The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-13
ELECTRICITY IN
AUDIT OFFICES
Used to Add, to Substract, to
Multiply or to
Divide.
New York Press !

1t Will no doubt be a matter of in
terest and Information to persons not
acquainted with the routine and
methods Of the auditing offices of the
government to know that the bulk of
the postmasters' accounts, especially
the offices In large cities, such as
New York, Chicago, Philadelphia,
Buffalo, San Francisco, Boston, Kan
sas City, Nashville and Des Meines
are done by machines.
The office of the auditor for the
postoffice, treasury department, be-
sides being the largest and best known
OF the auditing offices of the govern
ment, of which there are six, by
reason OF having to deal with the
poStmaSters throughout the country
as well as the largest accounting
office, not only In the United States,
but in the world, has the distinction
or having recently completed the
installation of the largest electric
adding machine plant in the govern
ment, at cost of something between
$4,000 and $1,000.
Some years ago an experiment was
made in this Office with one or two
| adding machines of the crank patterns
to test the adaptability of machines for
the work. Facility, accuracy and dis
patch were thoroughly demonstrated to
the entire satisfaction OF the officials,
| and each year since more machines
have been added, until, with the last
purchase, entirely replacing crank ma
chimes with the electric motor type, the
number used has doubled in the past
fiXe years.
The auditing of postmastere' 90
counts, which. as the name OF the Of
! flee would indicate, is the work of the
offices, necessitates the handling of
many money orders, which are the
vouchers for the credit claimed by the
| pOStmdSterS. The machine section is in
the inspection division, of which B. A.
Allen is chief.
This division is the first to receive
the accounts of the pOstmasters, with
vouchers, both foreign and domestic,
together with any orders which may
nave been spoiled in issue or in
printing as sometimes happens. A few
days after the close of the period for
which the Office accounts, which is
either weekly or monthly, allowance
being made for the distance which has
to be covered, these statements are re-
celVed by the clerk having charge of
the mailing room and by him assorted
INTO sections as assigned to each clerk;
In the case of the large offices for the
to this room and there placed upon the
shelves provided for that purpose; with
the smaller offices these are assorted by
states, alphabeted and divided into ser
tons.
In this division the clerks are known
as inspectors. Each is required to ex-
anime the statement of the postmaster
to see if it contains all the parts neces-
sary for audit, to see if the require
ments of the department as to the
preparation and methods of entries are
complied with; that the name of the
postmaster, name of the office and state
and the date Of the period for which it
is rendered are entered in the heading
of each sheet of the statement.
The fees for orders issued, domestic
and foreign, must be examined for err
ror and the amounts of the orders and
fees, footed and figured, entered in
blue pencil on the side, corrections
being made where necessary. This
brings the inspectors to the paid side
Of the statements, where each money or
Ger must be examined for the name of
the city on which drawn, amount in
body of order compared with coupon of
same signature Of persons receiving the
money and dating stamps of paying Of
fee, any one of which being missing the
and the postmaster required to supply
the missing data or the discrepancy
noted on the order or allowance made
for it.
Formerly all the statements were
audited by hand. as are now those
of the smaller offices and a few
large ones not assigned to the ma
chine section, but with the completed
adding machine plant in operation,
the operator, who has become expert
by reason of his knowledge of the work
and the constant manipulation of the
machine, has only TO place the money
orders in a spring clip provided for the |
purpose, which holds them fast, and |
with one finger of the left hand |
equipped with a rubber stall to turn
the orders, he uses the right to enter |
the amounts on the keyboard of the |
machinN, pressing the electric button |
on the side as each item is entered and |
at the end double stroke strikes the |
total, while another, pressing the but |
ton at the same time, clears the ma
chine for another batch of orders.
A visit to this Office, which is 10
Gated in the building occupied by the |
postoffice department, found John b. |
Sleman, the chief clerk, in his usual
CHEEKY mood, and upon being Informed |
OF a Q6S1r6 10 see the UndCnlllo TOON1, |
gladly consented to be guide, stop
ping long enough on the floor where his
office is located to introduce Colonel
Ernest G.. Timme, the auditor, who I'M
til May was the auditor for the state
and other departments.
Colonel Timme is a veteran of the
civil war, in which he lost his arm, and
has rendered conspicuous services both
on the field and forum. His present
post was given him on account of his
very eminent services in his former sta
ton, and his undoubted fitness for the
place. He is thoroughly cordial in his
greeting, and has a knack of making
every one feel at home in his presence.
Milton 7. Adkins, head of the ma
chine section, and his assistant. ]. E. |
Nichols. are thoroughly familiar with |
the work and show great interest in |
explaining methods. Shelby j. David
son is said to be an expert in the |
manipulation of the machine. He I'M
derstands the mechanism and construc- |
ton, and has charge, under the chief |
clerk, of the repairs, adjustment and |
care Of the machines.
The machine performs all the funda-
mental operations of arithmetic-addi-
ton, subtraction, multiplication and di-
as much ease and facility |
as that Of addition, for which it is