holder has simjjly to present it there and obtain the
amount, a matter of much convenience to both parties.
3rd. It is an instrument upon which, after indorsing it, you may
borrow money from a bank or private lender This is called dis-
counting. In other words, by the medium of the bill or note as
security, you obtain the use of other people's capital, paying for the
loan a discount from the face of the instrument, which is the simple
interest, in advance, upon the whole amount for the time it has to
run.
9
Definition of a Promissory Note.
A promissory note is an unconditional promise in writing made by
one person to another, signed by the tnaker, engaging to pay on demand
or at a fixed or determinable future ti}ne, a sum certain in money ^ to, or
to the order of, a specified person, or to bearer.
A determinable future time means in connection with a note or
draft: —
(a) At sif^ht, or at a fixed period after date or sight.
(b) On or at a fixed period after the occurrence of a specified event
which is certain to happen, though the time of happening may be
uncertain.
An instrument expressed to be payable on a contingency is not
a bill or note, and the happening of the event does not cure the
defect.
If a note or draft is issued undated, any holder may insert therem
the date of issue or acceptance.
A promissory note is inchoate and incomplete until delivery there-
of to the payee or bearer.
Parties to a Note.
The person who gives a note is called the drawer, promissor, or
maker ; the person in whose favor it is drawn is called the payee ;
if he signs his name upon the back for the purpose of transferring or
guaranteeing it, he becomes the indorser, and if he names the person
to whom he transfers it the latter is called the indorsee; either of
these, or anyone in possession of a note, may be called the holder.
Forms of Notes.
Notes may be made (r) non-negotiable, (2) negotiable by indorse-
ment (3) negotiable without indorsement. The first is made payable
to the individual only, and can only be transferred by assignment,
which carries with it all offsets and legal defences that may exist be-
tween the original parties; the second is payable to order, and is
10
transferred by the indorsement of the holder completed by delivery,
which makes the indorser liable for payment in the event of the
maker failing to pay; the third is payable to bearer, and is transferred
by delivery, just as a bank note is passed from hand to hand. Where,
in a note payable to order, the payee or indorsee is wrongly desig-
nated, or his name is mis-spelt, he may indorse the bill as therein
described, adding, if he thinks fit, his proper signature. A note may
be transferred either before or after it is due. When taken before
maturity the assignee is not affected \>y any circumstances, of which
he had no notice, existing between the antecedent parties to the note.
When received after maturity, the assignee takes the note subject to
all the equitable rights existing between the parties.
A Non-Negotiable Note.
$100.00 ■ Belleville, October 26, 1893.
Three months after date I promise to pay to William McCabe, only,
at the Bank o( Montreal here, the sum of One Hundred Dollars, for
value received. John Smith.
A Note Negotiable by Indorsement.
$387.80 Toronto, October 26, 1893.
Five months after date I promise to pay to the order of E. A.
Wills the sum of Three Hundred and Eighty-Seven -- Dollars, at the
100
Canadian Bank of Commerce in Toronto, for value received.
John Smith,
A Note Negotiable without Indorsement.
$50.00 Hamilton, October 26, 1893.
Thirty days after date I promise to pay William Green or bearer,
at my office in Hamilton, the sum of Fifty Dollars for value received.
John Smith.
11
A Note Payable on Demand.
$35.00 Montreal, Oct. 26, 1893.
On demand for value received, I promise to pay to the order of W.
B. Robinson, tlie sum of Thirty-Five Dollars.
John Smith.
Where a note payable on demand has been indorsed, it must be
presented for payment within a reasonable time of the indorsement :
if it be not so presented, the indorser is discharged.
In determining what is a reasonable time, regard shall be had to
the nature of the instrument, the usage of trade, and the facts of the
particular case.
A Joint and Several Note.
$75.00 Belleville, October 26, 1B93.
Six months after date we jointly and severally promise to pay to
the order of S. G. Beatty the sum of Seventy-Five Dollars, at the
office of the Dominion Bank in Belleville, for value received.
Henry Brown,
John Smith,
James G. Leonard.
Where a note runs " I promise to pay," and is signed by two or
more persons, it is deemed to be their joint and several note.
The holder of a joint and several note has recourse against all the
makers, individually and collectively. Protest is not necessary on
dishonor, if there be no indorser on it. Should the holder be obliged
to sue, and recover the amount from one of the parties, that party
would have recourse against the others for their proportions. The
order in which the names appear makes no difference in the liability;
the position of joint and several makers being altogether different
from that of indorsers.
A Joint Note
reads, " we jointly" instead of "we jointly and severally."' When
suing upon a joint note you have to make all the makers parties
to the action. The joint and several is the better form for the
holder, because any maker can be sued individually.
12
The Rights of a Third Party in a Negotiable Note.
No arrangement between the maker and payee of a negotiable
note can affect the right of a third party to collect who acquired the
instrument in due course, that is to say, in good faith, before matur-
ity, for valuable consideration.
The Rights of an Assignee of a Non- Negotiable Note.
In transferring by assignment a non-negotiable note, (the form is :
" I hereby assign all my right, title and interest in the within note to
" and the signature of the assignor) the assignor cannot trans-
fer to the assignee more than he himself possesses, — for example,
Henry Ellis gave John Wilson a non-negotiable note for $300. Wil-
son assigned it to Alex. Thomson. After it was given, and before it
was assigned, Wilson became indebted to Ellis in the sum of $100,
and this amount Ellis has the right to set off against the note when
the assignee, Thomson, presents it for payment. Had it been a
transfer of a negotiable instrument, payable to bearer or order, the
maker would have been bound to pay the third party the full amount,
irrespective of the debt which the payee owed him. This example
illustrates the difference between a negotiable and a non-negotiable
note.
An Accommodation Note
is one on which a person lends his name as an indorser to enable the
maker to borrow money upon it. It flatters some men's vanity to be
told that such and such a bank would discount a note if they would
put their name on the back of it, and in a moment of weakness they
assume a liability tor another which, very often, they can only be
freed from by paying. To indorse and borrow money upon a note
that one holds against a debtor is a totally different matter, and is
assuming no risk beyond what was incurred when the debt was con-
tracted.
Form of an Accommodation Note.
William E. Brown has obtained John Smith's consent to indorse
a note on which he (Brown) proposes to borrow money, or intends
13
to give to a creditor who is pressing him for security for a debt.
Such a note is not drawn to the order of the lender or creditor, but to
that of the indorser, that he may be held as first security after the
maker.
Belleville, October 26, 1893.
$150.00
Three months after date I promise to pay to the order of John
Smith, at the Canadian Bank of Commerce here, the sum of One
Hundred and Fifty Dollars, for value received.
William E. Brown.
To be indorsed on back
John Smith.
A Lost Note.
Where a note has been lost before it is overdue, the person who
was holder of it may apply to the drawer to give him another one of the
same tenor, giving security to the drawer, if required, to indemnify him
against all persons whatever, in case the bill alleged to have been lost
shall be found again. If the drawer, on request as aforesaid, refuses
to give such duplicate note, he may be compelled to do so. In any
action or proceeding upon a bill, the court or a judge may order that
the loss of the instrument shall not be set u{), provided an indemnity
be given to the satisfaction of the court or judge against the claims of
any other person upon the instrument in question.
Discrepancy Between Words and Figures.
Where the sum payable is expressed in words and also in figures,
and there is a discrepancy between the two, the sum denoted by the
words is the amount payable.
Not Invalidated.
A note is not invalid by reason only that it is ante-dated or post-
dated, or that it bears date on a Sunday. That is to say, a note need
not necessarily be dated the day it was made ; it can be dated back
or dated forward. In dating back or dating forward, the instrument
might inadvertently be dated on a Sunday. While such a note would
u
not be void, it is well to keep in mind that a note actually made on
a Sunday would be void.
A Holder in Die Course.
A holder in due course is a holder who has taken a note or bill,
complete and regular on the face of it, under the following condi-
tions, namely : —
(a) That he became the holder of it before it was overdue, and
without notice that it had been previously dishonored, if such was
the fact ;
(^) That he took the instrument in good faith and for value, and
that at the time it was negotiated to him he had no notice of any de-
fect in the title of the person who negotiated it.
The title of a person who negotiates an instrument is defective
when he obtained the note or bill, or the acceptance thereof, by fraud,
duress or force and fear, or other unlawful means, or for an illegal
consideration, or when he negotiates it in breach of faith, or under
such circumstances as amount to fraud.
A holder, whether for value or not, who derives his title to a bill or
note through a holder in due course, and who is not himself a party
to any fraud or illegality affecting it, has all the rights of that holder
in due course as regards the acceptor and all parties to the bill or
note prior to that holder.
