The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-03-29

'StNy " ASAl VIVA uN0l yuuuy u uG W JUN
not fall hopelessly behind in the CONNER
r cial race. In view Of these facts, It Is hard
ly necessary to enlarge on the value o
anyth ng which tends to aid the merchan
or manufacturer in this delicate and com
pIieated matter Of granting credits.
The ono great instrumentality to Thu
J end, and the only ono that IL both com
prehensive and effective, Is the mercantile
agency system, one Of tho Inventions borr
OF universal necessity which grows with
the growth OF the community, and which
has IN this country reached development
OF which | venture to say not one In ten Of
the thousands who avail themselves OF Il
have any adequate idea. confess that
myself was more ignorant on tho subject
than supposed until a few days ago, when
improved an opportunity which pre-.
sented itself to look through tho New
York Office Of the Bradstreet company,
and witness the workings OF It's vast ma.
chinery. Bradstreet's, which believe Is
now the foremost mercantile agency in
the world, was founded Just thirty years
ago, by J. NJ. Bradstreet, who, with his
son, conducted 1t for many years. In 1875,
the founder being dead, his successor in.
corporated the business which was subse.
quently purchased by Its present owners,
and Is now conducted under the name OF
The Bradstreet Company, Mr.. Charles +.
Clark, who has been for more than twenty
years associated with the concern being
the President. With regard to the i'm.
proyements which this establishment has
gradually introduced into the system, |
shall say something further on; but first |
think it may interest your readers 10 give
brief general outline ofth institution.
10 begin with, liradstreet's differs from
all other agencies in being single wide.
spreading organization, instead OF an asso.
citation OF more or less independent con.
Germs in various cities. II maintains thir.
ty-hye completely equipped offices on this
continent, and one similar Office in Lon.
dom. England, besides keeping great
number OF salaried agents in the smaller
cities and towns OF the union, and several
correspondents in continental Europe, All
this great net work is under the undivided
control OF the home Office in New York.
AL It's employees, some twelve hundred in
number, receive salaries directly from the
company, and are subject to the strictest
discipline. And right here ! would call
attention TO the fact that this number OF
employees Is something remarkable, There
arc, indeed, many establishments in the
country factories, machine shops, and
the hke-where more individuals find
work, but how many private corporations
are there which require the services OF a
thousand brain workers?
AS your renders are OF course aware, the
labor OF this large force is the continual
collection, revision and distribution OF re.
ports on the means and credit OF each
member OF the American and Canadian
business community. TO give anything
like 4 full account Of the methods by
which this great work is accomplished, to
speak OF the tact, skill, perseverance and
judgment which the reporters must exer-
else the untirinp care and watChfulnoss
which must be displayed in noting the
changes In each merchants condition, the
overwhelming amount OF detail involved
IN the writing out, registering, manifold
ing and transmitting these reports and
rhanges-all this would literally I'LL q vol.
ume.. Some idea Of the labor performed
may be inferred from the fact that the last
edition OF BraastrGet's reports contains
some IOOr0 0O names OF individuals or firms
doing business IN the United States and
Canada, appended TO each OF which are
symbols embodying the result Of investiga-
tons which have cost time, trouble and
money ,ottentimes to aseriousAmount. The
publication OF this large book, which is
revised and reprinted eItry three month";, To-,
gPthcr with tho semi.weekly sheets Of
co. eCtions which are distributed to sub.
scribers, may be said to DO the principal
work OF the company. 1t is tho most tan
gible result Of its activity, and the one by
which it is most generally known, but it Is
by no means the only one. The laconic
printed rating, while RforliRg IN accurate
general idea OF the standing Of It's sub eot,
is frequently insufficient in detail for tho
purposes Of 0 subscriber, who thereupon
makes application to the Office for what Is
termed a special report" which means
all the latest information the company
possesses regarding the person inquired
about. The number OF such applications
RECEIVED and disposed Of by the Brad.
street company IN tho poVrsp OF q year
Is astonishing. At tho Now York dNioe
alone they average over thousand
a day. And here Is best seen the
advantages OF the minute and machine.
like system which governs every depart.
ment OF the institution. The applications
are mostly made in rerson, and require
prompt reply; and twenty suggestive up.
plicants may demand reports from twenty
different States-several OF tho inquiries,
perhaps, rotating 10 newly.hedged mer.
chants who have but Just started In bust,
ness, and-whose names, therefore, do not
appear in the printed report. II hardly
seems reasonable to expect any institution
to beprepared TO meetsuCh demands; but,
as rule, all these twenty applicants would
| be fully satisfied in q good deal less than
that number of minutes, and up SUCCEED
cd by another twenty, to 10 served in like
manner,
The wonderful rapidly and accuracy
with which this part Of the work is done,
and which gives the beholdCr q queer sense
OF the company's commercial omnisccnCe,
are rendered possible only by tho perfect
indexing aud arranging Of The millions
Of reports wh!uh make nm ibis gigantic
DyGlopGdia, and by one Of tho improve.
ments in methods introduced by Brad.
streets 10 which Imadc passing refer.
cnGe above. This consists Of a complete
} daily interchange, between all the Offices
in the chain, ofthe new reports and cor.
rections which are constantly being gath
cred by each. This is costly plan 10 the
] company, hut one which has greatly in
creased Its usefulness to It's patrons. !Inoth'
, er Improvement which has beenintrnducpd
In tho Office In this city Ii free Geographic
i communication with Subscribers by Which
t the latter can send messages 10 the agency
! and receive replies from itwithout penst
. to themselves. The telephone, oven, has
5 been pressed into the service, and the
. company's operator ii in actual verba
communication with subscribers milk
. away. Their latest innovation, which
, renders Bratstreet's book OF reports thu
3 most valuable Of all works Of this kiul
!. was the addition last year Of a eolnpleti
gazetteer to the original book, Under cacl
!: state heading now appears an abstract o
v the collection laws Of that state, also un
der each town heading the location OF III,
/ Dlnnn Whnihnr nm a rOilFnnI mr. afnUn limo