The Opelousas courier., 1902-03-29
MACHINE ACCOUNTANTS.
'7EY WORK MUCH QUICKER
THAN THE HUMAN BRAIN.

Accounts.
Ane neld of bookkeeping has been
oAe OF the last to be invaded by time
saVlng and labor-saving machinery
out the introduction has finally been
nade' n SO radical is the improve
ueh1 AFFORDED that the displacement
Oh labor by mechanical devices
Is likely to be ACCOMPLISHED more
rapidly than in almost any other line
ol endeaVor. There are a number OF
olHerent styles of registering &C
countants and adding machines. but
IN a majority of instances thew vary
only In detail. AS a rule. the manu-.
~tacturers of these mechanical book.
keepers do moi construct all machines
upon a set plan. Instead, a represen.
eatlVe Is sent to ascertain the needs OF
each prospective customer and then a
machine is constructed which will
I'LL the particular bookkeeping re
quirements presented.
HOW revolutionary is the influence
OF these machines is perhaps best ii
lustrated in the office of a prominent
chicago corporation where there is
an immense equipment of the mechan.
zeal devices. There are three diff
terent styles Of machines, and thew
are operated in fsts Of three, each
member of the trio performing a diff.
terent portion of the work. The first
machine, operated by an ordinary
typeWr1t1st, makes out a bill, copies
the invoice permanently in a book and
makes a permanent sales sheet copy,
the work all being done in typewrit.
Ing and in permanent books.
The second machine produces a
sales copy, an original invoice and a
duplicate of same, an acknowledg.
ment Of the order, a file copy, an orig.
lnal, a duplicate and q tripulicate bill
OF Iadlng, a platform order, a factory
shipping order, a bag room order, a
loading order and a car card. Finally
tue third machine makes one bill a
month, adding the items day by day,
recording the date and salesman's
number by means of a lock arrange.
ment, which makes it impossible FOR
the operator to enter a series of items
without dating the same and enter,
ing the salesman's number; enters all
credits in red ink and will actually
carry 1,2OO accounts at one time. All
OF these machines are simple in ap-
pearance and in the matter of key.
board bear a striking resemblance to
a typewriter. In fact, each machine
is a typewriter with a basket upside
down over a fiat platen of sheet steel,
which is fitted with a covering of vul-
canized rubber. A sheet of paper,
book, or in fact anything to be writ
and firmly. clamped. The work of
the typewriter is in nowise interfered
with, no matter what the thickness of
the writing surface. Although such a
machine will make thirty-two mani
fold copies or print five library cards
simultaneously the touch required to
strike the keys is very light. This
manifolding arrangement constitutes,
Of course, the principal qualification
of the machines for performing speedy
work. In the case of the second ma
chine in the trio above described the
thirteen entries mentioned are made
simultaneously and with but one ad-
justment of the various papers upon
which records are to be made.
The essential principle of the add
ing machine is to bear the same rela-
ton to figures that the ordinary type
writer does to letters. The register
ing accountant which is now most ex-
clusiyely in use in this country is fit
.ed for addition of dollars and cents,
plain figures for use in totaling num-
Der of boxes, barrels or bales, the ad-
dition of pounds avoirdupois or frac-
lions, but special machines may be
made for almost any class OF work.
Indeed, machines have recently been
completed for addition Of pounds, shil-
lings, etc.
The machine Is nine by eleven by
fifteen inches in size, with capacity
of printing 1899, e99.99, or a similar
number of plain figures. The paper
holder Is a b~all-bearing shifting car
riage which admits Of any width Of
stationery from one. to eleven inches,
SO that it is possible to use a sheet
large enough to print six columns OF
figures side by side before being taken
from the machine. The keys are ar
ranged in regular order from one to
nine in each column and, there being
but nine different characters or
figures, no such difficulty is experience
ed as in learning to operate a type
writer.
Speed in the operation of this ma
chine is due more to the quickness of
the eye in catching amounts to be
listed than to the actual handling OF
the machine. Errors on the part OF
the operator, in striking the wrong
key will be noticed instantly, mas
much as the keys after they have
been struck remain down until the
lever is pulled.
The machines are being very large
" used in banks, railroad offices n
mercantile establishments. Extensive
tests have proven that an ordinary
operator will add figures with fully
ten times the rapidity that is possible
by long hand" 1t is mechanically
impossible for the machine to arrive
at any result save the correct one. OF
course. it is possible for a n error to
be made in transfer, the same as by
long hand: but the correction of
n inaccuracy may be readily made
py touching a correction button be-
fore the figures are printed. The col
umn a be added at any point to