Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-02
MEXICAN BOOKKEEPING.
How the Boleto System of Accounts
Is Managed.

The owners and employees of remote
ranches and mines in Mexico know
very little about modern systems of
bookkeeping. 1t was not so very many
years ago that the "bOeto' system of
keeping accounts was in almost uni
VerSal use in that country outside of the
larger cities. The advent of American
and other foreign capital brought with
1T reforms, and bookkeeping underwent
change along with other ancient
methods of doing business. The an
cient ''holeto" system is still in vogue,
however, in the localities and regions
which have been slow to feel the
touch of business advancement.
Many of the ranches in Mexico are
vast feudal estates. giving employment
to several hundred men. There are
many mines, employing hundreds of
men. the Mexican owners of which cling
to the method of operating the proper
ty and the transaction of business that
was followed by their forefathers.
There is another reason for the re-
tention of the "boleta'" system in the
less enlightened parts of Mexico The
average Indian laborer is incapable of
understanding any other method of
keeping his account. Even in the larger
cities, where the Mexicans of the
lower class are supposed to be possessed
of better knowledge of business than
the labOrers upon the ranches and in
the mines, the large industrial concerns
frequently have difficulty in making
their employees understand the time
book system which Is in universal use,
almost, in the United States No COM
plications or misunderstanding can
arise from the "boleto' system. 1t
serves not only to keep a faithful and
correct account of the number Of days
and parts of days which an employee
works, but it is used most advantage
ously in keeping the employees account
at the general store or commissary,
which are run as adjuncts to most
ranches and mines in Mexico.
The currency of Mexico was formerly
divided into the dollar or peso, the half
dollar or toston, the quarter or peseta,
the "bit" Of IL 1-2 cents or real and the
half bit" of IA cents or medic. The
decimal system is now adopted for all
government purposes, but the ancient
way of calculating money is still in
vogue in the places located off from
railroads and modern means Of COM
munication.
While there has been a great advance
in wages in Mexico during the last few
years, the old wage scale is still in eff
feet upon many of the more isolated
ranches. Under this scale the ranch
employe receives IS "a cents or real
medic per day and one almud, equal to
twelve and one-half pounds of shelled
corn, per week. He is required to buy
all his other necessities from the com
missary. A "toleto" is a thin piece of
white cigarette paper, about five inches
long and three inches wide. Each
employe is given one of these papers,
made out in the form of ticket.
The name of the employee and the date
are written in ink by the ''bookl1eeper'
of the comrissary, and on account Of
the thinness of the paper erasures and
changes cannot be made. A duplicate
of this ''boleto" is made out and retain
ed by the ''bookkeeper." The system CT
keeping the commissary or wage
account of the employee upon this
"boleto" is very simple. When a pur-
chase to the amount of Ia cents or
medic is made. the, "bookkeeper" or
clerk makes a perpendicular line just
above and extending down to the hori-