The Saint Paul globe., 1902-06-09
From the Globes washington Bu-
reau, Post RufIdfne.

WASHINGTON, d. c., June 8.-An ex-
pertinent which is likely to revoIutfonize
clerical and accountant work has been
conducted to a successful conclusion by
the New York Central Railway COM
pany. This is the application of ma
ehinery to do work usually done by
the bookkeeper" and clerk" The ma
chimes applied are the ones which have
been used in tabulating and summarize
ing the returns Of the United States
census, and which have enabled the di-
rector to do at decreased cost in two
years what it has previously taken from
eight to ten years to accomplish.
The Hollorith electrical tabulating ma
chine is now used for all the accounting
work in the freight department of the
railroad above mentioned. 1t is pro-
nounced by J. Carstenson, comptroller
for the New York Central & Hudson
River railroad entirely successful He
has fifteen machines in operation and
they are looked upon as fixture. Since
the machines were put in Mr. Carsten-
son says the road has absorbed several
other systems, and yet the freight ac-
counting work is done without any in
crease of cost.
Not So Costly, Either.
The statement as to what the road is
doing in this regard was made by Comp
troller Christensen in the presence of
all the leading railroad accountants and
auditors in the country, who were be-
fore the interstate commerce commission
TO protest against an order Of the com
mission requiring the roads to furnish
certain additional statistics covering the
cost of carrying freight classified by
commodities. All protested violently
saying it would cost the roads 81. coo 600
year to get the statistics; but the New
York Central man said he could run his
cards through the machines and furnish
the information with little trouble and
practically no additional cost
Mr.. Christensen told how he happened
to have the machines installed He said
they were put in at the expense of the
inventor a few months ago. Mr.. Houo-
rith asking only that the machines be
allowed to remain in the offices of the
auditor OF the freight department. But
one day request came from the maker
that the machines be returned to the
factory to be oiled and repaired.
An Involuntary "Ad."
The assistant superintendent of the
freight department thereupons came to
Mr. Christensen and protested vigorous
ly. He said if the four machines were
removed he would have to hire twenty
men. They were doing that amount Of
work. The auditor thought if this was
the case they were worth trying on an
increased scale, and more machines were
installed. They were put in and thew
are now used in balancing agents ac-
counts and keeping the record of all the
vast amount of business involved in
carrying the freight over the Vanderbilt
lines.
The inventor is working on a device
for feeding the tabulators by electricity
instead of by hand, which will Increase
the speed several hundred per cent. The
mechanical feed is in operation in one
of the departments of the census but
Mr.. Hollorith wishes to perfect it before
applying it generally
There can no longer be any doubt that
this new electric bookkeeper' can he
applied to all accounting work which is
sufficiently extensive to justify it and
the changes which it is certain to make
!n the commercial world will equal if NOT
exceed those wrought by the typewritar
There viii soon be little use for the man
who adds a column of figures.