Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-29

visitors days. az on every day Of the
year. ~ spick and span a. the private
Offices.
Then by elevator the visitors went
to the street floor. where they inspect
ed the composing room, with It's steel
cases and equipment and its new In
tertype machine, where the reading
matter and advertisements are set
and the Job printing Of the establish
ment done.
On the second floor the visitors
were next shown the consolidated
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. room. Here the
entire correspondence relating to
more than million orders and from
more than a million subscribers is
handled by four letter readers, who
determine what is to be said in reply
to all letters, and by four typists who
write the letters. In this room are
also the photograph and Monograph
machines, which turn out the process
letters.
The guests then inspected the
proofreaders' room and afterwards
saw the advertising and circulation
headquarters, department which is
in effect clearing house for all de-
partments.
The visitors were taken next to the
top floor of the new building, where
they were shown the enormous con-
crete room where, in steel cases, held
securely in steel trays, are more than
a million and a half of stencils. most
of them representing Comfort sub
scribers. The trays fit into the mail
ing machines in such way that the
stencils are not handled except by
machine from the time they are
placed in the trays until the sub
scription has expired and the stem
ellis are removed.
The next room visited was that N
which the stencils are cut, by nine
electric machines. To deaden the
noise of these machines the floors
and walls have been fitted with No
Noise treatment--a combination of
felt, air space and tightly stretched
cotton cloth that deadens I. e noise
apd eliminates the reverberations.
The next department visited was
the big room in which all the sub
scriptions are handled and where
they are ultimately filed in steel
cases. In this room more than a
million subscriptions orders are
handled each year.
A feature of this room is the edu-
cational department, where all new
employees are Systematically trained
in the work which they are going to
perform.
The visitors then descended to the
second floor and visited first the
room where all outgoing mail, ex-
cept magazines. is handled. This
room is especially equipped TO handle
large mailings and contains two
automatic envelope sealers and a big
folding machine, for mechanically
folding letters. This department has
handled as many as 100000 letters in
one mailing.
= Next to this room is the confer
ence room, set aside for conferences
Of department heads
The journey of the plant wound up
/ in the spacious and beautifully dec
GRATED and furnished girls rest room
This room is plentifully supplied with
/ couches, chairs and cushions and Is
for the use Of all the girls at any
time, but is especially popular
| through the noon hour and during
the recesses. which are 10 minutes
morning and afternoon through the
winter months and 20 minutes morn
ing and afternoon through the rest
of the year. The rest room is equip
ped not only with piano and grapha
phone but also with tables, chairs
and electric cooking equipment for
the especial use of the girls who
| bring lunches.
1t can hardly be doubted that any
visitor left the plant without a feel
ing of pride that a city tucked away
in the far corner of the United States
could house a magazine with more
than a million subscribers located
throughout the entire nation and
that it was housed in such a build
, ing and that it boasted such a per-
sonnet of employees, so comfortably
| housed, SO well looked out for and
working. so efficiently under such
ideal conditions.
4