Note Given for a Patent Right.
Every bill or note, the consideration of which consists, in whole or
in part, of the purchase money of a patent right or of a partial inter-
est, limited geographically or otherwise, in a patent right, shall have
written or printed prominently and legibly across the face thereof,
before the same is issued, the words "given for a patent right ;" and
without such words thereon such instrument and any renewal thereof
shall be void, except in the hands of a holder in due course without
notice of such consideration.
15
The indorsee or other transferee of any such instrument, having
the words aforesaid so printed or written thereon, shall take the same
subject to any defence or set-off" in respect of the whole or any part
thereof which would have existed between the original parties.
Every one who issues, sells or transfers, by indorsement or deliv-
ery, any such instrument not having the words "given for a patent
right" printed or written in manner aforesaid across the face thereof,
knowing the consideration of such instrument to have consisted, in
whole or in part, of the purchase money of a patent right, or of a par-
tial interest, limited geographically or otherwise, in a patent right, is
guilty of a misdemeanor, and liable to imprisonment or fine.
Altering a Note.
Where a note, bill or acceptance is m.aterially altered without the
assent of all parties liable, it is voided, except as against a party who
has himself made, authorized or assented to the alteration, and sub-
sequent indorsers.
Provided, that where a bill has been materially altered, but the
alteration is not apparent, and the bill is in the hands of a holder in
due course, such holder may avail himself of the bill as if it had not
been altered, and may enforce payment of it according to its original
tenor.
The following alterations are material, namely, any alteration of
the date, the sum payable, the time of payment, the place of payment'
and where a bill or note has been accepted or made payable gen-
erally, the addition of a place of payment without the acceptor's r.r
maker's assent.
Legal Rate of Interest.
The rate ot interest that can be legally collected upon an overdue
note, or any debt, on which the rale is not fixed by agreement, is six
percent per annum. It is important, when drawing a note, that is to
bear a higher rate than six percent., that the words "As well .\fter
AS BEFORE MATURITY UNTIL PAID" be inserted. If these words or words
16
to the s.ime effect, are not inserted, the note would bear interest
at the higher rate till maturity, but after that only at the legal rate.
There is no usury law in this country, nor is it desirable that there
should be. Money, like any other commodity, will bring for its use
to the owner usually just what it is worth, considering the risk run
and the demand and the supply. If a lender is content with a fair
rate of interest he can readilly find borrowers with good security to
ofifer, and the grasping man can find customers, too, who will pro-
mise a- high rate of interest, but offer poor security for the fulfil-
ment.
Days of Grace.
The custom among merchants has established the practice, which
is recognized in law, of allowing three days of grace upon all promis-
sory notes, drafts, and bills of exchange not payable on demand. No
time bill is legally due until the days of grace have expired. In pre-
paring to meet your own paper, or in presenting for payment that ot
your customers,, bear this fact in mind, and be careful when entering
the due dates in your bill book to add the three days of grace. To
illustrate: A note given at three months from October 26th would
not fall due till January 29th. A note given at ninety days from Oc-
tober 26th would not fall due till January 27lh.
Power of Attorney.
It is customary for firms to grant to their managing accountants the
power to draw bills, sign notes, accept drafts, draw cheques, and gen-
erally transact their financial business. This authority is conveyed
and exercised under a document called a Power of Attorney. It may
be special or general — special in confining the exercise of it to a
limited number of acts ; general by the conveyance of the authority
to act for the firm in carrying on its ordinary financial operations.
The usual way for a person who is acting under a power of attorney
to sign business papers is, to sign the firm name, and place his own
17
underneath, with the words "per pro" or letters "p. p." before it,
thus :
J. C. Morgan & Co.,
per pro J. W. Johnson.
The abbreviations stand for the phrase " by procuration."
A signature by procuration operates as notice that the agent has
but a limited authority to sign, and the principal is only bound by
such signature if the agent in so signing was acting within the actual
limits of his authority.
Where a person signs a note or bill as drawer, indorser, or acceptor,
and adds words to his signature, indicatmg that he signs for or on
behalf of a principal, or in a representative character, he is not per-
sonally liable thereon ; but the mere addition to his signature of words
describing him as an agent, or as filling a representative character,
does not exempt him from personal liability.
When a Note Becomes Outlawed.
A bill or note becomes outlawed six years after the date of matur-
ity, or after the date of the last payment on account, or after the last
written acknowledgment. That is, the holder of such a note cannot
recover upon it if the maker, on being sued, sets up in defence the
Statute of Limitations, which was passed in the twenty-first year of
the reign of King James I., to limit the time allowed to parties to
commence their suits, so as to shorten litigation. In all civilized coun-
tries some period is prescribed by statute with this view. An instru-
ment approaching the legal, though not the moral, end of its existence
may be brought back to infancy and have its life renewed, by the
holder obtaining say, in answer to a letter, an acknowledgment in writ-
ing of the debt from the maker of the note.
Indorsements.
The act of writing the name upon the back of an instrument is
called indorsing, which has two effects; it makes the indorser respon-
sible for payment in the event of the maker failing to pay at maturity,
and it makes an instrument that is payable to order, transferable.
18
The forms of indorsement commonly in use are (taking a note pay-
able to the order of John Jones as an example) : —
Indorsement in Blank, Specifying no Indorsee, as
John Jones,
which has the effect just described. When a note or bill has been
indorsed in blank, any holder may convert the bhnk indorsement
into a special indorsement, by writing above the indorser's signature a
direction to pay the bill or note to, or to the order of, himself or some
other person.
Indorsement in full or Special Indorsement Specifying
the Indorsee to Whose Order it is to be Payable, as
Pay to the order of William Black
John Jones,
which makes the indorser responsible and the instrument negotiable
only after it has been indorsed by the indorsee, William Black.
Qualified Indorsement.
Without recourse to me,
John Jones,
which relieves the indorser of responsibility, and simply makes the
instrument transferable.
Restrictive Indorsement.
Pay to Richard Brown only
John Jones,
which makes the indorser responsible, but confines the payment to
the indorsee.
Other forms of qualifying indorsement are used, such as that
placed on cheques payable to order sent by a clerk to the bank to be
deposited to the firm's credit :
For deposit only.
John Beatty & Co.
The qualifying words render it impossible for the person making
the deposit to draw the money.
Indorsements are often made to serve as receipts, as, for example,
I draw a cheque payable to S. Jones, or order, instead of to S. Jones or
19
bearer, because, if drawn to order, Jones must sign his name on the
back before he can receive payment. On paying and receiving back
a note payable to order that has not been transferred, and conse-
quently not indorsed, you should have the payee indicate that he had
held it, or you could prove nothing by it. Have him indorse it and
immediately cancel the indorsation. Notes that have been retired
should be cancelled and filed away like receipts.
The Order of Indorser's Liability.
The holder of a note upon which there is an indorser or several
indorsers has equal recourse against any of them (provided they have
been duly notified of non-payment) and the maker at maturity. If he
should be obliged to sue and should recover from the maker, that
would discharge all the indorsers ; should he recover from the first
indorser, that man would have recourse against the maker, but not
against subsequent indorsers ; should he recover from the second in-
dorser, that indorser would have recourse against all that preceded
him, namely the first indorser and the maker. If you should have to
become an indorser on a note along with other indorsers, you will see
the importance of placing your name last.
Guarantee.
You may guarantee the payment of a note as follow;: " I hereby
guarantee the payment of the within note," and sign your name
Your liability is beyond that of an indorser, and you would not be re-
lieved for want of presentation, nor for want of notice of dishonor.
Where to Present a Note for Payment.
1. Where a promissory note is in the body of it made payable at a
particular place, it must be presented for payment at that place. But
the maker is not discharged by the omission to present the note for
payment on the day that it mature-. If no place of payment is speci-
fied in the body of the note, presentment for payment is not necessary
in order to render t!ie maker liable.
2. Presentment for payment is necessary in order to render the in-
dorser of a note liable ;
20
3- Where a note is in the body of it made payable at a particular
place, presentment at that place is necessary in order to render an
indorser liable: but when a ])lace of payment is indicated by way of
memorandum only, presentment at that place is sufficient to render
the indorser liable, but a presentment to the maker elsewhere, if suffi-
cient in other respects, shall also suffice.
The Proceeding's to be taken on the Non-payment of
a Note Having an Indorser.
It is of the first importance to understand what should be done in
the event of a note, having an indorser, b^ing dishonored at maturity.
