The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-10-24
COUNTING OF FARES Interesting Course Pursued By the Nickel After
 the Days Run.
VARYING OF TRAFFIC,
Weather Nulliies Plans A Monday in June
 the Biggest Day.

Did you ever stop to think what be- comes of that nickel when you pay it to the conductor on one of your trolley trips each day? Most of us use the New Haven transit facilities at least an average of once day throughout the year, but doubtless few have thought of the intricate wanderdngs Of the small coin after it leaves the con- dnctor's pocket.
 As it happens, the nickel is a coin which actually lis the least often found in the con1pany's large purse when it comes to count up each night its thousands of coins brought in from the days runs. Quarters are most handled with the small dime coming close be- hind. Pennies are freqently returned in change to the passenger who cannot refuse to accept them much as he may dislike to carry the coppers, while the company discourages it's men from passing them in the days collection, because they require extra labor in counting.
 There are many interesting facts in regard to which the conductor himself could not tell you, though if you ask him to accept a ten dollar lbill for a five cent fare he knows enough law to refuse to accept it, if he wishes, $2.0o being the limit set by law. What he could not tell you is that 50 per cent. of his receipts at the first of the week are in bills while on Friday 65 per cent of the currency offered is in small coins, pay day being then nearly a week in the background.
 When your nickel-or, to be more exact, your quarter-leaves the con- ductor's pocket at night, it passes with his day card, recording the number of passengers carried, into a bag, which is turned over to counters at the com pany's offices. Here the amount re- ceived and the conductors record are checked. If they do not tally, 1t is Pup to" the conductor to "sllell out" Some : times a disagreement is found when the conductor is not at fault at all, for if you watch closely you will sorne- times see passenger, usually a wo- man, if unable to catch the conductors eye, pull the bell cord on her own re- sponsibility to stop the car and not in- frequently ring up fare inadvertent- ly on the poor conductor.
 These counters referred to put the nickels, dimes, quarters and so forth into separate piles until they mount LID to one hundred dollars.
 Each man has 8 separate wooden box for coins of each denomination so con- structed that when filled they contain an even hundred dollars each. From here they are dumped into cloth bag holding $500 worth of dimes, quarters Or other coin, each bag containing coins of the same denomination. To prove the count, the money is TUT through a machine which registers au- tomatically and positively all coins passing through it.
 After this, many companies go even farther, weighing each bag of coir separately. The weigher knows to g fraction of an ounce what $500 wortl of each coin should weigh.
 It is said that early in the year g
 
 package of dimes weighs 27 pounds . ounces, while this month having had several months usage since leaving the mint, the same package weighs 2 pounds 1 IA ounces, These things art considered in order to keep the coun-
 Transfers are sent in separately ant carefully counted.
 The company finds the greatest diff ffculty in calculating when traffic is going to be heavy and when light, be, cause notwithstanding their best eff forts to guage what preparations should be made, the weather mar sometimes steps in and knocks out d their well-laid plans.
 Summer is. of course, the rush sea