The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1881-01-04
courtry. The number of

passengers which any given road may
carry during year does not by any
means indicate the number of tickets
which that road consumes Forms
are often renewed. and old issues OF
thousands snd thousands nf tickets
destroyed; without being used. Every
ticke; office, whether large or small,
has to keep on hand a far greater
number Of tickets than there is likely
10 be ANY call for. Probably fifty
tickets are printed against every one
tina: Is sold. Thus, fer instance, if a
road like the Boston and Albany
carried 10000, 900 of passengers 8
wear, a basis of ,O0, o00, 900 tickets
would he required TO keep all their
Offices supplied.
PrtS ,SG AND COUNTING.
As before minated, Inc presses and
machinery required are very compli-
cated and expensive. Ordinary print
ing parapi,ernalia will not answer; for
besides printing the usual face of tine
ticket. every one has TO he numbered
and counted. This is done automatI.
calIy BIZ single impression and CON-
mon local tickets are thus turned
! out at rate of not less than $4,000
per hour, aud coupon tickets =: a
speed OF about $500 per hour. In
The Boston establishment are thirteen
presses of this capacity i'll constant
operation. A special section Of the
building is fitted up for this branch
of business. and none but those em.
ployed in this department are allowed
to enter. Twenty-Five hands are EN-.
ployed, among whom are half dozen
girls. The local tickets. after they
have come from the press. are again
counted By 40 iDgeniously contrived
machine, which, never makes a mis-.
take. and The coupon issues are count
ed BY girls. al this having been
done. the tickets are divided into
packages OF 100 each. and when de.
| iiveted TO The roads a receip,
for the exact number is re-
am;ed Many roads from dis
lance te.egranh their orders in the
morning. anu in the afternoon 500,-
600 tickets are shipped ia response.
During the excursion season the es-
tablishment is often kept running day
and night. A new Innovation, pc
culisrly Boston. il ticket with q
scroll background. which is coming
into quite general Use throughout the
country. The form for this style of
ticket is prenared by a ceometricaI
lathe, which cost So. 800; and there
are only two others in the country.
both owned BIZ the government, one
Of which is 10 New York ard the
other in Washington. With this new
AMI artistic background perfect So
curly is obtained against counter
feiting.
BY the system of numbering and
counting il should be kuown Just
exactly how many tickets are deliver
Ell :,cm the ctiice. Blu: what is to
prevent An e:nploye from printing
duplicate numbers and disposiug OF
them? Nothing whatever. The ar
rargements for preventing such an
act rs this, though rs perfect n pos
sib!e. are not infallible. Bot de!ec-
iion Of such pilfering is absolutely
certain. and ;he employees are conscious
Of this fact. Not single ticket could
be taken and used on q railroad with
out the tbei: being traced. The rail
roads know the number On the face
Of every ticket sold, snd, if a dupii-
cate number or sn uEscld number
comes into their general ticket Office
after having been used, there is con-
elusive evidence that there Is some
thing loose in the printing Office, and
.he matter OF fastening the thief; up
on the guilty one is only the work of
a moment. Above all this, none bu:
nen o. known integrity are employed
ia this department, and, where de-
dec!ion is so swift and certain. the
temptation Of dishonesty is reduced 20
a fraction. Oh the billions of tickets
which have been printed in the EosIoH
concern, not 2 single instance Of steal
ing hy tie employees has ever taken
place. Horse car tickets, which are
unnu:nhered, are protected against
thefts ny one side being printed in
one 0!iice and the other IN another
Office. The exact number Of sheets,
printed on one side, are returned 10
the other side BY the second. and
hence differing is impossible. excep:
by collision Of employees in two diff:
terent Offices.