The maker's liability is absolute, but the indorser's is conditional on
his receiving notice of non-payment. A note that may be regarded
as perfectly good before maturity, not because the drawer is reliable,
but because the indorser upon it is financially sound, may, after it
has become due, be practically worthless, if the proper steps to hold
the indorser have not been taken. Having presented it at the place
named by the drawer for its payment, and payment being refused,
the holder is bound to notify the indorser, immediately, in order to
have recourse against him, This will be best accomplished by handing
the instrument to a Notary Public to be protested. The notary will
make a demand for the payment, and, being answered "No Funds,"
will write out a protest, inserting in it the answer to his demand ; and
he will, not later than the following business day, mail a notice of
protest to the known address of the indorser or indorsers, from the
nearest post office to the place at which the note was payable. The
protest will cost the holder, in the Province of Ontario, fifty cents,
and each notice twenty-five cents and the postage, which charges he
will be entitled to collect from any of the parties to the note, as well
as legal interest from the date of maturity. The production of the
protest with the note in court will be sn^citnt pritna facie evidence
upon which to sue an indorser.
In this Province, notaries are appointed without special examina-
tions by the Ontario Government. They are usually attorneys, how-
ever. In the Province of Quebec, the notarial is a distinct profession,
as it is in Irance.
21
When a dishonored note or bill is authorized or required to be
protested, and the services of a notary cannot be obtained at the
place where the bill is dishonored, any justice of the peace resident
in the place may present and protest such bill, and give all necessary
notices, and shall have the necessary powers of a notary in respect
thereto.
Waiving Protest.
By waiving protest an indorser renders it unnecessary for the
holder to have an instrument protested. This is usually done, if be-
fore maturity, by the indorser writing the words on the back :
" Presentation and Protest Waived."
John Jones.
If at maturity :
" I hereby accept notice of non-payment and waive protest "
John Jones.
Protest may be waived by letter or telegram, should the indorser
be absent from the place of payment at the date of maturity.
There is no necessity to protest a dishonored note upon which
there is no indorser; the maker can be held for six years after
maturity.
Noting.
When a bill or note is required to be protested within a specified
time, it is sufficient that it has been noted for protest before the
expiration of the specified time ; and the formal protest may be
extended at any time thereafter as of the date of the noting.
Paying or Making Partial Payments upon Notes.
When you pay a note or renew one, be sure that you get it back,
and, if it has not been done already, cancel it, by writing "cancelled"
or " paid" across the face, and run a pen through the maker's and
indorser's names, and thus render it valueless. If the payee should
still be the holder, he should, before returning it, indorse it, or place
some written evidence upon it that he had been in possession of it,
otherwise you could prove nothing by it. Put cancelled notes away
in packages as you should receipts, for production at any time when
necessary.
The importance of receiving back notes that have been paid was
made very apparent to me by a circumstance tliat came under my
observation recently. A man borrowed a sum of money upon two
notes from a lender, and he, in turn, discounted them at a bank.
At the date of maturity the drawer duly appeared and tendered
payment to t!:e man from whom he borrowed, who accepted it and
gave a receipt. His excuse for not producing and returning the
notes was that they were in the bank, and it was inconvenient to go
for them, but he promised to send them at an early day. In less
than a week he " skipped out " without returning the notes, and of
course the maker had to pay the amount to the bank, as well as the
notarial charges incurred in protesting them. Retail dealers, who
have to ask for renewals from wholesale houses, are often careless
about receiving back their old notes. It is not difficult to recall
cases in which such paper has turned up in banks after the failure
of a wholesale concern, and the easy-going dealer had to pay
them.
When making partial payments upon notes, see that the payment
is properly acknowledged on the back of the instrument, and take a
separate receipt as well.
THE BOOK-KEEPING IN CONNECTION WITH NOTES.
Any v.'ri'.ten obligation to pay money not under seal is termed in
business by the holder a Bill Receivable, and by the maker or
acceptor a Bill Payable. *In book-keeping the accounts in the
ledger with these are called, respectively. Bills Receivable account
and Bills Payable account. Bills Receivable account is made Dr.
when other people's notes and acceptances are received, and credited
when they are disposed of. The difference, or balance, between the
two sides should correspond with the notes on hand, and the account
closes, by balance, unless all the notes have been disposed of, when,
of course, it will be simply ruled and footed.
Bills Payable account is credited when you issue a note or accept
a draft, and debited when you redeem or, as the word is, retire
these obligations. The difference between the two sides should
* No business man should omit to keep a Bill Book in addition to the Ledger
Accounts with Bills Receivable and Bills Payable.
23
correspond with the obligations outstanding, and the account closes,
to balance, unless all the notes have been paid, when, like Bills
Receivable account under like circumstances, it will be ruled and
footed. The mere novice in book-keeping will understand and be
able to deal with these accounts when, in the case of Bills Receivable,
they are simply received and disposed of, and, in the case of Bills
Payable, when they are simply issued and redeemed. But in the
event of
Notes Having to be Renewed,
more difficulty will be experienced. I shall take an exam])le or
two. A note of $300 received from F. Spencer was duly debited to
Bills Receivable, and his account was credited. It stood at the
debit of Bills Receivable until I disposed of it by discounting it at
the Bank of Commerce, when I made the bank debtor for the
proceeds, discount debtor for the difference between the proceeds
and the face of the note, and credited Bills Receivable account with
the whole amount. My customer asks for a renewal of the note,
and I consent.
The renewal is for three months, and the interest is to be added to
the new note, making it $305.20. I pay the old note by cheque,
send it back to Spencer, and get the new one. Entries for the
cheque given to pay the note :
Bills Receivable $300
To Bank $3°°
This entry places the note where it was before it was dicounted,
and is the same that would be made by an endorser, under any
circumstances, paying a note for a maker, except when the maker
was considered financially worthless, when it would be charged to
Loss & Gain.
Entries for the Renewal.
Bills Receivable Dr $305 20
To Bills Receivable $300 00
" Interest 5 20
The maker's entry for the same transaction would be : —
Bills Payable Dr $300 00
Interest " 520
To Bills Payable $305 20
24
Partial Renewals.
Brown renews for you half the I i. Your entry : $ c.
amount of a note for $500.00 due | Bills Payable Dr.. . . 500 00
to-day. You pay $250 cash, and j Interest " 3 50
give a new note for half the
amount of the old one and in-
terest on renewal, $3.50.
Brown renews tor you half the
amonnt of a note for $600.00,
due to-day. You pay $303.00,
l)ein<4 half the amount, plus the
interest on renewal, and you give
a new note for half the amount of
the old one.
To cash $250 00
" Bills Payable 25350
2. His entry :
Bills Receivable Dr 253 50
Cash " 250 00
To Bills Receivable 500 00
•' Interest 3 5°
3. Your entry :
Bills Payable Dr. .600 00
Interest *' " . . 3 00
To Cash 303 CO
" Bills Payable 300 00
4. His entry :
Bills Receivable Dr. 300 00
Cash " 303 00
To Bills Receivable 600 00
" Interest 3 00
\Vhere a cash book is kept, of course the cash would have to be
put through it. In that case the entries for No. i would be as
follows : — ■
JOURNAL.
Bills Payable Dr. .250 00
Interest " . . 3 50
To Bills Payable 253 50
CASH CREDIT.
By Bills Payable. For
part payment on No. 92,
renewed as per Journal
and Bill Book. 250 00
"^Lien Notes.
Lien notes are now frequently given by people purchasing
agricultural implements, pianos, organs, sewing machines, etc.
A Common Form of Lien Note.
Belleville, 189
On the first day of 1S9 , I promise
to pay The G. & J. Brown Man'fg. Co., (Li.mited), or order
at their Office, in Belleville, for value received
Dollars, with interest at Seven per cent., and at the rate of Ten per
cent, interest after date of maturity. I further agree to furnish
security satisfactory to you at any time if required. If I fail to
furnish such security when demanded, or should I sell or otherwise
dispose of the land or personal property I am now possessed of, then
this note is to become due and payable forthwith ; and you may
retake possession of the article for which this note is given without
process of law, and sell it by public or private sale, but the taking
and selling of said article shall not relieve me of my liability for any
balance of the purchase price still unpaid after such sale. The title
and right to the possession of the property for which this note is
given shall remain vested in The G. & J. Brown Man'fg. Co.,
(Limited), until this note or any obligation given therefor is paid.
I hereby acknowledge having this day received a copy of this note.
Lot
Con Township .
P. O. Address
Witness
J3 -Ji
c S
3 tC
^ <
An Act of the Ontario Legislature respecting conditional sales of
chattels came into force on the first of January, 18S9.
