Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-07-09

fany's had lost $35 900 i'm diamonds
from their workship the public has
wondered much how the manufactur,
ers or jewels guard themselves against
thieVery by workmen, and Il good deal
has been said about the System" by
which it is done
The fact is, say the manufacturers.
that they have no system at all. IL
Is curious fact about the business
that. while the employees have every
opportunity to steal they rarely do So
The foreman is boss of stones In n
Jewel factory. lie has n little, grated
cage, surrounding strong safe. From
THIS when any piece of work is assign
ed, he issues the materials To the
worker. These are all carefully weigh
and the workman gives receipt for
them. This is done not so much to
guard against theft as To insure econ
omy.
For when the workman hands hack
his completed piece IL is weighed To-
sether with the filings and scraps. a
very slight allowance is made for
waste. and with this allowance the
weights must tally or the workman is
called down
From the time the material is hand
when he hands II in. a complete piece.
he has plenty Of opportunity To steal
it all and skip. The workman NAV
have his material ont for two weeks;
any night of that period he might hand
III an empty box and skip with the ma
terial-but he never does.
YOU see. We handle gold ana prcc-
ions stones like coriwood,' said the
head of big jewclry factory. "Wc
cease TO think of their value. That
has something to do with it, Then we
are very careful about our employees.
No man who has not frstclass rec
ord can get n job in jewel factory.
1t is well paid trade, too My hands
get from SEQ to $40 n week. Fancy
branches run even higher.
i've been In this business 25 years.
All I've ever lost was one small piece,
and to this day I'm not sure whether
II was lost in the office or the factory
or whether some outsider didn't take
it."
Manufacturers fear small thcfts of
gold filings more than hig rObbcricS
The dust. Swccpings and refuse of
such factory arc, Of course, valuable.
To save this to the last grain the sys.
TEN is elaborate as in the United
States Mint The workmcn must
change their clothes mt the door of the
factory. Their work clothes never
leave the room until. old and imprcg-
mated with gold dust, they are taken
TO he burned in rctnrtS. Before lcav-
ing Mt night lnc men wash their faces.
hands and heads. The waste water is
saved, To he reduced. The swecpings,
the sediment of the waste water ami
the old clothes are sold every month
TO firms which make n business of
handling such refuse. The return from
this source may run in big factory
from 5000 to $500 il month.
From time to time workmcn have
been caught in small tricks on this re-
fuse. For example, jcwcler with
oily hair had better keep it short il he
doesn't want to be regarded with slls-
pcion. a few years ago several dis
honest jewelers. were caught powder
ing long, oily head of hair with rich
dust
The big hauls in the jcwelry busi.
ness have been male from the trunks
of travelling salesmcn or from the
stocks of retailers. Tho war between
the jewelers. and the crooks is con
slant, AS soon MS the jewelers. learn
how to beat one game the thieves in
vent q new one.
There are two big organizaiio ions
against the outside crook The Jew
elers' Protective Union is Il co.npcra-
I've insurance agency to protect trav-
elers on the road. The members pay
certain annual dues. From this fund
all losses by trunk and valsc thefts
are made good. AT tho end of every
two years the money remaining in tho
treasury is divided and returned to the
Subscribers. There is also n detection
agency, to which the members pay $25
year.
Jewelry statesmen on the road must
observe certain rules. They must nor.
sonaly check their trunks and valises
and see them aboard the baggage car
until the conductor yels Cali aboard"
Arrived nj his first stop, the salesman
f1es Immediately to The baggage room,
presents his check and rides with the
trunk Or valise to his hotel There. IL
the goods are in small compass. he
"uts In the safe and brcnthes freely.
The precaution of watching tho bag
gage car nj every station arises from
an old game Of Western crooks The
thief bought ticket and accompanied
the salesman on "short stop" trip.
For baggage he would check a trunk
or valiso looking just like the sales
mans At station along the line he
would slip into the baggage car and
hift the checks. receiving the sales-
mans trunk Mt the terminal
The jewelers. Security Alliance is
another cooperative organization. 1t