UC-NRLF 
 
 SB 2M3 Dlfl 
 
 BUSINESS 
 
 SHORTCUTS 
 
 ARRANGED BY THE BOARD OF EXPERTS 
 OF THE BUSINESS MAN'S MAGAZINE AND 
 THE BOOK-KEEPER, DETROIT, MICHIGAN 
 
SIFT 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 HENRY RAND HATFIELD 
 MEMORIAL COLLECTION 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 FRIENDS IN THE ACCOUNTING 
 
 PROFESSION 
 
THE OFFICE LIBRARY 
 
 BUSINESS 
 SHORT CUTS 
 
 Accounting Advertising 
 
 Book-keeping Correspondence 
 Card Indexing Management 
 
 Compiled by 
 
 The Board of Experts of 
 
 The Book- Keeper and 
 
 Business Man's 
 
 Magazine 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 The Book- Keeper Publishing Co., Ltd. 
 
 DETROIT, MICH., U. S. A. 
 1904 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, 
 in the year 1904, by 
 
 THE BOOK-KEEPER PUBLISHING CO., LTD. 
 DETROIT, MICHIGAN 
 
 In the office of the Librarian of Congress. 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 Thb Book-Keefer Press 
 
 DETROIT, MICH. 
 
HFS3S-C 
 81 
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 TO THE 
 
 OFFICE MEN OF AMERICA 
 
 WITH THE HOPE THAT 
 THESE LITTLE 
 
 HINTS AND HELPS 
 
 WILL MAKE IT 
 
 EASIER 
 
 — The Board of Experts. 
 
 M513286 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2007 with funding from 
 
 Microsoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/businessshortcutOOdetrrich 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Rules for Locating Errors in Trial Balances. 
 
 i. Look carefully through the Trial Balance to see 
 if a balance has been omitted, or has been entered on the 
 wrong side. 
 
 2. Do not look through your postings to see if you 
 can find the amount of the error unposted, unless you 
 think you are familiar with such an amount. The re- 
 quired difference is generally made up of two or more 
 errors. 
 
 3. Divide the amount of the difference by nine. If 
 it is so divisible, it is probably a transposition or a slide; 
 and in the latter case the posting to be looked for can be 
 ascertained by the following process: Amount of error, 
 $43.56-^9=4.84-1-11=44. Look for $44.00 posted as 44 
 cents. This error is called a "double slide." 
 
 4. If the difference is $18.00, look for $42.00 posted 
 as $24.00; $31.00 posted as $13.00; $35.00 posted as $53.00, 
 etc. 
 
 5. If the difference is $27.00, look for $47.00 posted 
 as $74.00; $14.00 posted as $41.00, $36.00 posted as $63, 
 etc. 
 
 6. If transpositions do not apply, look through the 
 ledger for a balance omitted from the trial balance. 
 
 7. Look for an account closed but not ruled off, so 
 that last month's balance has been taken again this month. 
 
 8. If the difference is an even number, it may be 
 a debit posted as a credit, or a credit posted as a debit. 
 
 9. If the difference is 1 cent, or 10 cents, or $1.00, 
 the error is almost certain to be in addition or subtrac- 
 tion in drawing off the balances. 
 
 10. Check the footings of the trial balance, and the 
 carrying of the totals to the recapitulation sheet. 
 
 11. Scan the folio columns of all books of original 
 entry to see if any posting has been omitted. 
 
6 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 12. See that you have not forgotten to include in 
 the trial balance the balance of cash account. 
 
 13. Look for some small account ruled off during 
 the month to show a balance, but no balance brought 
 down. 
 
 14. Carefully check over your sundry accounts re- 
 ceivable, and notes receivable accounts, as these two 
 accounts are prolific sources of error. 
 
 15. If all these efforts to locate the difference are 
 fruitless, check the additions of the ledger accounts, and 
 the drawing off of the balances. 
 
 16. Proceed to check the postings as follows: On 
 a sheet of paper take off from the ledger the credit post- 
 ings of cash, using a separate column for each week. 
 Foot the columns, ascertain the grand total, and compare 
 it with the total called for by the cash book. 
 
