The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-07
Total a Mere
5000 90, b u t
Would Barricade
Broadcast Broad
way in a Week
.HE tiny rivuiets Of pennies.
nickels. dimes and uuarters

waited and subway ticket Offices and
the thousands of surface cars Of the.
several traction companies swell to
a mighty stream of more than $780,
900 in the course of the average
twenty-four hours.
Two thirds of this sum Is currency
weighing in It's bulk form about six
tons. An idea Of what this means may
BE- drawn from picture of its ac-
emulation in a single spot for week
A barricade ten feet high and five
feet thick could be built OF this daily
six tons across Broadway at Times
Square In seven days. And it would
take fifteen men with three trucks a
good day to remove 1t.
In these days of billion dollar loans
and rapid exchanges of credit the sum
involved is not remarkable. Millions
Of dollars can BIO transferred from
one owner or one point to another
by an Insignificant piece OF paper or
despatch in minutes time with rela-
lively slight disturbance to physical
reserves. But the collecting, counting
and putting back into circulation Of
six tons of currency each day is
herculean task.
InterborouGh's Worth More.
In point of financial value the Inter
borough's receipts are the largest.
But the Brooklyn Rapid Transit sys-
TEN leads from the standpoint of tom
mage with two tons and a half a day
as against the Interborough's two
TONS The New York Railways and
the Third Avenue lines contribute the
remaining ton and half about evenly.
Considered as a unit they constitute
the greatest agency for the circula-
ton of currency in the world.
1t has been argued that should this
circulation be stopped for any pro-
longed period by a strike New York
city would face a critical currency
crisis. But most financial experts
agree that this mighty sum would find
its way into circulation through other
arteries, although the rapidity of
movement would be perceptibly slowes.
This for the reason that the traction
companies by compactness and system
are rapid circulators of currency.
The nickel, dime or whatever coin
"a
counted and put back in circulation
in from twenty-four to thirty-six
hours. The Nickel for example. you
pay to get home at night will be
counted the next morning, absorbed
by some bank before nightfali and
handed out early the following morn
TO merchant obtaining his cash for
the days business. II it were not for
this expeditions circulation the coun-
try's currency would have to be in
nated TO an unwieldy and almost un-
manageable point.
Collected Daily.
Once day a car makes the circuit
Of the Interborough's subway and ele-
waited lines and collects the receipts OF
the previous twenty-four hours, to-
gether with the tickets that have
passed into the chopper. The money
collected has previously been counted
by the several agents, tabulated and
checked against the record Of tickets
sold and put away in the safe. Only
one man in the collection car knows
the combination Of the safe. but should
anything go wrong with the combina-
q
known as a repairman. to open it.
The repairman on the Interborough
for this Jimmy Valentine purpose Is a
negro who has been In the employ of
the system for twenty-five years. He
started In minor position, and once
his talent for opening safes by the
sense Of touch became known 1t was
quickly recognized. AS the company
has more than 900 safes in its various
ticket Offices, the repairman rarely
makes the circuit without being called
upon to exercise his talents.
The money Is brought to a central
counting room at the company's head
Quarters. This room Is about 100 feet
long and half that in width. Long
tables are arranged down Its length
with eight men at a table. four on a
side, 30 that they face each other On
raised platform at the end OF the
room sits the head counter, who as
Signs the work each day and keeps a
Watchful eye on the proceedings. No
counter receives the money from the
same station two days in succession.
Occasionally an additional sum is
slipped into the receipts handed to a
counter or something subtracted and
record kept OF 1t. This Is done as
much to keep the men from careless
ness as to check up on their honesty.
For the work Of counting money
grows exceedingly monotonous, and a
number of the Interborough's counters
are elderly men who have spent fair
part OF their lives in the counting
room. Some have been there twenty
years and all have been promoted from
number positions. such as gatemen,
ticket agents and guards.
Age q Handicap.
A man counting money has a tend
sney to slow down as he grows old in
,he work. although proficiency keeps
nun at very good average. Many OF
me more expert young men among the
interoorough's forty counters can run
through $4,000. in a day. They start
early In the morning and when fin
mhed are privileged 70 go home. Ma
ehines are used only TO check up and
ere but slightly faster than hand
counting.
II discrepancy Is discovered be-
,Neca tho total found By hand count.
ing ana that given by the machine
me amount Is turned over 70 another
counter to check up on. This rarely
happens. however, except on days
~hen the receipts are exceptionally
neaVy. The men count by spreading
e coin on the table and spinning It