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Winter 1967, and even Martins Bank itself does not seem very sure that a Cash Dispenser is likely to catch on. Nevertheless, the Bank has, as great expense gone ahead and installed one anyway! The machine is fitted into the wall of Liverpool Church Street Branch, and is one of only three that the Bank will be able to install before merging with Barclays, whose own “Barclaycash” machine is the first of its kind in the World. Cash machines are, of course, such a part of our lives today that it is hard to imagine life without them.			WHY NOT ALSO VISIT THESE PAGES
Here, Martins Bank Magazine reflects wryly on the uses of a cash dispenser. It is interesting to note some of the stereotypes that are used by the magazine as it tries to predict just who might use the machine, and why…
( To read the Bank’s Press Release for Martins Auto Cashier, click HERE )
local rather than national publicity was an introductory feature of the Bank's first cash dispenser, brought into use on 31 October at Church Street branch, Liverpool. This is, of course, the first dispenser in the North and others will follow shortly but it is essentially an experiment—simple to operate, attractive, apparently thief-proof and is possibly the forerunner of even bigger innovations. It is this last aspect which the staff will find intriguing. The machine provides ten £1 notes for each plastic card inserted by the customer who keys a number known only to himself or herself—not necessarily a Church Street customer but any customer who thinks he may have a sudden need for ready cash while in the Liverpool shopping and entertainment centre.
	Could this be the future of cash on demand?
The first point to be remembered is that for its comparatively limited capacity the machine is costly. But what price bigger and better dispensers in large centres or in the shopping precincts ? Would the housewives use them before doing their Saturday shopping? Could built-in dispensers become one of the features of the populous areas in big cities and at airports and railway termini? To be an economic proposition the dispenser of the future will, ideally, not only supply a variety of cash round the clock but take the place of one or more cashiers. It could then reduce the counter queues in banks, and perhaps pre-debiting as for travellers' cheques could reduce book-keeping, for if it were to bring additional and complicated records it would defeat much of its purpose. What intrigues us just now is whether the customers will show they want it. Will they provide us with proof that the chequeless or cashless society is not just a dream ?
1969 Preparations are made to install a new cash machine at Burnley – but will customers REALLY prefer the service of a faceless machine, to that of our extremely helpful staff?				Many people may think there is an element of danger in collecting one's cash in the street, but how dangerous has the use of the night safe proved to be when, like a dispenser, available round the clock? In a prominent site like Church Street it will be interesting to see whether every cosh-bearing Merseyside yob takes to standing all innocent-like on the pavement hoping to pull off a snatch in multiples of £10. More probably he will prefer the big money grabs between 10 and 3 which at least he can plan and thereby avoid standing about in the cold. Maybe we will not learn a lot about this new dispenser for some months. It may catch on quickly or it may not appeal.
That some other banks have also taken up the idea is an indication that no matter how much one may hope for a cashless society this may be a long time coming, and meanwhile the late-night taxi driver will insist on something more than the sight of a credit card. Various manufacturers, we understand, are already interested in further developments and when one thinks of all the things obtainable today from slot machines and dispensers it is surprising that only in England in 1967 have some of the banks come out with machines which can produce what everybody wants, all the time, more than anything else — money!
		OK, so Barclays gets there first, by unveiling the world’s first cash dispenser at the end of June 1967. At least Martins is only four months behind, and still first with a machine in the North of England. – You can’t win ‘em all… Left: Crowds gather in amazement in Enfield to see TV Star and Comedian Reg Varney become the first ATM customer in the world. (Pictures © de la Rue Ltd and Barclays) Right: The new service is advertised in the press.x
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