 17. If the totals do not agree, compare the totab 
 by weeks in order to locate the difference. 
 
 18. If the totals agree, draw off the debit cash post- 
 ings in like manner. 
 
 19. Also the journal debit postings and credit post- 
 ings. 
 
 20. If these all agree, draw off the postings to the 
 ledger from the sales book, and compare total with total 
 of sales book. 
 
 21. It is supposed that the cash book and journal 
 are self-proving so far as footings are concerned, but if 
 the totals of postings from the sales book and the total of 
 the sales book footings differ, the footings must be 
 checked. 
 
 22. If a purchase book, or any other auxiliary record 
 is kept, treat it in the same manner. 
 
 23. During the above checking process the error, or 
 errors, must inevitably be located, and it is quicker and 
 surer than checking individual postings, especially if the 
 postings are "called off" to the book-keeper. 
 
 24. Also the error may be located in the cash book, 
 or whichever book may be checked first, which will ob- 
 viate the labor of checking anything else. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 7 
 
 25. The above method of detecting errors is based 
 on the supposition that the book-keeper keeps his ledger 
 in good order, and distinguishes his postings from dif- 
 ferent books. If the book-keeper is a careless man, no 
 rules are any good to him, and he must be left entirely 
 to his own devices. 
 
 26. In drawing off the above analysis of the ledger, 
 check each amount with a different colored pencil for 
 each book from which postings are made. This greatly 
 facilitates the detection of errors, and enables the book- 
 keeper to keep exact track of what he is doing. 
 
 2j. THE PREVENTION OF ERRORS is more 
 important to the book-keeper than their detection when 
 made. The following rules will be found efficient and 
 satisfactory : 
 
 28. Divide your ledger into alphabetical, or terri- 
 torial, sections, as may be most convenient. 
 
 29. Have your cash book and cross-entry journal 
 ruled with separate columns for each section. 
 
 30. Have your sales book ruled with separate col- 
 umns for each ledger section. 
 
 31. In taking off your trial balance put down debits 
 for the month in one column, credits for the month in 
 another column, and the balances in a third column. 
 
 32. Foot all these columns and get separate totals 
 for each section of the ledger. 
 
 33. We will suppose that the ledger is divided as 
 follows: City (A-K), County (L-Z), Creditors, General. 
 
 34. Add together totals of cash debit column, city; 
 journal credit column, city, and the result should equal 
 total of city section of ledger credits. 
 
 35. Add together sales book debits, city; journal 
 debits, city; cash book credits, city (if any), and the 
 result should equal total of city section of ledger debits. 
 
 36. The other sections of the ledger will be checked 
 in like manner. 
 
 37. Thus the ledger can be easily proved in detail. 
 An error can be at once located in the particular section 
 in which it occurs, and quickly traced. 
 
8 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 38. Make a check mark in folio column against 
 items not to be posted. Where the lines are left blank, it 
 frequently happens that a ledger folio is placed on the 
 wrong line, and a wrong amount consequently posted. 
 
 39. If a difference occurs, the dollars and cents of 
 which when added together make 18, cut off the cents, 
 add 1 to the dollars and this amount will generally be 
 found to be posted as dollars instead of cents, and vice 
 versa. 
 
 40. If a sales book is used containing a credit col- 
 umn for returns and allowances, carefully note that all 
 credits have been entered in the proper column. 
 
 41. Where order blanks are used errors are very 
 liable to occur in the recapitulation made for the purpose 
 of obtaining the total to post to the credit of sales account. 
 
 42. Where a book-keeper is unable to induce his 
 employer to procure for him columnar cash books, jour- 
 nals, and sales books, I would recommend him to employ 
 the Slip System of Reverse Posting, as by this means he 
 can attain the same end. 
 
 43. Let him prepare a sheet of paper ruled with 
 columns as described above and place it on his desk at 
 the side of his ledger. 
 
 44. When he posts a city sales debit to the ledger 
 he will then also post the amount in the column provided 
 for the purpose on his sheet of paper. 
 
 45. The advantage of this method is that the work 
 can be proved each day without taking off the balances 
 from the ledger. 
 
 46. By this method, at the end of the month the 
 book-keeper has ONLY ONE DAY'S WORK TO 
 PROVE instead of the work for the whole month. 
 