It provides that such an instrument as the above is valid as
against subsequent purchasers of the article for which it was given,
if at the time possession was given to the bailee it had the name
and address of the manufacturer, bailor or vendor of same painted,
printed, stamped or engraved thereon, or otherwise plainly attached
thereto.
Any proposed purchaser of the article can demand and is entitled
to receive within five days from the manufacturer, bailor or vendor,
claiming ownership, full information respecting the amount due and
the terms of payment ; and if he refuse to give such information, he
'Attention is drawn to the tact that Lien Notes are dealt with under Provincial
Legislation.
26
will be liable to a fine of $50. The inquiry may be made by letter,
giving the name and address to which a reply may be sent, and it
will be sufficient if the reply giving the information be made by
registered letter within five days. '
If possession be taken of the article for breach of condition it may
be redeemed within twenty days, by full payment of the amount due
and the cost of taking possession. If the goods taken were sold or
bailed originally for a greater sum than $30.00, they shall not be
sold, when seized for breach of condition, without five days notice to
the bailee or his successor in interest, by personal service of notice,
or leaving it at his residence or last known place of abode in Ontario,
or sent by registered letter seven days before the time when the
said five days will elapse, addressed to the last known post-office
address in Canada of the bailee or his successor in interest.
A copy of the receipt note must be left with the bailee at the
time of the execution of the instrument, or within twenty days
thereafter.
The manufacturer, bailor or vendor may file a copy of the
instrument with the Clerk of the County Court of the county in
which the bailee resided at the time of the conditional purchase
within ten days from its execution, and thereby relieve himself from
some of the provisions of the Act. — See Ontario Statutes, 18S8, Cap.
I. o. u.
Is a memorandum of a debt given by a borrower to a lender as for
example : —
Montreal, April 28th, 1893.
Mr. A. B., I. O. U. Ten Dollars.
C. D.
It is not a promissory note, but is valuable evidence of the
existence ot the debt.
2T
DRAFTS, OR INLAND BILLS OF EXCHANGE.
A bill of exchange is an unconditional order in writing, addressed
by one person to another, signed by the person giving it, requiring
the person to whom it is addressed to pay on demand, or at a fixed
or determinable future time, a sum certain in money to, or to the
order of, a specified person, or to bearer ;
An inland bill is a bill which is, or on the face of it purports to be,
(a) both drawn and payable within Canada, or (/') drawn within
Canada upon some person resident therein. Any other bill is a
foreign bill.
Nearly all that has been said of notes is applicable to drafts ; they
differ, however, in form and in other respects. A note is a promise
to pay, originating with the debtor ; a draft is an order to pay,
originating with the creditor, and addressed by him to the debtor.
There are three parties to a draft — the drawer, the one that draws
it; the/ajw, the one in whose favor it is drawn; \\\q. drawee, the
one on whom it is drawn, who becomes the acceptor. The acceptor
of a draft stands in the same position as the maker of a note, and
the drawer of a draft stands in the same position as the first indorser
of a note. To be held for a dishonored bill, notice of dishonor must
be sent to the drawer not later than the next following business day.
This will be best accomplished by handing it to a Notary Public to
be protested. Any drawer or indorser to whom such notice is not
given is discharged.
The Theory of Exchange.
In commerce, an " Exchange " means to pay your creditor by
transferring to him a debt owing to you by some one else.
28
The following example will illustrate both the theory and practice
of exchange. You will observe that three parties and two debts
are necessary to an exchange :
Robinson & Johnson, Belleville, are indebted to John Lovell &
Son, Montreal, who desire that they shall pay at ten days' sight the
amount to R. Miller, Son &: Co., to whom John Lovell & Son are
indebted, and to effect this they draw the following : —
Draft.
$500.00 Montreal, January 8th, 1S93.
Ten days after sight, pay to the order of * R. Miller, Son & Co.,
the sum of Five Hundred Dollars, for value received, and charge
the same to the account of
tJoHN Lov£LL & Son.
To I Robinson & Johnson,
Ontario Business College,
Belleville.
'■'Payee. fDrawer. | Drawee.
To make the draft bindmg upon Robinson & Johnson they will
have to accept it, which they will do by writing across the face :
Accepted January \oth, 1893, payable at the
Canadian Bank of Commerce, Belleville.
Robinson 6^ Johnson.
After which it is called an acceptance. Robinson & Johnson are
now in the same position as if they had made a promissory note,
and John Lovell & Son are in the same position as the first indorser
on a note. It is customary to allow the drawee to choose the place
of payment ; in this case Robinson & Johnson name the Bank of
Commerce, Belleville. If the draft were drawn at ten days' date
instead of ten days' sight, there would be no necessity to place the
date of acceptance upon it. In the former case the maturity would
be reckoned from the day the draft was drawn, in the latter it is
reckoned from sight.
29
The drawer of a draft may be both drawer and payee. If John
Lovell & Son desired to collect for themselves the amount of
Robinson & Johnson's debt, they would draw ihe draft to their own
order.
The entries of the parties to the foregoing draft would be as
follows : —
John Lovell & Son's f R. Miller, Son & Co., Dr.
would be \ To Robinson & Johnson.
R. Miller, Son & Go's. f Bills Receivable, Dr.
would be ( To John Lovell & Son.
Robinson & Johnson's ( John Lovell & Son, Dr.
would be I To Bills Payable.
Further Illustration of "Exchange."
Here is a farther illustration of " Exchange," given by Macleod,
one that any person will readily understand :
You are travelling in an omnibus. The fare is twenty-five cents.
The smallest change you have is fifty cents, which you hand to the
conductor. Another passenger is desirous of paying his fare, and
has twenty-five cents in his hand ready to hand over. The conductor
tells him to pay it to you, which he does. By this means the
conductor's debt to you is paid by the transfer to you of the other
passenger's debt to him, and thus considerable trouble is saved.
The principle of exchange here is precisely the same as that
involved in the draft, for, as you will see, if you study the matter,
John Lovell & Son are in the same position as the conductor of the
omnibus, and pay their debt to R, Miller, Son & Co. by transferring
to that firm the debt owing to them by Robinson & Johnson, just
as the conductor paid his debt to you by causing the other passenger
to pay you the sum he owed the conductor.
The Acceptor's Liability.
The acceptor of a bill, by accepting it —
Engages that he will pay it according to the tenor of his
acceptance.
30
The Drawer's Liability.
The drawer of a bill, by drawing it —
Engages that on due presentment it shall be accepted and paid
according to its tenor, and that if it is dishonored he will compen-
sate the holder or any indorser who is coni])elleQ to pay it, provided
that the requisite proceedings on dishonor are duly taken.
The Indorser's Liabihty.
The indorser of a bill, by indorsing it —
Engages that on due presentment it shall be accepted and paid
according to its tenor, and that if it is dishonored he will compensate
the holder or a subsequent indorser who is compelled to pay it,
provided that the requisite proceedings on dishonor are duly taken.
Where a Bill is Dishonored, Who May Recover and
What.
In case of dishonor the holder may recover from any party liable
on the bill, and the drawer who has been compelled to pay the bill
may recover from the acceptor, and an indorser who has been
compelled to pay the bill may recover from the^acceplor or from the
drawer, or from a prior indorser —
(i) The amount of the bill ;
(2) Interest thereon from the time of jiresentment for payment, if
the bill is payable on demand, and from the maturity of the bill in
any other case ;
(3) The expenses of noting and protest.
Drafts sent for acceptance or collection through a bank will be
protested if dishonored, unless instructions to the contrary have been
given, or a slip be pinned to the draft with the words printed or
written upon it : " Not to be protested ; take this off before pre-
senting." You may often succeed in collecting from a slow customer
by the medium of a draft, when dunning letters would fail to produce
a cent. When drawing on a doubtful customer, be sure to attach
31
the " No pretest," for the reason that if your draft should be
returned dishonored and protested, you will have to pay the notarial
charges yourself.
Definition and Requisites of Acceptance.
The acceptance of a bill is the signification hy the drawee of his
assent to the order of the drawer :
An acceptance is invalid unless it complies with the following
conditions, namely : —
(a) It must be written on a bill and be signed by the drawee.
The mere signature of the drawee without additional words is
sufficient ;
{/') It must not express that the drawee will perform his promise
by any other means than the payment of money ;
Where in a bill the drawee is wrongly designated or his name is
mis-spelt, he may accept the bill as therein described, adding, if he
thinks fit, his proper signature, or he may accept by his proper
signature.
When a bill is duly presented for acceptance, and is not accepted
on the day of presentment or within two days thereafter, the person
presenting it must treat it as dishonored by non-acceptance. If he
does not, the holder shall lose his right of recourse against the
drawer and indorsers.
