The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-04-30
New York BOok-keepers-Their Temp.
tatiOns and their SteaIings.

A New York letter to the Troy Times
says: In this city. where business is wide
ly extended, book-keeper who has his
employers confidence can keep the latter
continually blinded on points of great inn
portance. The merchant will inquire,
How much money have we in the bank,
Mr.. Brown?" and Mr.. Brown will reply
generally in a correct manner; but he
may, by ingeniously altering figures. make
up delusive show. Its said that Figures
Will not lie." Naturally speaking they
will not, but in the hands of skillful ac-
countant they may be made TO do so in
very surprising manner. The bOok-keeper
McGutchin, of the Ocean Bank, succeeded
in robbing that institution of $50, 600 be-
! fore detection, while the bOok-keeper Lev
erich, of the City Bank, obtained $780, 200
of that institution. This. however, was
an unusual haul, and cannot be often
equaled. The defaultlng clerk in the Mon
tauk Insurance Company (Oliyer Searing),
whose fraud has just come TO light, makes
very small figure in comparison, for he
only embezzled $4,000. Perhaps he
would have done better had more time
been given him. All merchants who have
a business education can keep the run of
their accounts, but even in this case they
are in no small degree in the hands of their
bOok-keeper. He keeps the account with
the bank, and generally the cash book,
though in large houses the cashier is an
office by itself
a bOok-keeper's pay is always small in
proportion to the work required. If lack
of pay could be urged in eXtenuatiOn, the
boOk-keepers would have powerful plea.
They are not and never will be paid more
than enough to exc out a hard living.
Some who have an unusually laborious
and responsible position may get what is
called high salary-say S2.000-but such
instances are very rare, and you can hire
expert hands at $1,000. The hardest
worked boOk-keeper ever knew got only
$4,000, and his labOrs nearly occasioned
blindness. He had very extensive set of
books, and his neat hand and immense
columns of figures were matters Of admira-
ton, but it was killing work. In large
houses the boOk-keeper is occupied chiefly
with the ledger, and has enough to do
to attend to posting accounts and keeping
the books balanced. He will have his
monthly balance sheet, commonly called a
"trial balance" ready by the first of the
month, and the accurate balance between
the debit and credit side will prove that the
ledger has been kept correctly.
If an error of dime should ap-
pear, it must be discovered at
however great a cost of time and
study, and | have known book-keeDer to
spend three days looking up just such an
item. Hence. the work requires very great
care and an habitual eXactness in figures.
Stewart hasa dozen book-keepers-all well
practiced accountants, who probably re-
ceive $4,000 year, while the head of the
departments said to receive $1,000. Bank
bOOk-keepers get $1,000, and the office is
much sought, because the days work is
generally of limited extent, while the en-
plOyment is of permanent character.
Such berths are only obtained through
strong influence, but as there is no half-pay
retiracy man will be turned out on the
charities of the world whenever he be-
comes too old or too enfeebled for service.
In some of the Old-faShioned establish
ments in England. Superannuated book
keepers retire on half-pay. Charles Lamb
was bOOk-keeper of this character, and
had q lifelong position inthe India House
He describes with no small interest his
feelings on retiring on halfpay, and break
ing up the cOunting-rOOm habits of half
century. FitZ Greene Halleck was the
luckiest bOOk-keeper this city ever con-
tanned. for he had very easy berth in John
Jacob AstOr's land office. and when the
old gentleman died William gave him
(Halleck) $4,000 rs a retiring fund. Mr..
Cllnch, of the late firm OF Townsend,
Clinch & Dixie, was another fortunate
book-keeper. He was for many years with
5. L. Nicoll. and became complete mas
ter of the business, and was of such i'm
portance that he received large salary,
and when the new firm was organized he
took an important part as financial man
ager. Such Instances, however. are very
rare, and generally book-keeper's
chances of getting into business are ex-
ceedingly small. In fact, bookkeeping is
a trade, and generally speaking, mer-
chant would as little think of giving his
book-keeper partnership as he would his
porter. BOOk-keepers are shelved away
from the best chances of business, and !
hence man who is ambitious of reaching
commercial distinction will avoid any such |
as long as possible. The |
common class of bOOk-keepers receive ST.
600 year, and at this rate you could hire |
almost a regiment. Many have families |
to support, and under the tremendous |
pressure of life of poverty, the tempta- |
ton to steal often becomes too great for |
either precautiOn or honesty. From the |
depression in salaries which |
has been prevalent during the past winter, |
we may look for many defalcations before !
the termination of spring. 1t is to be |
hoped, however, that they will not be of |
so extensive and ruinous 4 character as |
that which has brought Badeau, Lockwood |