Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-05-28

white tile wainscoting A $4,000 equipment
has been provided for the kitchen On the
third floor a diningroom has been provided
for the director and his assistants. Adjoining it
Is a separate kitchen.
1t has been planned that the employees shall
operate the lunch-rooms themselves. The govern
ment has furnished all the necessary equipment,
with the exception Of dishes, silverware, linen
and such accessories, which will be provided by
the employees themselves. An association of the
workers has been formed for the purpose OF
operating the lunchrooms, women employees sub
scribng so cents each and the men 81 each In
this manner a fund of $4,000 has been raised. 1t
is planned to refund the subscriptions at the end
of the first year. or as after as the finances
will permit. The lunch-rooms are not to be
operated money-making propositions, and the
food will be sold at the lowest possible figure.
Another novelty has been introduced which
has become popular already. There is a rest
period of ten minutes in the middle of the fore
and another in the afternoon.
Much of the work is very tedious and eXacting.
For instance, there is whole room filled with
girls who count money from morning until night.
There is another room filled with machines which
perforate stamps. The girl who operates OF
these machines feeds sheet after another into
it; the task is unendng and Unyarying. For
these girls the rest period has been introduced.
For ten minutes the machines and the counting
STOP the girls relax or move about the rooms,
They may go to the sun parlors, they may sit
still and rest their eyes. Then they return to
their work, and it has been determined by actual
count that more work is done with the relaxation
than if the ten minutes were used for work
The two roofs of the center wings of the build
ings, arranged roof gardens promenades, are
to be used whenever the weather permits. One
is reserved for men and the other for women
One of the wings of the building will be devoted
entirely to the manufacture Of postage stamps.
1t is so arranged that the paper is carried to the
top floor In rolls 1t goes through the various
steps of manufacture and the stamps are in their
completed state when they reach the basement.
where facilities are provided for putting them up
in bundles preparatory to shipping them to the
$4,000 post offices throughout the country.
The other wings are devoted to the engraving,
hand and power printing divisions and to the
examining and numbering divisions. Between two
of the wings there Is huge vault for storing the
plates used in printing money ard stamps. Next
to the vault Is a room where clerks keep an &C.
count OF every plate removed from the vault and
see that it is returned at the close of the working
day. There also vaults in the basement for
the internal revenue stamps, postage stamps and
miscellaneous currency.
On the second floor is vault for the safe
keeping of paper money after it has been com
pleted and numbered. This vault is the most
secure of any in the building The interior is
about so by 20 feet and the ceiling Is feet in
height, with the walls constructed of REINFORCED
concrete. Between the REINFORCED portion of the
walls and the outer coating is mesh of electric
wires Should any of these be touched an alarm
Is automatically sounded In the office of the cap
tain of the watch and also In the treasury build
ing, many blocks distant.
The doors Of the vaults are much heavier than
any found in banks and they are fitted with time
locks. Above the door of each vault a small
opening has been provided for the purpose of
keeping the interior properly ventilated. The