Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-28
BOOK WORK FOR
RERATING SOME
JOB. WOODMEN
Three Hundred Fifty-FOur and n
Half Tons Of Lifting Force in
Typing Alone.

In the rerating operation recent
ly concluded at the head offices CT
the Modern Woodmen of America,
Rock Island. by Head Clerk A \.
bort and his assistants, a prodi-
gious amount of labor was involv-
ed, which, if reduced to terms or
separate mechanical motions, gives
some rather astounding figures.
For instance. there were 10000
membership cards to deal with,
each of which had to be handled no
less than five times. once in the re
rating division and twice each in
the addressographic and stem
ographic divisions, all being equiv
alent to one straight handling or D.
350,215 cards.
Then, for the 14,377 local camps
to which these members belonged.
it was first necessary to sort
complete set of rate guides mum
bering ninety-five cards each, or q
total of 1,365,815 cards. Subsequent
manipulation of these cards in I'VE
separate operations, involving the
lingering of an average of 40 guides
for each camp, added 575,0S0 carus
/ ,940,895 for the guides together,
therefore, required 7,29l,146 DIS
tinct hand motions. or almost equal
to the number of gestures an eXcit-
ed Frenchman would make in eX-
tolling the beauties Of a new crea-
ton in millinery, with the prob
ability that, at the end, the French
man would show fewer signs Of
fatigue.
Whew!
In listing the names, entry ages,
and old and new rates of the mem
bers for the local camp clerks rec
ords, an average of twenty-five de-
pressions of the typewriter keys
was required for each of the 1870
O43 names, each depression de-
manding a distinct flexing of some
force on the part of the stenog
rapher's pretty finger. In heading
the lists for the IA ,377 camps. so as
TO show camp number, location and
date of listing, an average of thirty
three additional key-strokes was
required, making, together, 27,225,-
Sic strokes. This was an average of
1,134,396 mbre or less Vulcanian
the tyenty-four typists, the force Of
the blow, to a large extent, depend
ing on the momentary disposition
and diuturnal habit of the operator.
A certain typewriter company is
authority for the assertion that a
blow sufficient TO raise a ten-ounce
weight is required to operate the
keys of the average typewriter,
Multiply this by ,134 1886 and we
have the stupendous total of 3541a
tons of lifting force exerted by each
of these typists during the rerattng
period. If concentrated into one
mighty effort on the part of the en-
tire group, the total force expended
would have been sufficient to raise
a weight of S,5OS tons. This would
just about equal the weight OF
pile of dry sand sixty feet square
throughout and fifty-three and one
third feet high, the mere thought OF
lifting which would probably send
every one of the fair typists on
mad hunt for some palliative rest
cure and, perhaps, force the reader
to bed with an attack of muscular
prostration and cerebral lipothymy.
The entire rerating task was
completed in forty-six working days
by force of sixty-four clerks. On
this basis, it would have occupied
one clerk exactly ten years, eight
months and fourteen days, making
the customary allowances for va
cations and holidays, but nothing
for sickness, and also assuming
him TO be as expert in every opera
ton as the especially drilled force
that has just gone over the top with
the job. Obviously, however, this
would be a wild assumption, so Il
would be safer to say that one lone
clerk could have kept himself fairly
busy for from twelve to fifteen
years in completing this little en-
terprise.
Viewed from all sides, therefore.
up and down. Crossways, and ny
potensually, it must be regarded as
some job And it was.