The Bismarck tribune., 1928-08-21
TABULAT0R USE
WARRANTED BY
IT'S EFFICI ENCY
Electric Device Cost $2,6C5. IA
fer II Months, Not Five
Months
tS USED UNIVERSALLY
ii0tcy Vehicle, Compensation
and h!ca.ih Bureaus NeTA
Machine
8 USED UNIVERSALLY

report on the state highway depart
ment is "eith>r naive or malicious,
J. J. Ermatinger. highway commits
sion secretary, denie' its accuracy
In statement issued today.
Lund is the examiner employed by
the state board Of auditors and his
reports are state documents.
Ermatinger's charge that Lund's
report Is inaccurate deals with the
auditors statement that the Hol.
lerith tabulating machine 10 an un.
necessary expense and costs $2.605.44
for five months Of operation. ex.
elusive Of labor. Ermatinger said
the figures which Lund mentioned
in his report cover the cost Of the
machine for IL months of operation
instead Of five months and declares
it to bA apparent that Lund is in
terested in discrediting the work
done by the tabulating machine.
The machine in question is used
by the highway department in COM
piling statistical data. It operates
by electricity and makes tabulations
from record cards which are passed
through it. The data for any given
job is contained on . card by means
Of a punch and a code. A hole
punched IN the card. ct a particular
place means certain thing. The
machine sorts these cards, and can
sort, count and list the data from
thousands Of cards IN 4 single day.
In his report Lund said that the
business Of the department was not
sufficiently large to warrant use Of
the machine. Ermatinger contends
that tho business 10 not only large
enough to justify use Of the machine
but that the machine is enabling the
department to replace guess work
with facts in its operation.
In his statement, issued today,
Ermatinger said:
&C. B. Lund. in his audit report
Of the state highway department,
makes severe criticism Of the use by
this department Of the Hollerith
tabulatin9 machines.
Not Well Informed
"Mr. Lund's criticism is inaccur.
ate and his comments disclose that
he is not wei! informed on the sub
iect. However, we welcome hid
criticisms. laundering as they are
because it offers opportunity "a
show what this machine does and
row its business practices are beina
mn~oved.
"r'he Hollerit':. tabulators wer.
Installed in July. 1927, and not II
January, 1923, As Mr.. Lund saws
They have been in, use ever since. 1
,eriod Of IL months to the date o,
Mr. Lund's audit report of Nav 81
That is Just another mistake on nj,
BART. The figures cover IL month";
# operation.
1T is true that this machine Il
eased from its owners and that th@
department. pays . rental charge
These machines cannot BE- bought
hundreds Of them are in use BY thu
ederal government, private 5usi
less firms and departments Of othe,
tate governments. They are leaset
'etause it 10 impossible to buy them
n that respect we are no different
rom the federal government.
"Mr. Lund il wrong again. how
yer. when he says we must pay /,
srvics charge. Like other state de-
artments we do pay servic,
harge on adding and calculatina
iachines-but not on the Holleritl
evices.
ut appears that for some reason
est known TO himself, Mr.. Lunt
vas very eager 20 discredit the us,
( these machines. In any event Ia
hargee the full time Of two clerks
hose combined salaries total S2o(
month to the operation Of the cal
ulator. A careful auditor wcult
erify his Impressions instead o,
lmpjn1 20 conclusions q Mr.. Iunt
ID. He got his idea Of cost fYon
20 titles given these two clerka
.pparentIy hs neither asked for IN
srmatjon regarding their work q,
bserved their work closely himseif
scaute the fact 10 that each clerI
ives leos than . quarter Of his tim,
the operation Of this machine. 4
difficulty Therefore, to say Il Mr.
uhde charge Il merely naive or da
berataly malicious. At any rat,
il inaceurate.
Calls Audit Joke
"Mr. Lnnd'1 comment that 4 clerl
svotin9 half Z month to our Goa
counting at . cost not TO >xce&t
'6 pr month can produce the sam,
suits - the machines or rive thi,
'partment the information Il needs
ereiy shows an amazing lack o,
iowledge on Mr.. Lund's part. I,
audit reports were not seriou,
'siness Il would rank % I Joke ans
good one.
"F1ere are fewof the maintenanc,
ports produced by the machines:
II. Class and item reports 81
npleted operations, giving the cos,
cutting WEEDS, smoothing roat
~face, cleaning culverts, repairs
hWay marking, ETC., Tor each OF 4:
rent items.
4a Commc Atty reports shown,
s11s Of labor. materials, machine re
RS. ETC.. and their cost Of 86 dif
rent items. These reports are AZ
led by nix divisions, central Office
% the total for the state for th.
irreht month and the cumulativ,
til tor tho year 70 date. II als<
Nes tn per-Inile cost Il eLch item
ID permits comparisono Of the cos
] aach jtom RON month - month
s |6 yo4e 70 year. These reports q
- highway eommission monthly
Ne - setting thu following re,
81 ~ lu0Be14W:
y. - s1ei 81 highway main.
nn1o ~ noQnf3ook.