When a bill is dishonored by non-acceptance, an immediate right
of recourse against the drawer and indorsers accrues to the holder,
and no presentment for payment is necessary.
A Bill must be Duly Presented for Payment.
1. If it is not so presented, the drawer and indorsers shall be
discharged ;
2. A bill is duly presented for payment which is presented in
accordance with the following rules : —
(a) Where the bill is not payable on demand, presentment must
be made on the day it falls due ;
32
(/^) Where the bill is payable on demand, then presentment must
be made within a reasonable time after its issue, in order to render
the drawer liable, and within a reasonable time after its indorsement,
in order to render the indorser liable ;
(i) Presentment must be made by the holder or by some person
authorized to receive payment on his behalf, at the proper place,
as hereinafter defined, either to the person designated by the bill
as payer, or to his representative or some person authorized to pay
or refuse payment on his behalf, if, with the exercise of reasonable
diligence, such person can there be found ;
(d) A bill is presented at the proper place : —
(i) Where a place of payment is specified in the bill and the bill
is there presented ;
(2) Where no place of payment is specified, but the address of
the drawee or acceptor is given in the bill, and the bill is there pre-
sented ;
(3) Where no place of payment is specified and no address given,
and the bill is presented at the drawee's or acceptor's place of busi-
ness if known, and if not, at his ordinary residence, if known ;
(4) In any other case, if presented to the drawee or acceptor
wherever he can be found, or if presented at his last known place
of business or residence.
Where a bill is presented at the proper place, and, after the exer-
cise of reasonable diligence, no person authorized to pay or refuse
payment can be found there, no further presentment to the drawee
or acceptor is required.
Where the place of payment specified in the bill or acceptance is
any city, town or village, and no place therein is specified, and the
bill is presented at the drawee's or acceptor's known place of busi-
ness or known ordinary residence therein, and it there is no such
place of business or residence, the bill is presented at the post office,
or principal post office in such city, town or village, such present-
ment is sufficient.
S3
Bank Commission for Collecting.
The banks usually charge }( of i% fur making collections. If you
wish to draw for a debt, say of $200, in this province, and the
drawee is to pay the e>:change, the amount of your draft would be
$200.50. If the drawee resides in a distant part of the Dominion,
, or in the United States, and you cannot tell what the cost of collec-
tion will be, as the draft will have to pass through several banks
before presentation, and each be paid a commission, add the words
after the amount in the body of the draft, •' with exchange."
Kinds of Drafts.
There are three kinds of drafts, namely, Time, Sight and Demand,
Time drafts are those that are intended to run a certain time after
date or after acceptance. The only difference between a draft at
sight and a draft on demand is, that on the former the drawee can
take three days of grace, and the latter is payable on presentation.
When you desire to give the drawee a definite number of days for
the payment of a draft after he accepts it, draw so many days after
sight. If you draw so many days after date the time is fixed for the
payment, irrespective of the date of acceptance. For example, to
give the drawee ten actual days from sight, draw at seven days' sight;
to give him four days, draw at one day's sight, and so on. The
days named and the three days of grace make the time the draft
will mature after sight.
■'Accommodation Draft ("Kite Flying").
It is not an unusual thing when an extensive wholesale house fails,
to hear of numerous failures among retail dealers in the same line.
It will be found that disaster has come upon the latter because they
have lent their names to the former too freely. To illustrate : I am
doing a retail business in Belleville with a fair amount of capital, my
largest creditor being John Ulank & Co., of Toronto, They have
placed me under obligation by renewing my paper occasionally, and
otherwise indulging me. Better for me that they had not. They
vwite and ask me to accept their dralt at three months for $500,
*See "Accommodation Note," page 12.
3i
beyond the amount that I owe them, giving the excuse that they
have to buy a large amount of exchange to remit to England in the
coming week, or they have heavy duties to pay, and they remind me
of the help they have given me in the past. Being of a grateful
turn, and believing that the house of Blank it Co. could not be
otherwise than sound, I consent, and duly accejil tlie draft, hoping
that I shall not be called upon again to accommodate them with my
name. At the end of the three months they duly retire my accept-
ance and return it to me, as I knew they would. I am surprised,
however, in a few days by a request to accept two more drafts of
$50c each, for their accommodation. Similar excuses are given, and
I assume an obligation of $1000, for which I receive no value. As
time goes on similar requests continue, and so does my folly, until
my name is upon their paper for a sum larger than my capital. They
fail with this paper under discount at the bank, and as it would be
impossible forme to pay it and discharge my legitimate obligations, I
too have to make an assignment. An accommodation jjarty is liable
on the bill to a holder for value; and it is immaterial whether, when
such holder took the bill, he knew such party to be an accommoda-
tion party or not. Need I add the caution — never accept accommo-
dation drafts, or, as the expression is, " fly kites " for any one. The
man who accepts an accommodation draft is in a worse position than
the man who endorses an accommodation note. The latter can come
on the maker ; but the other, being the primary debtor, will only
have an equitable right over against the estate of the man whom he
accommodated.
Obtaining Assistance by Draft to Retire an Accept-
ance or Note.
A business man is frequently in such a position as the following : —
His acceptance (or note) for $600.00 in favor of John Allen &
Co., of Montreal, will fall due four days hence at the Bank of
Montreal in Kingston. All he can raise towards paying it is $300.00 ;
so he writes them the following letter :
35
Kingston, June g, 1893.
Messrs. John Allen & Co.,
Montreal.
Gentlemen, — I regret that I shall not be able to pay in full my
acceptance in your favor due on the 13th instant. All I can raise is
$300, and I request that you will kindly permit me to draw on you
at sight for the balance, $300, for which you may draw back upon me
at ten days, with interest and exchange.
Yours faithfully,
RICHARD ROE.
He receives the following reply : —
Montreal, June 10, 1893.
Mr. Richard Roe,
Kingston
Dear Sir. — Your letter of the gth inst. is received, and in 'reply
we hereby authorize you to draw on us at sight for $300, to assist you
to retire your acceptance in our favor, due June T3th. As requested,
w'e shall draw back upon you for that amount, adding interest and
exchange.
Yours faithfully,
JOHN ALLEN & CO.
The letter of authority to draw the draft will be shown by Roe to
the manager of the bank, with the request that the bank will dis-
count it. He consents. Roe draws the following draft :
Kingston, June 13, 1893.
$300.00.
At sight, for value received, pay to the order of the Bank of
Montreal the sum of three hundred dollars, and charge to the
account of
RICHARD ROE.
To Messrs. John Allen & Co.,
Montreal.
(N. B. — Roe might draw the draft to his own order and indorse it over to the
bank.)
Roe has the draft discounted, and leaves the proceeds, $299.25, to
his credit in the bank.
Tohn Allen v'v: Co. retire ihe draft by check on presentation.
The interest and cost of collecting the draft they draw back u])on
Roe is $1.50 ; so they draw upon him at ten days' date for $301.50.
Entries.
Roe's entry when he draws
the draft on Allan.
) r.ank Dr. $299.25.
■ Discount Dr. 75.
) To John Allan & Co.$3oo.oo.
Allan's entry when they retire (^ R. Roe, Dr. $300.00.
Roe's draft by check. ( To Bank $300.00.
Allan's entry when they charge \
Roe with the interest and ( R. Roe, Dr. $1.50.
exchangeonthe draft to be | To interest, $i-5o.
drawn at ten days. }
Allan's entry when they draw (^ Bills Rec. $301.50
on Roe at 10 days. j To R. Roe. $301.50.
Roe's entry when he accepts ] John Allan <S: Co., Dr. $300.00.
Allan's draft at ten > Interest " 1.50.
days' date. ) To Bills Payable, $301.50.
The note to retire which assistance was obtained, was duly charged
to Roe's account in the Bank, and he made
Bills Payable, Dr. $6oc.oo.
To Bank 600.00
and when he retires the acceptance of $301.50 he will make
Bills Payable $301.50.
To Bank, $301.50.
A Bank Draft
is a medium by which a remittance is made. You desire to send or
carry money to a distance in a way that will be safe. Buy from a
bank a draft payable on demand, at the i^lace desired, to your order,
or to that of the person for whom the money is intended. It will
cost you a quarter of one per cent, more than the fare, and will be
cashed at par at the branch or bank it is drawn upon.
If the draft is drawn upon a foreign country, it is called a Foreign
Bill of Exchange.
37
FOREIGN BILLS OF EXCHANGE.
