New-York tribune., 1906-06-24
THE SLOT METER.
Its Gro1cing Use and Influence on
COinage.

The increasing Of slot meters in this country
and In England bids fair to create a serious dis
turoancs in the coinage. Already the coinage In
England has been altered to meet the great de-
mand for copper coins created by the penny-in-
eSlot meters and the slot meters OF this country,
"hlcn eat up quarters instead OF pennies. may
Hthe IL necessary TO increase the subsidiary coin.
age with particular reference to the 25-cent piece
% many copperS disappear from circulation into
the English Slot meters that shortage is regularly
observed toward the end of the month followed by
nood OF copper the meters let loose their ac-
cumulated coins on London. In London alone there
are 10000 penny-in-the-slot meters
SIR Michael Hicks Beach, former, Chancellor OF
the EXchequer. in recent speech, called attention
70 this fact. and said that more than three time,
the usual number Of bronze coins had been mfntsd
since 1887. Every month 156 tons of copper coin
are locked up in these meters
Fifteen collectors We're assigned to the Leicester
District and in day. during which an interested
reporter accompanied OF them on his travels,
they brought in about seventy-hvs pounds apiece.
cabs met the collectors thelE rounds and re-
heved them Of their copper burdens. In England
and Wales there altogether about a million and
a half penny-in-the-slot meters
The first quarter-tn-the-slot meters IN New York
were installed in 1893, principally south OF Houston
street. and about two thousand five hundred were
put in the first year. There are now In the city
some 1lS.00O Of them. and the gas companies have
TO use an automatic counting machine to count the
coins The silver is fed into a hopper. and the
operator turns a crank. throwing the counted coin
INTO a bag The machine never makes mistake.
and banks accept the sealed bags as correct.
In 1907 1t is estimated there will be 100000 OF these
meters in New York. AT the lowest estimate each
Will buy 81 worth of in a month. so that there
will be 100000 silver quarters locked up and taken
out of circulation every month. 1t is easy 70 sea
that this means a shortage of coinage toward the
end of the month. unless the deficiency is met By
the mints
The total coinage of silver quarters in the n1its
Of the United States. from their establishment In
1872 up to January. 1905. S17 1876 pieces One
thrteenth OF the mintage of this entire time-nore
@ Inan century-ls fed into and out OF the prepay
ment meters IN one month a little more.
The advantages OF the prepayment meter are
varied 1t is easier in cases keep track OF
tIle gas consumed when the slot meter Is put IN.
ana II does away with the necessity OF deposit.
great advantage TO people Of limited incomes The
consumption of is by this Arrangement put on
precisely the basis the use OF coal or ksro-
sene. or candles, any other comrnodity-t paid
for before it is used. There is a certain inclination
nomica1 In the use of what is already paid for
than IN the consumption OF something which is to
future. When the quarter-in-the-slot meter is
used, there is distinct recollection every time the
paid for is used up there will be gas till
another quarter is deposited IN the slot and here
and there somebody who might otherwise be heed.
less is made economical by that thought Again
IN houses where several persons are using gas
waste be more directly traced TO the thought
slot meter " ~ 'o-
The meters sometimes put in unexpected ana
curious places, where no one would EXPECT TO find
rooms and apartments where they could be discov-
cred only by rather clever detective work. They
by bookshelf curtains, and one man on the East
Side has his under the bed Altogether this useful
ana INGENIOUS u.s. little device Is not only gaining In
general as time goes on.-Gas Logic.