The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-16
RAILROAD NEWS
Cost of Santa Fe Stationery in
1911 Was $625,OOO.
y
More Than Half Million Lead
Pencils Used.
STATIONER WILSON OF Topeka
Gives Interesting Figures on
Santa Fe Expenses.
Other Items of General Interest
in Traffic World.
STATIONER WILSON OF Topeka

f. A. Wilson, stationer of the
Santa Fe railroad, with headquaF-
esting article in the current issue Of
the Santa Fe Employees magazine
concerning the amount of stationery
required for use on the lines of the
Santa Fe. Stationer Wilson also
makes a number of suggestions to
employees as to the proper use OF
the materials sent from his office.
Here are a few paragraphs from
his article
1911, it required two million pounds
of paper for printed stock alone. The
blank paper stock used amounted to
509,0 900 pounds.
4 wish to mention a few standard
articles of stationery used. Pen,
pencil and ink play very important
part in the railroad and commercial
world today. They are three small
cogs in the wheel of commerce, to be
without which, for a single day,
would create an endless amount Of
confusion and Inconvenience.
t'The most important one is no
doubt the pencil. Lead pencils are
almost akin to clothing and. money.
in that they are used where all other
articles are forgotten. There is hard
~ anything except national currency
which is used more constantly by the
diversity of human beings than is a
lead pencil. 1t required no small
quantity of Florida cedar and New
York graphite to make the 1853
gross issued from the stationery de-
partment on acquisitions during the
period mentioned.
There is not a very remote an
tiquity to the pencil. The first pen
Gil factory America was founded by
a school girl, and pencils first be-
= came articles of commerce about 1920
or 1925 The writer recently re-
ceiVed a process card showing diS-
ferent stages in the manufacture of
the pencil. 1t is possible that you
have used pencils that appeared 20
be made of short pieces of lead. The
process card shows that this is not
possible. If you come across a pen
Gil with the lead broken it has been
done by careless handling.
The pens for the year have COST
$1.Os5. The pens are manufactured
especially for the Santa Fe. The road
furnishes the very best pen made.
Now in regard to the ink. The
quantity used by the Santa Fe for
the year was 1861 quarts; a good
quality, too. The very fact that the
same make of inks has been used for
twenty years would indicate that all
are satisfied with the quality.
Five thousand pounds of rubber
bands were issued. The quantity of |
mucilage was 500 gallons, and gum
arabic sufficient to make as much |
more There are about three thou |
sand typewriters in use on the sys-
tenn, and 14,304 ribbons were issued
for them. 1t required 100000 figur-
ing or clip tabs, 1880 pounds of
wrapping paper, 1900 pounds of
wrapping Irvine and rope, and the
total number of sheets of all kinds of
writing paper was 35,90O,OO0 The
cost of carbon paper alone was
$3.50. Nineteen million envelopes
were required.
There are other items of station |
cry used in large quantities=pins, |
penholders, blank books, sealing wax
and so forth. The total cost for sta
tionery and printing for the year was |
$625, 000."