Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-04-18
roo MANY eook-KEEpEas.

TOO MANY BooK-KEEPERS.
Competition Is So Great That But Few
Are Well Paid.
"Book- keen as profession is be-
ginning, like many others. to feel the
influence of popular folly" said an
old book-keeper, in reference to the
present condition and outlook OF the
calling. MEN, induced doubtless by
mistaken idea as to the commercial
opportunities offered by metropolitan
cities, keep flocking to the great cen
ters of trade and industry. under the
impression that they can easily get re-
munerative situations. Young men.
too. keep the commercial colleges we'll
filed, and after a few terms OF study
graduate as professional book-keep-
era' The result is that the ranks are
filed to overlooking. and many an able
accountant is obliged to take a subor-
dinate place other than that for which
he fitted himself. This is especially
true of the great commercial centers.
where a slight depression in trade
suffices to make itself felt in the de-
mand and remuneration of competent
ok-keepers.
Competition in our circles is there
fore very strong. Except in the case
of the men who have proved their
worth and practically made themselves
a necessity to particular houses, stick
ling for price is out of the question.
The rank and file are glad to get what
they can. and there are hundreds Of
book-keepers in Chicago working for
ordinary clerks wages. Most men.
however experienced, have to begin
low and work up. An inexperienced
man, fresh from commercial college,
where he has acquired thorough
knowledge of the theoretical part OF
the work, will ordinarily command
from S to s. week. After year of
practical work he will get from $50 to
$65 a month. The average pay of men
of long standing will not, think, run
above 500 a month. OF course there
are book-keepers in the city who are
getting 50. 600, $500, or even more a
year. but they are the exceptions. l
am satisfied that canvass of all the
stores protesting to have book-keepers
would reveal the fact that the majority
of accountants get little more pay than
the average clerk.
There was a time-and that was
not long ago, either-when the demand
for boOk-keepers was greater than the
supply. The commercial colleges, for
instance, found no difficulty in secur-
ing places for their graduates. Just to
ascertain the condition of affairs and
see what competition men in the call
ing now have to meet, made an ex-
pertinent during the last week of
February. l put in local paper an
advertisement for a competent book.
keeper who was willing to work for
from IS to $40 a week, promotion being
contingent upon circumstances. A sim
gle insertion of the advertisement
brought me within three days 229 let
tiers OF application for the position.
Most of the letters, which in point of
diction and penmanship were excep.
tionally good, were from men of prac-
teal experience. The ages of the ap-
plicants varied from eighteen to fifty
years. and the periods of actual serv-
ice as book-keepers ran from two to
eight years. Only few were novices
in the work This showing tells q
story, and doubt not that it will be a
surprise to the majority of citizens.
The inference is that there are too
many men seeking positions as book
keepers and that competition has
ruined wages.
lit must not be overlooked. how
ever. that good many of the so
called book-keepers are in nowise
competent An adequate course in q
college is of vast benefit
in the calling. but theory after all is a
consideration. Many mer-
chants are dead set against college
men. What is needed is ability to
meet actual exigencies, and that is
that every book-keeper
does not possess A fair handwriting.
the ability to debit and credit
accounts and add CO -rectly. are in
requisites for the calling,
but after all they are compatible with
a certain degree of automatism that is
any thing but desirable in an employe.
Clerks work themselves up to better
an6 hold their positions by
personal efforts, good judgment, in
terest evinced in their employers
business success and the like, and
book-keeper's promotion and tenure of
place is no less dependent upon the
same factors. Chicago News.
Human Bones and Gold.
Il a