The Washington herald., 1907-11-14

times. and a device fo- carefully placing
stamps in their proper place clicks away
many hours a day
Twenty-Five years ago carbon paper was
known chiefly 70 the schoolgirl as a
means Of taking her maps. Now the tel
egraph and railroad companies alone use
over 100000 worth annually and type
writing and billing machines consume
over 100000 worth for their manifolding.
One american factory alone puts out
enough sheets of carbon paper each wear
TO cover the desert Of Sahara II spread
edge 10 edge over H. As high as thirty
copies or a letter have been manifolded at
once on certain typewriters, a steel roller
being used Instead Of the rubber. A wonl-
an ~ the reclamation service in Washing
ton makes twenty-four impressions OF
certain matter each time. using the thin
nest carbon paper and hardest rubber
roller.
The ponderous half-empty bookcases
Of older Offices have been sent away.
much TO the distress Of the rats and
mice. and the unit bookcase has proved
its greater efficiency, expanding as the
needs OF the ONCE grow. The Quill pen
has been followed in turn by the gold
and the steel, with thousands OF i'm
proVements and devices for keeping the
pens clean and keeping the holders on
the desk while the fountain pen has
mace good IN dozens Of different nat
terms Where letters were sanded long
ago Dlotters OF every type have been in
use Tor many decades. from the big one
that envelopes the desk 70 the tiny
roller that adOrns the end OF the Den
stan and was patented only last month
ne eraser that was once set In state
as sort OF turban on the pencil ron
has deluged the patent Office with its
many later forms. The latest one IS
held IN an adjustable shield which allows
the user 70 rub out one letter. or two
OF whole word without injuring the
rest OF the copy. Pins. which have too
oi1en lost man a business deal by
puncturing the finger Of the unsuspect
.Hs recipient OF a letter, gave place some
time ago 10 clips and eyelets. and a
string-bound package in those davs ~
Iuooer bands looks as archaic as a Quill
pen would in a self-hlling ink well
Fireproof safes protect the valuable
papers Of the twentieth century business
man, an automatic cashier handles tba
money wire holders measure and keep
his coins in convenient stacks, a machine
automatically counts and seals his coins
IN labeled packages. another counts his
paper money by pneumatic power and
places the bills in packages Of so MANY
hundred each. so eInaneipatins the weary
nngers or the human cashier. Specisl
machines set watermark in his checks
pllIs OF exchange. bank notes, and other
papers whose figures might be raised
Or the up-to-date man may use a check
oook arranged like the money-or5er
DOCKS IN post-oftces. the Irregular mar
Bih on the LETT where the slip was de-
tacheo, showing in printed ngures the
amount Of the check. and the stub show
ing a similar amount. Machines ra,is,ar
the coming and going OF his clerks. a
later device computes the actual amount
Of work each stenographer does and
a cash register invented by a PepnsvI-
vania baker will tell OF his credit or his
cash sales, and keep tab on the work of
each individual clerk
one OF the greatest revolutions is thar
which abolished the ponderous ledger
from the bookkeeper's desk and subst-
tuted the loose-leaf ledger. Here he NAV
keep his accounts. typewriter II he
chooses. removing old accounts as they
are closed and having no dead weight
TO lift about. Carefully bound. by KEYS
inserted through binders OF varied makes
there is no danger of the loss OF the
leaves Many Offices keep their ledrers
on cards in upright fling cases, and ind
this even more convenient The card
index on n large scale has invaded the
railroad office as well as the government
census Office. and by a simple system
the New York Central transfers nearly
1000 waybills In one day. work that a
clerk would require full half month 70
do In the old way Catalogues for names
are found in every business Office and
Senator la Toilette is one Of the many
men who prefer TO trust 20 cards rather
than 10 memory for peoples names. Many
cards in the indexes are stencilled SO that
at any time the nlme and address may
be transferred to an envelope.
The business Doctor is a distinctive
twentieth century product He goes 10
any firm asking his services, and from
his wide knowledge OF things abolishes
old ideas and suggests new methods, re-
vises the advertising, makes changes In
office force and salaries. and perhaps
organizes welfare work in the larger
places. He is a systematizer who fills
d long-felt want in many places. Mod
ern science is trying TO eliminate need
less brain tax in the business Office. II
has Brought in machines that multiplv.
add. divide and subtract with absolute
accuracy and startling promptness. They
can do problems involving a total OF
S9, ,999, SO without failure. The most re-
cent ones are operated by electricity, and
one can be connected with the keyboard
OF a typewriter to be used or removed al
will. Had jules Verne written Of adding
machines a quarter Of a century ago II
would have been considered one of the
cleverest flights Of his vivid imagina-
ton. yet to the business man of to-day
they are as simple and as essential as his
roll-tOp desk or his telephone.
Tomorrow - Instances of Petty
Graft.