A METHOD, MODE, CONTRIVANCE, OR MANAGEMENT TO CHECK THE HONESTY OF OMNIBUS CONDUCTORS, AND OTHER. RECEIVERS OF MONEY UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES, TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR TO THEIR EMPLOYERS, WITHOUT MACHINE OR MECHANICAL APPLIANCE
Year: 1857

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Andrew Steinmetz at the Offic
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th February
1857.
I, ANDREW STEINMETZ, Barrister-at-Law, of the Middle Temple, & 20,.
Edith Villas, North End, Fulham, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A METHOD, MODE, CONTRIVANCE,
OR MANAGEMENT TO CHECK THE HONESTY OF OMNIBUS CONDUCTORS, AND OTHER.
RECEIVERS OF MONEY UNDER SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES, TO BE ACCOUNTED FOR TO
THEIR EMPLOYERS, WITHOUT MACHINE OR MECHANICAL APPLIANCE," to be as
follows:-
The issuing of "tickets" is of course common and in use; but my Invention
goes much further in form, matter, and result. Let each omnibus conductor,
or other person in similar circumstances, be provided with a certain known
number of tickets, papers, tokens, or anything of the sort for the purpose,
bearing date of day and name of conductor, &c., and purporting upon the face-
of them a gurantee by the party or parties issuing them to be of a certain
value from the lowest upwards, according to circumstances; which tickets, &c.
so given for such purpose, shall, on presentation to the company, proprietor, or
proprietors, or other persons employing the employed in such circumstances, .
be exchanged by the company or others aforesaid for certain value guranteed in

page_text: the current coin of the realm, or in commodity,, ware, or merchandise. A ticket
or token, &c. as aforesaid is. to be given to each passenger or person paying
the fare or other money, to, be accounted for by the conductor or other receiver
of money, and the ticket, token, &c. as aforesaid to be of certain value to the
receiver of the same.
I claim the rendering such ticket, token, paper, &c. as aforesaid valuable to
the holder for the purpose in view in the mode specified, the principle, method,.
or process being carried into practice by the tangible means described.
Thus, in the case of an omnibus conductor, let the company or proprietors
provide the conductor with tickets as described guaranteed to be of the value,
say, of one halfpenny, with name of conductor, or by number, and date of day,
&c. Each passenger knowing its positive value will demand the ticket, which,.
supposing him to make twelve journeys a week, will enable him to save six-
pence per week, a matter of consideration to most persons who travel by
omnibus. The public will thus be induced by the motive of gain, the strongest
motive of common humanity, to co-operate and ensure the honesty of con-
ductors and others in similar circumstances.
The conductor must account in full payment for every such ticket which he
does not return to his employers after each journey, the respective date of the
tickets given to the public preventing a subsequent substitution; indeed,
unless the public purposely lend themselves to aid & abet fraud in the em-
ployed to their own loss, almost an impossible infatuation, this contrivance
must be sure and completely effective. The strong probability of being thus
detected at any moment will alone be sufficient to ensure the honesty of
common minds in such circumstances.