The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1893-07-05
BUYING FOR A RAILROAD.
Some Purchasing Agents Spend Five
Million Dollars Year.

The purchasing agent of a great
railroad occupies place that would
be a sinecure for those persons of
either sex who delight in buying for
buying's sake, says the n. Y. Sun.
But it is no sinecure to the purchasing
agent, who buys from years end to
years end, and is always on the look
out for low prices, which he generally
finds. The custom of big railroad is
no small matter to any business house
and, as goods are always ordered in
large quantities, the prices are made
correspondingly low.
The work of the purchasing agent is
to audit all the acquisitions made up
on him by heads of departments and
station masters, and to buy the goods
called for. Some of this work he does
in person and some by proxy. The
principal items with which he has to
deal are iron, rope, waste, glass, sta
tionery and oil. He must keep him
self informed of the market prices of
these articles, and be ready always to
take advantage of glut in the market
or drop in price from any other
cause. He buys always at a discount
from the lowest market price, because
he buys in great quantities.
The purchasing agent of such road
as the New York Central buys about
$4,000, 900 worth of goods every year.
He has nothing to do with the rails,
lumber, or heavy machinery; they are
attended to in other quarters. Every
head of department and every station
agent must make requisition on the
1st of the month for the supplies that
he will need for that month. To keep
the business in good running order it
is imperative that the acquisitions be
made on the 1st of the month; it will
not do for the agent to write in the
middle of the month that he is short
of something.
These acquisitions are sent direct to
the purchasing agent, and he audits
them. If he thinks that too much of
any article has been ordered he cuts
down the order. If, on the other
hand, an order is manifestly too small,
he increases it. This, however, sell
dom happens. After the acquisitions
have been audited they are sent to one
of the principal officers of the COM
pany for his approval. AS soon as
they receive his stamp the goods are
shipped to their destination. They
are not bought as needed, but are kept
in stock in great quantities.
A Sun reporter found the purchas-
ing agent of the New York Central
railroad in the midst of heap of requi-
sitions. One or two examples will
give an idea of what the acquisitions
called for. One was for dozen red
globes for signal lanterns, $50 barrels
of oil, 100 barrels of signal oil, 20 gal
Ions of turpentine, 10000 seals and
wires for sealing freight cars, coil OF
rope five inches in circumference, ]
dozen brooms, half a dozen sponges
100 pounds of waste for cleaning chin
neys, 8 gallons of soft soap for clean
| ing cabooses, 4 kegs of nails, 500 en-
velopes, 1000 paper clasps, l gross
each of pens and pencils, and 10 yard.
of flag bunting. An office in the inte
rior of the state called for 10. 600 large
| small pads, 5000 application forms
pencils, 10 gross of clasps, 100 large
sticks of red sealing wax, 500 heavy
MANILA envelopes, 5 dozen oil cans,
dozen lanterns, 10 signal lamps,
dozen wh;te globes, 8 large lamps fol
|
busters, $50 pounds of waste, kegs O.
nails, half-dozen large chamois skins
Is panes of glass 16x20, coils of small
rope, one-fourth bale of coarse wrap
ping paper, 250 fence pickets, and l.
100 feet of barbed wire.
Sometimes the iron bought come.
out of the foundry so hot that i
scorches the car floors. The discoun
secured by buying iron in large guam
titles is very slight, but in stationery
on the other hand, it is very large
Stationery at retail is not high at pres
ent, but the purchasing agent gets i
at about one-half the usual rates. II
rope, too, he gets heavy discounts.
The purchasing agent not only kee pI
his mind practicing continual gymnas s.
tics figuring for low prices, but he hal
hard work TO keep the run of all hi
stock. The single item of envelopes
is enough to confuse him. The New
York Central railroad uses 10000 diff
ferent forms of envelopes.