 47. The trial balance can therefore be obtained be- 
 fore leaving the office on the last day of the month. 
 
 A FEW RULES FOR LOCATING ERRORS ON SPECIALLY 
 RULED ACCOUNT BOOKS, ETC. 
 
 49. On columnar cash books and journals look for 
 amounts which should have been entered in special non- 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 9 
 
 posting columns, but which have been entered in a ledger 
 column and not posted. 
 
 50. On Safeguard ledgers look for balances which 
 have been transferred without a journal entry. 
 
 51. Where ledgers are separated into sales, pur- 
 chase, and general ledgers, look for sales which have 
 been posted to accounts in the purchase or general led- 
 gers. 
 
 52. Where the Goldman check figure is used look 
 for double slides as described in Rule 3. 
 
 53. Also look for transpositions like the following. 
 $425 posted as $524. 
 
 54. Last, but not least. Remember that a little care 
 in posting will balance ten nights' work put in to find 
 the error. 
 
 General Rules for the Detection of Transpositions 
 of Dollars and Cents. 
 
 SOME pointers showing how to find if an error is 
 the result of a transposition of figures, and if so to 
 determine what the figures are which have been 
 transposed. 
 
 All errors, where the figures when added together 
 amount to 9 or nines, may be a transposition of figures 
 and unless the amount is as above stated, then we may 
 be certain it is not a transposition. Take the sum of 
 $31.50. The 3 and 1 and 5 equals nine. The ques- 
 tion therefore is: What amount posted into the wrong 
 columns would produce this error? 
 
 Rule : Divide the error by 9, and the quotient is the 
 only amount that could produce the given error that way. 
 
 To explain: $31.50 divided by 9 is $3.50, and $35.00 
 posted as $3.50 would show a difference of just $31.50, 
 and therefore we would look for 35 posted into the 
 wrong columns. This kind of an error is quite likely to 
 occur — generally, however, with one figure instead of 
 three. It may happen in footing any column of the 
 
10 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 ledger or any of the books posted into it, or even in 
 footing the trial balance. 
 
 Suppose, for instance, that the ledger footing of 
 debits showed $54.00 too much, 5 and 4 are 9, which 
 shows it may be a transposition. 
 
 Now for the figures that have been transposed: 
 $54.00 divided by 9 is 6, and as the ledger has too much 
 posted to it, $6.00 has been posted or footed as $60.00. 
 
 There is another kind of transposition where both 
 figures have been transposed. 
 
 For instance, take this same error of $54.00 too much 
 again, to find what figures being both transposed will pro- 
 duce it. 
 
 Rule: Divide the error by 9, and the quotient is 
 equal to the left hand figure, less the right hand one. 
 
 Now $54.00 divided by 9 equals 6, therefore 71, 82 
 or 93, are the only numbers of two figures, where the 
 left hand figure exceeds the right hand one by 6; if the 
 error ($54.00 over) is produced by both figures being 
 transposed, we may be certain it is one of the above 
 changed from 17, 28 or 39; but if the ledger footing, in- 
 stead of being too much had been found to be too small, 
 then the greater number has been transposed to the 
 smaller one. In case there is a transposition of three 
 figures, then the middle figure of the error will always 
 be a 9, and the two outside figures will, when added to- 
 gether, always amount to a 9. Thus 125 transposed is 
 521, the difference is 396, and that is the apparent error. 
 
 Now to find the real error, pay no attention to the 
 middle figure, but place the first and last figures together 
 thus: 36, and dividing by 9, we have 4, and then if the 
 error is an excess, or too large we know that the true 
 error, or the real figures which have been transposed, 
 are such that the left hand figure exceeds the right hand 
 one by 4 and must be 51, 62, 73, 84 or 95, but the quickest 
 way to find the error is to look through the books we 
 have posted from for a number having three figures, and 
 the left hand one exceeds the right one by 4. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 11 
 
 TRANSPLACEMENT OF FIGURES. 
 
 Rule to find whether an error is, or is not caused 
 by posting dollars into the cents column, and if so, how 
 to find the dollars that have been posted in this way. 
 
 Rule— First. All of the figures of an error of this 
 nature, when added together will make a 9, or multiple 
 of 9. If they do not it is certain it cannot be an error of 
 this kind; if they do, it is almost equally certain it is. 
 