Bills of Exchange were rot known to the ancients. We have
records, however, of their use in the fourteenth century. It is pro-
bable that a Bill of Exchange was in its origin nothing more than a
letter of credit from a merchant in one country to his debtor, a
merchant in another, requesting him to pay the debt to a third per-
son who carried the letter, and was travelling to the place where the
debtor resided.
This mode of making payments was found by exjjerience extreme-
ly convenient for all parties — to the creditor, for he could thus col-
lect his debt witliout trouble, risk or expense ; to the debtor, for the
facility of payment was an equal accommodation to him ; to the
bearer of the letter, who found himself in funds in a foreign country,
without the danger and incumbrance of carrying specie.
At first, perhaps, the letter alluded to many other things besides
the order to pay money ; but it was gradually disencumbered of all
other matters, was left open, and the paper on which it was written
gradually assumed the size and form now in use. The assignee
was, perhaps, desirous to know beforehand whether the party to
whom it was addressed would jjay it, and sometimes showed it to
him for that purpose ; his consent to pay was the origin of accept-
ances.
Foreign Exchange Explained.
The theory and nature of inland exchange have been fully set
forth at pages 27,28 and 29, and I shall now explain Foreign Exchange
by the following practical illustrations : I am a produce commission
merchant in Montreal, and have received from the firm of John
Lord &: Co., London, England, an order for a quantity of wheat. I
have shipped it on board the steamship " Parisian," and have obtained
trom the vessel's agent (or the master or purser) the bill of lading
duly signed (in which I have had the wheat consigned to my own
order, as it is not yet paid for) and I have also insured it. The value
of the wheal is two thousand pounds, for which I have John
3S
Lord & Go's, authority to draw a bill on them at three days' sight.
I draw the bill of exchange upon them in the following set :
I St.
Montreal. April 15, 1S93.
Exchange for ^^{^2000.
Three days after sight of this first of exchange (second and third
of the same tenor and date unpaid), pay to the order of myself the
sum of Two Thousand Pounds Sterling, for value received, and
charge the same to the'account of
J. W. Johnson.
To Messrs. John Lord & Co.,
7 New Broad St.,
London, E. C, England.
2nd.
Montreal, April 15, 1893.
Exchange for ^2000.
Three days after sight of this second of exchange (first and third
of the same tenor and date unpaid), pay to the order of myself,
the sum of Two Thousand Pounds Sterling, for value received,
and charge the same to the account of
J. W. Johnson.
To Messrs. John Lord & Co.,
7 New Broad St.,
London, E. C, England.
3rd.
Montreal, April 15, 1893.
Exchange for ^2000.
Three days after sight of this third of exchange (first and second
of the same tenor and date unpaid), pay to the order of myself,
the sum of I'wo Thousand Pounds Sterling, for value received,
and charge the same to the account of
J. W. Johnson.
To Messrs. John Lord & Co.,
7 New Broad St.,
London, E. C, England.
I have now exchange for sale, created by the export of the wheat,
39
and the consequent debt to me of John Lord & Co. I shall sell it
where I can obtain the highest price, and have offered it to several
bankers; the Bank of Montreal having made the best offer, viz.:
4.87 (* that is to say $4.87 for each pound), I dispose of the bill of
exchange to that institution, indorsing it to the order of the Bank, and
I also indorse the bill of lading over to the Bank, and likewise
assign to it the policy of insurance.
The Bank having bought exchange on London, or the debt owing
to me there, is now in a position to j-^// exchange on London. Here
are a dozen Montreal merchants desirous of paying debts that they
owe in London, and knowing that the Bank has exchange for sale
they will save the trouble and expense of transmitting bullion (gold
or silver) by buying bills drawn by the Bank of Montreal on its Lon-
don agent for the various sums that they may require, and to the
order of the persons to whom they are indebted, until the two thous-
and pounds, representing the export of the wheat, is exhausted. If
the bank, in order to meet its customer's demands, should issue bills
to a larger amount than the two thousand pounds, it could make one
remittance in coin to cover the overdraft. In actual practice, how-
ever, this would not be necessary for any one day's transactions, for
the bank has other funds available in London, or if not, has credit,
which is just as good. However, if the overdraft on its London cor-
respondent continued, the bank would require periodically to remit
coin, or buy exchange from some other bank to remit.
You will see from the above how large international transactions
are conducted, and many acts of exchange accomplished, by a single
transfer of specie. Gold is the common denominator of value, lUUs of
Exchange represent it, and gold could be obtained for them, but it is
not the actual medium of exchange. The wheat that I exported paid
for the importations of a dozen merchants, which is practically barter,
where equivalent quantities of goods are made to pay for each other.
*The par of Sterling Exchange is $4,867^, or 9>^ % over the old par, which
was $4.44 4-9. The rate of exchange is the price at which it is being bought and
sold daily. The Bank bought as above at $4.87 (above par) and sold say at $4.88.
40
From the transactions in exchange mentioned as occurring in one
bank in ]Montreal, let your mind dwell on the hundreds of similar
transactions that are occurring daily in the great cities of the conti-
nent, in connection with its exports and imports, and you will under-
stand when you read in the papers "that bullion has been shipped
from England to America " (or vice versa) tiiat one such transmission
is the single settlement in coin for thousands of international transac-
tions, whereby freight charges, insurance and actual loss of gold, that
would be involved if each one had to ship gold to meet his indi-
vidual debts, are avoided.
Bills in a Set.
Three, or at least two, bills are issued in a set of exchange, (see
page 38,) each part of the set being numbered, and containing a
reference to the 01 her parts ; the whole of the parts constitute one
bill, and one part havmg been paid the others are void. The original
object of issuing more than one bill was that they might be sent by
different conveyances, and whichever one was presented to the
drawee first was paid. When the ocean mails v.-ere carried by
sailing vessels, delays were freciuent. A vessel bearing the second
of exchange, altl;ough sailing two weeks later than the one by which
the first was sent, might reach its destination at an earlier date than
the other. The punctuality ot the ocean mails now, renders it usually
unnecessary to remit more than one bill of the set.
LETTER OF CREDIT.
Colonial Bank, Barbados, ^V. 1 , 26th January, 1893.
Messrs. Brown Brothers & Co.,
Agents Colonial Bank,
New York.
Dkar Sirs, —
You are hereby authorized to cash the Gold Drafts, without deduc-
tion, of Mr. Belfield Grannum on Mr. E. T. Grannum of this Island,
at 30 days' sight, to the extent of $520, say Five Hundred and
41
Twenty Dollars, this Credit to remain in force for three months
from date.
The Messrs. Grannuni's signatures were sent you last year.
I am, Dear Sirs,'
Yours faithfully,
F. J. Howell,
Manager.
This places Mr. Grannum in the position to obtain funds from
Brown Bros., New York, to the amount named ,on the credit of the
Colonial Bank, Barbados.
Circular Letters of Credit
are issued by some banks for use by travellers. They are more con-
venient than a bill of exchange, because money can be obtained
upon them in various countries. The identification of the person to
whose order a circular letter ot credit is drawn is established by l;is
signature on the margin, certified by the banker who issued it.
^Vhere he is an entire stranger, to prove his identity, he has only to
submit his signature for comparison with that which he signed upon
the margin.
CHEQUES ON A BANK.
A cheque is a bill of exchange drawn on a bank, payable on de-
mand.
Form.
Stub,
No. 1,053.
June 2nd, 1893,
In favor of Geo. Ritchie & Co.
$75-50
In full of Account to date.
No. 1,053. Belleville, Ont., June 2nd, 1S93.
To the Canadian Bank of Commeice,
(Belleville Branch )
Pay Messrs. Geo. Ritchie «fe Co., or order.
Seventy-five 50/100 dollars.
$75-50 (in full of Ace. to date.)
ROBINSON & JOHNSON.
42
In the above example Robinson & Johnson have funds on deposit
in the branch of the Rank of Commerce at Belleville, and desiring
to pay George Ritchie & Co. the amount of their account, give them
a cheque for $75.50. The checiue drawn as above will serve as
a receipt when it is paid, and received back from the bank,
because it is payable to the order of the payee, names what it was
given for, and must be indorsed by Geo. Ritchie & Co. before
they can transfer it, or draw the money on ir.
Accepted Cheques.
On receiving a cheque from the drawer, the payee should present
it at once to the bank for acceptance, and within a reasonable time
for payment. The ledger keeper is the officer who accepts it, and
the teller the one who pays it.
Indorsing Cheques.
A cheque payable to bearer is negotiated by delivery ; one pay-
able to order is negotiated by indorsement and delivery. The safest
way is to make all cheques ])ayable to order. See indorsements at
pages 17 and 18. Do not indorse a cheque until you present it for
payment, when you will indorse it in blank. If you transfer it,
indorse it in full.
