The Washington bee., 1911-04-01
fee Department


The attachment is intended to auto
matically list, register, add and total
the fees charged for money-orders, as
they are audited, the operator of the
adding machine on which the work is
done simply entering the amount of
the order. At present the work re-
qulres two operations, with constant
attention to entering the correct fee,
with more or less liability TO error.
The attachment will fit on any adding
machine on the market without chang
ing the mechanism or necessitating
any extensive alterations.
MIR. Davidson is to be congratulated
not only on the success of his work in
tn line and the signal abilities he
has shown to cope with such me-
chanical marvel as the adding and cal
culating machines, but on being the
only colored man, thus far known, to
have entered and maintained a rat
ing-and that a high one-in this new
demonstrated his skill for handling
tools, as we'll as the genius for con-
triving and executing. Mr.. Davidson
is al years old. a graduate of the Col
! lege Department, Howard University,
| q
member of his home bar, Lexington,
| KY, and the bar of the District of Co
| lumbia. He has an attractive home
| life, with a wife and two children, a
| boy of Il and a girl of r. He has
given some attention to literature;
/ was at one time the president of the
Bethel Literary and Historical Associ-
alton He has a well-selected library
| L.,
much of his spare time to this as a
recreation.
1t is hoped that since this distinction
of effort has come to him that the
proper recognition will be given him
| for his perseverance, and too as a
stimulus for other employees, that they
may feel that adherence to duty we'll
| done is appreciated by the govern
ment. This invention has been the
work of six years, covering the period
| OF the use, in the Office, of the double
machines, which Mr. Davidson was in
strumental in having placed on the
work.
| An instance of what clerks can do
to reduce the operating expenses of
the executive departments and aid in
| the movement for efficiency and econ
omy which takes its inspiration from
the White House, has just come to the
notice of the new Auditor for the Post
| Office Department, Charles A. Kram.
| Two clerks, Shelby J. Davidson, a
clerk in the Auditors Office, and Ed
win J. Downing, electrician for the
Post Office Department, have collab-
GRATED in producing an electrical ma
chine that automatically prints the
money order fees as the amounts of
the paid money orders are recorded
for auditing purposes. 1t IS beng put
to a thorough and trying test, and If
ultimately adopted by the Secretary of
the Treasury will reduce the work OF
listing paid money orders 20 per cent,
and leave twelve clerks available for
other work in the office.
Auditor Kram said today:
THE Investigations now being con-
Quoted in the departments of the effl-
lciency of their clerical force and the
Economical administration of their af-
fairs are daily bringing forth from the
clerks themselves many suggestions
of real value If the inquiries already
made should proceed no further they
have accomplished much for the gov
ernment in creating sentiment
among those in subordinate positions
for greater activity in devising ways
to improve the service and producing
substantial results.
Appliance Being Tested.
"This little appliance now brought
Ito my notice, if it vindicates itself i'll
the tests to which it is being subject
ed, is a substantial proof of this fact.
"The 8o,ooo,ooo paid money orders
sent to the Auditors Office annually
by postmasters represent value OF
over $50, ,ooo, 900, with fees paid by the
patrons of the money order branch, OF
lover S5.ooo,OOO The Auditors office
uses 90 adding machines for totalling
the amounts of the orders and for put
ting down and counting the fees paid
bv the purchasers. The daily average
of a clerk, striking separately on the
machines the amounts and tees, IS
1000 orders a day.
with the use of the new attach
ment on the adding machines the
clerks will register the sums called for
on the money orders, while the new
device will print automatically the
fees that should have been paid, and
add both columns.
That will mean saving OF 20 pei
cent in the work of listing paid money
orders, and will leave the services oi
twelve clerks available for other press
ing work that must be done, and that
too, without the reduction of any Oi
the force or Of any ones salary"
NEGRO REALTY CoMPANY's
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