 Example: $71.00 posted 71 cents — error $70.29, 
 added together equals 18 which is a multiple of 9. 
 
 Second — To ascertain the amount in dollars that will 
 make the error, when posted (as shown in the example.) 
 Take the cents of the error from imaginary ciphers, and 
 the remainder will be the dollars that have been posted 
 wrong. 
 
 ILLUSTRATION. 
 $71.00 posted 71 bents, error $70.29, equals 18. 
 
 Deduct from ciphers 00 
 
 the cents of the error 70.29 
 
 Therefore $71 
 
 has been posted 71 cents. 
 
 $93.00 posted 93 cents, error $92.07, equals 18. 
 
 .00 
 92.07 
 
 $93. 
 has been posted as 93 cents. 
 
 $81.00 posted 81 cents, error $80.19, equals 18. 
 
 .00 
 80.19 
 
 $81. 
 has been posted 81 cents. 
 
 $60.00 posted 60 cents, error $59.40, equals 18. 
 
 .00 
 59.40 
 
 $60. 
 has been posted 60 cents. 
 
 How to Detect Transpositions. 
 
 IT is somewhat surprising to learn that a list can be 
 made of no less than 504 transpositions of two and 
 three figures, besides possibilities of double and indi- 
 rect transpositions which appear to be almost unlimited. 
 It is comparatively common to hear of cases where 
 $10 has been posted as 10 cents (this is a transposition, 
 
12 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 $10.00 being posted as 00.10), $1.18 as $1.81, or 59 cents 
 as 95 cents, but few of us have ever considered the possi- 
 bility of the transformation of 6453 into 3456. 
 
 A difference divisible by 9 infers a transposition. 
 That such a difference does not necessarily indicate this 
 class of error may be illustrated by the example of post- 
 ing $10.90 as $10, being an omission of 90c. In this cas? 
 the book-keeper would probably waste considerable time 
 looking for $1 posted as 10c, $5.40 as $4.50, etc. 
 
 This indicates that in some cases it is impossible to 
 distinguish transpositions from omissions. 
 
 The rules governing the detection of transpositions 
 in British book-keeping are so different as to excite inter- 
 est in the student of mathematical curiosities. The 
 "wonderful figure nine" cuts no figure in the business, 
 substitutes being found under varying conditions in tke 
 figures 19, 11 and 30. 
 
 The examples furnished by our correspondent follow: 
 
 £■ 
 
 s. 
 
 d. 
 
 14 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 2 17 
 
 In the above transposition the error would be £2 17s. 
 
 In all transpositions of pounds and shillings, the 
 addition of pounds and shillings of the difference is 19. 
 
 The above is 2-1-17=19. 
 
 To find error reduce to shillings £2 17=57 shillings. 
 Divide 57 by 19 which gives 3. Look for an item of which 
 one amount is three higher than the other. 
 
 In the above 14 is 3 higher than 11. 
 s. d. 
 
 8 3 
 
 3 8 
 
 4 7 
 
 In the above transposition the error would be 4s. 7d. 
 
 In all transpositions of shillings and pence, the addi- 
 tion of the shillings and pence of the difference is 11. 
 
 The above is 4-\~7=ii. 
 
 To find error reduce to pence 4s. 7d.=55 pence. 
 Divide 55 by 11 which gives 5. Look for an item of 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 13 
 
 which one amount is 5 higher than the other. In above 8 
 is 5 higher than 3. 
 
 £. s. d. 
 
 7 G 2 
 
 2 6 7 
 
 i 19 7 
 
 In the above the pounds, shillings and pence are 
 transposed. 
 
 In such cases the addition of the pounds, shillings 
 and pence of the difference will amount to 30. 
 
 The above thus 4+19-1-7=30. 
 
 In such transposition the shillings are always 19. 
 
 To find error reduce to pence 4. 19. 7=1195 pence. 
 Divide by 239 which gives 5. Look for item of which the 
 pounds or pence is 5 higher than other. 
 
 In above 7 is 5 higher than 2. 
 
 Labor Saving Method for Obtaining 
 Trial Balances. 
 
 customers' ledger. 
 