Numbering Cheques,
Number your cheques so that you may have the satisfaction of
knowing that they have been returned ; preserve them, consecutively
numbered, in packages, so that you can produce them at any time.
Checking the Bank Account.
Leave your pass book in the bank on the last day of each month
to be balanced. About the 2nd or 3rd of the new month it will be
handed to you (after you have signed an acknowledgment that
the balance shown is right), together with the cheques, notes and
acceptances that have been paid and charged to your account up to
the end of the previous month. You will sometimes find that the
b.ilance in the bank pass-book and the balance in your books do not
43
agree. In this event find what cheques are missing by noting the
numbers that are absent, refer to the corresponding stub numbers,
and you will find (unless mistakes have been made) that the sum of
the absent cheques is the difference. The absent cheques had not
been presented for acceptance when the pass-book was made up ;
you had credited the bank with them in your books, but they had
not then been charged by the bank to your account, hence the dis-
crepancy.
Keep Daily Track of your Bank Balance.
It is a most unpleasant experience for a reputable business man
when he has given a cheque in good faith, to have it returned with
the remark, " no funds." Men who have no financial reputation to
sustain '•' don't care," and frequently put persistent creditors off tem-
porarily by drawing cheques which they know there are no funds to
meet. A man who wants to know daily how his balance stands,
and who cannot keep the bank account in the ledger posted closely,
can keep track of the bank transactions on the back of the stubs
of his cheques as follows : —
The balance this morning was $920.70.
$100. $57.20, $60.30
Three cheques were issued to-day, Nos. 129. 130. 131.
The proceeds of a note discounted amount to $430.20.
A deposit was made to-day of $600.
On the back of the stub of the last cheque issued write
Balance over.
$920. 70
Deduct
Cheques Nos. 129,
• . $100.00
130.
57.20
131.
60.30
217.50
Add
$703.20
Proceeds of discount,
430.20
Deposit,
600.00
1030.20
Preseni balance,
$• 7.33- 40
A man will not, unless he designs to do it, issue cheques for which
there are no funds if he attends accurately to this matter each day.
44
Rate of Exchange on Cheques
Cheques presented at any other branch of the bank than that in
which the drawer's funds are on deposit, are subject to a deduction
for exchange of ^^ of i%. You should therefore make your cheque
for the amount of the debt and the exchange, if it is to be paid at
another branch. If you keej) a fair balance with your banker on
which no interest is allowed, he may grant you the concession of
marking your cheques payable at par at the branch where it will be
presented for payment.
Precaution Against Fraud.
Draw your cheques so that they cannot be raised or altered.
In the example given at page 41, you will observe that there
is no unfilled space to the left of the written amount, and the
fraction (or if no fraction Zl) follows close up to it on the right.
Neither on one side nor the other can any word be added. If you
fail to observe such a precaution, and by your carelessness invite
fraud, and it should succeed, you, and not the bank, will be the
loser.
Identifying Strangers on Cheques.
Take care, when identifying a payee on a cheque or draft to
enable him to draw money, that you do not incur responsibility. For
example ; John Jones, whom you know, wants you to identify him
on a cheque or draft payable to his order that has not been accept-
ed. He indorses it ; underneath his signature write, " Identified
by," and sign your name. Doing this, you only certify that he is
John Jones ; but if you simply indorse your name under his, you
would guarantee both the man and the money. lie may say, " but
I cannot get the money on personal identification only;" your reply
would be, "well, let it be sent for collection, I decline to incur any
responsibility beyond identifying you." You may not get up a
reputation as an " obliging fellow," but you will have the satisfaction
of knowing that you are safe.
Grossed Cheques.
When it is intended that a cheque shall not be negotiable, it is
crossed.
I. Where a cheque bears across its face an addition of : —
(a) The word " bank " between two parallel transverse lines,
either with or without the words " not negotiable ;" or
{/>) Two parallel transverse lines simply, either with or without
the words " not negotiable ; "
That addition constitutes a crossing, and the cheque is crossed
generally.
2 Where a cheque bears across its face an addition of the name
of a bank, either with or without the words " not negotiable," tliat
addition constitutes a crossing, and the cheque is crossed specially,
and to that bank.
A cheque may be crossed generally or specially by the drawer.
3. Where a cheque is uncrossed, the holder may cross it generally
or specially.
4. Where a cheque is crossed generally, the holder may cross it
specially.
5. Where a cheque is crossed generally or specially, the holder
may add the words "not negotiable."
6. Where a cheque is crossed specially, the bank to which it is
crossed may again cross it specially, to another bank for collection.
7. WHiere an uncrossed cheque, or a cheque crossed generally, is
sent to a bank for collection, it may cross it specially to itself.
8. A crossed checpie may be re-opened or uncrossed by the drawer,
writing between the transverse lines, and initialing the same, the
words " pay cash."
46
Book-Keeping Entries for Cheques.
When you deposit in the bank, you make the Bank Dr. to Cash.
When you draw a cheque, credit the bank and debit the person to
whom, or the account for which, it has been issued. When you
receive a cheque, make Cash Dr. to the person from whom, or the
account for which, you received it.
Cheques may either be journalized or put through the cash book.
It is not necessary to credit each cheque singly. The cheques
issued in a day or a week or a month may be credited in one sum to
the bank. Four cheques were issued to-day, journalize them from
the stubs as shown on page 47.
Important Points in Connection with the Bills
Receivable and Bills Payable Accounts.
You. will find analyses of the above accounts at pages 22 and 23.
I wish to emphasize here, and draw the student's special attention to
the point, that when you retire your notes or acceptances, you should
never charge Bills Payable account with more or less than the face
of the instrument (the amount credited when issued) ; and that
when a note or acceptance ac^ainst some one else is disposed of, Bills
Receivable account should never be credited with more or less than
the face of the instrument (the amount debited when received).
You pay your note, face $500 and
interest $5.00.
You pay a note, face $600, before
maturity, and get a discount of $10 oft".
Examples.
ENTRIES.
Bills Payable Dr $500.00
Interest "' 5.00
To Cash 505.00
Bills Payable Dr 600.00
To Cash 590. CO
" Discount 10.00
Cash Dr 304.00
To Bills Receivable. .. . 300.00
" Interest 4.00
Cash Dr 690.00
Discount Dr 10.00
You receive paymsnt of a note, face
$300 and interest $4.00.
You receive less than the face of a
note when disposing of it ; face $700,
discount allowed $10.00. To Bills Receivable 700.00
If you carefully observe the^e instructions, you will find that the difference
between the two sides of liills Payable account will always agree with the notes
outstanding ; and the difference between the sides of Bills Receivable account will
always agree with the notes on hand. When issuing a note (or acceptance) bearing
interest, the entry is just the same as if it were not. because the interest is a
matter for the future.
47
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48
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW.
INTRODUCTORY.
What is Common Law? What is Statute Law? From what has
the Law relating to Bills of Exchange grown ? What is the Law-
making power of merchants i<nown as ? Give two illustrations of
the controlling effect of the Law-merchant.
What are the commonest forms of contracts? Name the two
kinds of contracts. How may Simple Contracts be made? How
must Specialty Contracts be made ? What is essential in every Con-
tract ? When sueing on a simple contract what must be proved ?
Does this requirement apply to a Specialty Contract? What is the
Statute uf Frauds and when was it passed ? It requires that certain
simple contracts shall be in writing ; name the principal cases.
What contracts must be not only in writing, but be under seal?
What is a seal ? Who are competent to make a contract ? What is
a minor? What must be attached to a contract with a corporation
to make it binding? How is authority conferred upon an agent?
In making a contract by correspondence wl.at is required ? When
do contracts become outlawed ? What is the Dominion Statute
called which codified the laws relating to Bills and Notes ?
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW.
NOTES.
State the three reasons that make it desirable to hold a note
against a debtor. Explain the term " discounting a note." Give a
definition of a Promissory Note. What is meant by a determinable
future time? Name the parties to a note. How are notes
transferred ? When may notes be transferred ? Explain a nego-
tiable note ; a noie negotiable without indorsement ; a note nego-
tiable by indorsement. Give the form of a non-negotiable note ; a
note negotiable by indorsement ; a note negotiable without in-
49
dorsement ; a note payable on demand ; a joint and several note.
