The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-27
THE SECRET
OF THE MERCHANT.
A Recipe for Keeping Clerks With
out Raising Their Pay.

There ia a merchant In downtown New
York who thinks he has discovered a way
to keep his clerks for years at low salaries
and yet get uniformly good service from
them. He has about a dozen employees in
his office, ranging from youths OF 10 to gray
boards Of 90.
The system is simple. Pay day is nomi-
nally every Saturday, but when that day
comes around not a soul except the two
Office boys, who are exempt from hes system,
goes to the cashiers window. All the rest
have overdrawn their accounts, and are in
debt to their employer.
BY direction Of the boss, the cashier is
easy. Every employee is allowed to over
draw his salary account within certain
limits,
Periodically one Of these bond-slaves
thinks of asking for an increase / ,-,,alary.
He resolves that he will live on what he has
been getting heretofore and will apply che
increase to the settlement of the debt.
He enters the old mans private Office
futtering. The chief receives him cour-
teously, asks him TO sit down, and sends for
the cashier. .
"Mr. Smith, how has Mr.. Jones been
doing his work."
very well, sir. He is entirely satisfao-
tory"
aI'm glad to hear it.. You may give him
but wait a moment. BY the way, Is he over
drawn on his salary account, and, If 30,
how much?' =,
"I1l see. sir. One hundred and forty
eight dollars and sixty-four cents"
THANK you, Mr.. Smith. That is ALL
Exit the cashier. The young man who
wants an increase has been getting moro
uncomfortable every minute. He did not
think he was so much to the bady
In fact, he hadn't kept much track Of what
he had drawn. He would give anything
II he hadn't left his desk and Dragged before
he came in how he was going to put a orimp
in the old man for more salary
The employers face wears a frown.
@One hundred and forty-eight dollars and
sixty-four cents overdraft on a salary OF
SIG a week. This sort Of thing must stop.
! don't see how you can expect me to in
ton as that, II you were even on the books,
l would 10 80 with pleasure, But you are
living beyond your means, which is a very
bad thing for any one to do. Save your
money and wipe out the overdraft, and then
we'll talk about it again"
But, sir; If you will give me an increase
Of IS, week I will let that apply on the
overdraft-'
mo. That would take about a year.
That would be a good deal like asking me to
indorse your note for the amount 80 that you
could raise the money to pay me No. 1t Is
impossible"
And 40 the clerk goes orestfallen back
to his work. He has wild ideas Of trying
to get another job; but no n would
hire him without a recommendation from
his present employer, and, II he left first
and sought a place afterward, there would
be hundreds ready to assume his duties.
Suppose he should get another job. His
former employers collector would be
sitting at the office entrance every pay
day until the deb was paid, and his new
employer would stand for that about FIVE
seconds after he found it out. No.
Decidedly there Is nothing to do but CON-
tinue to get along as best he may and pay
on that debt.
His employer knows his nature better
than he does himself. The overdraft lie
not decreased more than a few dollars; then
it climbs a little more, until a definite stop
1, put upon his increase.
The man is afraid Of losing his job, and,
being fairly conscientious, he continues
to do his work well enough, but hopelessly.
Meanwhile, his employer loses less in
interest on the money In the overdraft than
he wouldh he had granted an increase In
RalarY.