New Britain herald., 1922-01-05

for additional turnover that IL has gained for itself, but II ls obvious that Inc added nsnhle time which has mus been created gives the concern lheA opportunity to accomplish proportion ate results in profits,
 "'Rut, you will say that is all very pretty, hut it means consider able expense in telographing, and letter represents only the cost or e-oent stamp. Let ug see. The average charge for telegram Ill the United States taking messages or all elasses-telograms day letters nlghl letters and night messages-ls aboul 60 cents, What does II cost to Wfl'e n letter? II costs the time oi the ale- tator. the time of the stenoerapher' The office boys time and the postage, not to speak of the incidental over head charges.
 7c Per Letter.
 "An actual study of wide scope shows that q low average stehoeFaph'c cost is 7c per letter. the office pos' stationery and postage represent ae, and the total cost of letter depehds aupon how much Is to be added 10 these factors to represent the value CT tho lime of the dictator. If he be a s3,000 man, his time IS "orln el" n day, on the basis of 300 hnslhess days a year, or say $1.2o an honr' II he dictates 10 letters per hour, ms time devoted to those letters repre- sents 12e per letter We would nave in that case, therefore, adding the l2e. to the 1le for stenographer, sta- tionery. mailing and postage expense, 4 total of 23c per letter. If the dlc- tstor be a s6,00O man. his time rep resents 25c per letter; if he be q slu'- GOO man, 40c per letter: and II ne De s15,ooo man 6oc per letter. It IS unnet. osary for present' purposes to go further up the scale. According to the value of the time of the man who does the dictating, the total cost so far as I have gone, runs from 23c to Tic per letter.
 "I do not like to deal with dry fig ures any more than you do, but II IS difficult to avoid this little explana- ation, because it is necessary to meet Lthe question of cost which most nat urally will arise in your minds.
 "Of course we cannot measure the value of things by what they cost. Even if there were a very substan- tial difference between the cost of the letter and the telegram, it would only be an infinitesimal fraction of what the additional useful time that you can create for yourself is worth-not to speak of the other familiar char acteristics of the telegraph which have a value of their own; namely,
 Its attention - compelling quality which compels action, and quick ac- tion, on the part of the addressee;
 "The fact that it goes directly to the man whom you intend to reach and does not pass through the hands of multitude of clerks or get sidetracked on the desk of some minor employe;
 "The fact that it always finds its place at the top of the pile of mail and receives consideration before everything else; r&
 And with particular reference to nights rest and clear for the recep- es your customer or correspondent at the beginning of his business day, when his mind is fresh after the nights rest and clear for the recap | tion of new impressions, and when he is not harassed by the trials and anx-
 eties which accumulate during the | business day.
 After all, these latter points are really another story. What l have tried to confine myself to is the single helpful suggestion for the saving of time which I have felt justified in offering because ] know that there is not business man in this country who is not ambitious to accomplish the greatest measure of success which he can make possible for himself, and because it is my good fortune to have been in 8 position to observe what the telegraph has accomplished for those who have been wise enough to make a large use of it as a substi- tute for the mails not in emergencies only but in the orderly dayby-day | transaction of business"