Explain a joint and several note. Explain a Joint Note. What are
the rifijhts of a third party in a negotiable note ? What are the rights
of an assignee of a non-negotiable note ? Explain an accommodation
note. Give an example, and state why it is made payable to the order
of the indorser and not to the order of the lender. What may be done
in regard to a lost note ? Discrepancy between words and figures,
which is payable ? Name circumstances that do not invalidate a
note. What is a holder in due course ? What must be done on a
note given for a patent right .-* What is the effect of altering a
note ? Explain what is meant by the legal rate of interest. Under
what circumstances would you insert the woids, "as well after
AS BEFORE MATURITY UNTIL PAID " in a note bearing interest ?
What is a usury law ? What are days of grace ? When would a
note drawn 3 months from October 26 fall due ? When would a
note drawn at ninety days from October 26 fall due ? What is a
power of attorney ? How does the holder of a power of attorney
sign business papers for his principal ? What does the abbreviation
per pro stand for ? When does a note become outlawed ? What is
the Statute of Limitations ? What is the act of indorsing? What
are its effects ? Explain indorsement in blank, and wnat may the
holder do? Explain indorsement in full; qualified indorsement;
restrictive indorsement ; indorsement for deposit only. How could
you prove the payment of a note ? What is the order of indorsers'
liability ? Explain guarantee on a note. Where should a note be
presented for payment ? What are the proceeding to be taken to
hold indorsers on a note not paid at maturity ? If the services of a
notary cannot be obtained, who may perform his functions ? What
is waiving protest ? Give examples. Why is it unnecessary to
protest a note on which there is no indorser? What is noting?
How should partial payments be acknowledged on notes ? When
you have paid a note, what should you do with it ? When renewing
your note, what should you receive ? What is a bill receivable ? What
is a bill payable ? In book-keeping what are the accounts represent-
ing notes called ? Analyse the bills receivable and bills payable
accounts. Give the entries of the maker having a note renewed.
Give the entries of the holder when renewing a note. Give the
entries of each for partial renewals. Explain a Lien note. Which
legislature deals with lien notes ? What is an I. O. U. ?
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW.
DRAFTS.
Give a definition of a Draft or Inland Bill. Explain the difference
between a note and a draft. How many parties are there to a
draft ? Name them. Explain each one's position. Which one
accepts the draft ? What party to an acceptance stands in the same
position as the maker of a note ? What party to a draft stands in
the same position as the first indorser on a note ? To hold the
drawer of a dishonored bill what must be done, and when ? Explain
the theory of exchange. Give an example of a draft with three firms
or i)ersons and two debts concerned. How is a draft payable ten
days after sig/it accepted ? How is a draft payable ten days after
ddfe accepted ? From what date do you reckon the maturity of a
draft drawn ten days after sight ? From what date do you reckon
the maturity of a draft drawn ten days after date? What is a draft
called after it has been accepted ? Under what circumstances are the
drawer and payee of a draft the same person ? To whose order is it
made payable ? Give the drawer's entry for a time draft. Give the
payee's entry. Give the drawee's entry. Give an illustration of
exchange. State the acceptor's liability. State the drawer's liability.
State the mdorser's liability. In case of dishonor, who may recover,
and what ? What will be done when a drat't is dishonored ? How
may protest be avoided if desired ? Give definition and requisites of
acceptance. Explain what is due ijresentment for payment. What is
the usual rate of bank commission for collecting drafts ? How will
you ensure the collection of a definite sum when you cannot tell how
much the exchange will be? Name the three kinds of drafts.
Explain eich. To give a person four clear days to pay a draft, no
matter how long it may take to reach him, how would you draw it ?
To give him fifteen days ? To give him three days ? To give no
time ? What is an accommodation draft ? What expression is used
to describe this method of raising money ? How would you proceed
51
to obtain assistance by draft to retire an acceptance or note ? What
is the object of a bank draft ? What does par mean? When is a
draft called a foreign bill of exchange ? What was its origin ? Give
an illustration of foreign exchange. How many bills are usually
issued in a set of exchange ? Why is more than one issued? Give
the form of the first bill in a set of exchange ? The second ? The
third ? What is a letter of credit ? What is a circular letter of
credit ?
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW.
CHEQUES.
Give a definition of a cheque. Give a form. How is a cheque
drawn in order that it may serve as a receipt? What act of the
payee would prove payment ? Explain what is an accepted cheque.
What officer of the bank accepts it ? What officer of the bank
pays it ? How is a cheque payable to bearer negotiated ? How
is a cheque payable to order negotiated ? When should you indorse
a cheque ? Why should cheques be numbered ? How should
cheques be preserved ? How should you check the bank account ?
If a discrepancy exists between the pass book, when balanced, and
your account, how do you find the cause ? State a simple method
of keeping daily track of your balance in bank. What is the rate
of exchange charged on cheques ? When is it charged ? Cheques
payable at par at another branch, explain. How will you take
precaution against fraud ? How would you identify a payee ?
What are crossed cheques ? Give journal entries for cheques.
Put checjues through the cash book. State two important points in
connection with Bills Receivable and Bills Payable accounts.
ONTARIO BUSINESS COLLEGE
MOST WIDELY ATTENDED BUSINESS COLLEGE IN AMERICA.
TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR.
W B. ROBINSON, J. W. JOHNSON, F. C. A, Principals.
COLhVTRIES REPRESENTED BY THE STUDENTS.
South America,
DEMERARA (BRITISH GUIANA).
The West Indies.
TRINIDAD,
BARBADOS,
ST. VINCENT,
ANTIGUA,
BERMUDA.
TURK'S ISLAND,
GRENADA,
Newfoundland,
ST. JOHN'S.
FORTUNE BAY.
Canada,
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND,
NOVA SCOTIA,
NEW BRUNSWICK,
QUEBEC,
ONTARIO (every county),
MANITOBA,
ASSINIBOIA,
ALBERTA,
BRITISH COLUMBIA.
United States,
MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS,
NEW HAMPSHIRE, VERMONT,
NEW YORK (City and State), MICHIGAN,
PENNSYLVANIA, ILLINOIS,
MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN,
MONTANA, TP:XAS,
CALIFORNIA, DAKOTA,
NEVADA, WASHINGTON.
The high standing and reputation of Ontario Business College, Belle-
ville, by which it secures an attendance unefpUed in any similar institution,
have been attained by the thoroughness of its worlc and the success of its
graduates.
Send for Circulars.
"THE CANADIAN ACCOUNPANT,"
By the Principals of Ontario Business College.
10th EDITION NOW IN PRESS,
This is the text book ot Ontario Business College. Belleville. It
is the most comprehensive and practical, and most easily understood
of all the advanced works on Book-keeping and Accounts pub-
lished, and has a wider demand than any similar book published in
the English language.
It covers the ground of Book-keeping by Double and Single Entry,
Business Forms and Papers, Banking, Business Correspondence,
Commercial Law, Practical Computation, etc., etc., and illustrates
and explains Counting House Work, and innumerable Business
Transactions, not dealt with in any similar book.
Extensive practical experience in office work in Canada and the
United States, practice as public accountants, and the management
of the largest and most successful Business College in the Dominion
are among thg qualifications of the Authors.
It is the best Text Book for the Teacher and Student of
Accounts,
It is the best Book of Reference for the Practical Accountant and
Extensive Business Man.
It is a Mine of Business Knowledge for the Country Merchant.
336 Octavo Pages. Price $2.00 post paid.
Address, ROBINSON & JOHNSON,
Ontario Business College, Belleville, Ont., Canada.
JUST PUBLISHED.
THE SIXTH EDITION OF
croiin^soisr's
iBi
B'S' cr. AV". cromsrsoKT, f. c -«^.
The first portion of the work is devoted to the laws affecting Joint
Stock Companies, and to the methods of form-ng tlicni.
The second portion of the work illustrates in a comprehensive
manner the system of properly recording the transactions throughout
a year, and arriving at the accurate results, auditing and presenting
statements of the business of a Joint Stock Company, by methods
which the author has matured from long practical knowledge and
experience as an accountant and auditor in large business centres,
and later as a teacher of accounts. In addition to this, much
valuable information is given, and explanations are made regarding
technical matters specially appertaining to Joint Stock Companies.
Since the first edition was published the author has had the most
gratifying evidence from all parts of Canada and the United States,
that the work has proved to be what it was intended foi» — an efficient
aid and instructor in conducting the office work of a Joint Stock
Company. The sale of the book now extends from the Atlantic to
the Pacific throughout both countries. The evidence of its merit is
the fact that six editions have been issued to meet the demand
for it.
In the present edition, as in previous ones, new and practical
subjects have been added, and others enlarged upon.
The work contains 135 octavo pages. Price $1.25, post paid.
ADDRE.SS, ROBINSON & JOHNSON,
Ontario Business College,
"— ~" Belleville, Ont.
0
0
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