The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-21
Hint FOR BUSINESS
The Time Stamp Used in the Treas
ury Department.
HOW IT CHECKS SOLDERING
CorporatiOns Inspect Its Working
and Are Much Pleased
-- ut, the Results.

e From The journal Bureau, Room 10, Pose
BMizdtn0. Warrington.
Washington, Aug. 21.-The new system
for handling correspondents adopted re-
Gently by the United States treasury Is
attracting considerable attention In the
business world The manager of one OF
the largest railways companies In the
country wrote the other day to Secretary
Shaw, asking permission to visit and In
spect the working of the time stamps
and card catalogues as applied to the
daily correspondents. A number OF New
York and Philadelphia business houses
have also written that they would like
to send agents to inspect 1t.
At first the department chiefs were
disposed to regard the innovation as an
imposition, but the very ones who at first
were most certain that it could not be
made to work are now most enthusiastic
in praise Of the system. They find. after
they have become familiar with the new
way of doing business that they can get
through with their mail in almost
third Of the time formerly consumed, and
the general results are testified to in the
prompt answers received by the public
to all communications All Of which Is
Robert Armstrong. who suggested tho
idea to Mr.. Shaw. and upon whom the
latter put the burden of its execution.
For the benefit of persons who may not
Be acquainted with the device known as
a time stamp"-the institution recent
ly introduced in the treasury department
it should be explained that 1t is an at
fair which combines the characteristics
of clock and a rubber stamp. 1t is used
in hotels ard mercantile establishments
to stamp on letters. and packages tho
hour and minute Of arrival. The mechan-
ism of the stamp is enclosed in an iron
case, 80 that it cannot be tampered with
except by some person having the key
and the authority. The internal mechan-
ism is a clock which tells the time in
the type which are exposed for printing
purposes. The motive power is electricity
supplied from the regular lighting wires.
The clock runs night and day and there
Is no way to stop 1t except to cut off the
current, and no way Of setting it back or
ahead except by the use of the key. Every
minute the type which makes the irapres-
sion on the envelop changes. The con-
sequence is that every letter shows a
record of the time Of it's receipt. In
great government department where let
ters are necessarily passed from one
bureau to another, passing through many
hands, and being subject to many inevit-
able delays, it is great advantage to
| know beyond dispute the time when q
| letter arrives and when it leaves any
bureau. If there is any unusual or un-
reasonable delay, or any failure to an
sWer, the letter bears on it's face the
| record of the responsible party. Without
| such a check 1t was almost an impossi-
bility to locate the responsibility for
| delay; excuses were glib and ingenious,
| and 1t was always the next door neigh
Dor who had caused the difficulty Mat
ters of business-sometimes of important
! and even urgent business, were always
| finding their way up blind alleys, and get
! ting stalled there. Antiquated methods,
| departmental inertia, and general spirit
| Of now-not-to-do-it had made the de-
| partment a second cfrcurnlocution office.
! Each piece of business had to be fol-
| lowed by q threatening demand for haste,
| coupled with q suggestion of. immediate
decapitation; otherwise 1t dallied and
halted at every turn. One Of the early
devices to which Secretary Armstrong
resorted was a bright red card, suggestive
of fire signal. with huge letters spelling
'E-X-P-E-D-1-TE - This tag was at
Ing that failure to heed it meant
dismissal without hearing. Death fire or
flood were the only intervening circum-
stances which would be regarded as pal-
| liat1ng this sin. BY this means the most
urgent business was transacted with a
| reasonable degree of promptitude. But
the public in general and oil without spe-
cial influence with the head of the de-
partment had to wait. There were no red
| cards for them. So, Mr.. Armstrong was
given authority and permission to see
| what could be done in their behalf. The
time clock is one of the results
w. w. Jermane.