 ENTER only page number and amounts in the trial 
 balance, and instead of taking totals of debits and 
 credits, or the balance of each account, take merely 
 the amounts posted during the month. In this way 
 dormant accounts are ignored and the actual work of the 
 month is proved. The trial balance in this way will show 
 the total debits and credits for the month, and will be 
 agreed with the total debits and credits posted to the 
 Customers' ledger controlling account carried in the 
 general ledger. The advantages of this plan may be 
 summarized as follows: 
 
 1. I find that it insures accuracy, as very little add- 
 ing or subtracting is necessary. 
 
 2. I find that it saves nearly 50 per cent of time, 
 as all accounts not active during the month, are easily 
 passed over, the eyes searching merely for the month 
 in the date-column, instead of comparing debits with 
 credits, therefore more resting to the eyes. 
 
14 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 3. Absolute proof that proper amount of debits and 
 credits have been made. 
 
 4. It proves the addition of special columns bearing 
 any relation to Customers' ledger. 
 
 5. If an error exists, it points out whether debit or 
 credit or both and gives you the exact amount of such 
 error or errors. 
 
 6. It proves that the proper month has been entered 
 in the date column of any charge or credit. 
 
 Lightning Addition. 
 
 A RECENT work on Higher Arithmetic says: "In 
 computing, book-keepers whose business leads to 
 rapid addition, omit much that would seem neces- 
 sary to the ordinary student, and not infrequently add 
 two columns at once, a power gained only by practice in 
 their profession." It is undoubtedly the aim of every 
 book-keeper and office man to attain a high rate of speed 
 in addition, coupled with accuracy, and various methods 
 have been devised to facilitate both speed and accuracy. 
 While methods for effecting accuracy will be considered 
 under the h£ad of "check figure," etc., those which relate 
 to attaining speed in addition may appropriately be con- 
 sidered here. 
 
 The most common method used and recommended 
 by experts in this line is the learning of combinations of 
 figures, so that 9+8+7, for instance, will be read as 24 
 by one operation of the mind. Thus, in reading, we do 
 not say O+N+E equals ONE; neither should we say 
 9+8+7 equals 24. 
 
 Numerous tables have been prepared to aid the stu- 
 dent in making himself thoroughly familiar with the vari- 
 ous combinations of numbers, and in Soule's Philosophi- 
 cal and Practical Mathematics are given extensive drill 
 tables which should be found of great assistance. Drill 
 tables are also constructed on cards, each card bearing a 
 combination of two or more figures. By shuffling and 
 reshuffling these cards the drill exercises are con- 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 15 
 
 and reshuffling these cards the drill exercises are con- 
 stantly varied, which is certainly an advantage eover 
 printed tables where the relative position of the combina- 
 tions never changes. 
 
 The dropping of tens is also frequently used by 
 experts who keep account of the tens dropped in a column 
 with the fingers of the left hand. It requires considerable 
 practice to become efficient with this device, and at first 
 the frequent miscalculation of the number of tens dropped 
 will be apt to discourage the student. Another method of 
 dropping tens which will perhaps be better for beginners 
 to use is to place a dot against the figure where the ten is 
 dropped, Thus : 
 
 4 
 5. 
 6 
 
 Another method in considerable favor is the group- 
 ing of figures above io and under 20. By this method 
 8-J-7 becomes 10+5. While this particular principle does 
 not appear to be entitled to much credit in single column 
 addition, there is no doubt of its usefulness in double col- 
 umn addition. In the following example the operator adds 
 both columns by the following process: 
 
 46 
 83 
 27 
 84 
 76 
 
 266 
 
 46+80+3+20+7+30+4+70+6 
 
 which he reads: 46, 126, 129, 149, 156, 186, 190, 260, 266. 
 Proficiency in this method will soon enable the stu- 
 dent to add double columns without separating each num- 
 ber as above shown, the mental process becoming practi- 
 cally instantaneous. 
 
16 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 17 
 
 Labor Saving Method of Recording Bank Depos- 
 its and Check Withdrawals. 
 
 THIS method entirely does away with the check stub 
 and check register, and the book may be described 
 as a bank cash book. 
 
 The checks are handsomely lithographed showing 
 the trade-mark and firm name, also containing a voucher 
 record which must be properly signed, otherwise, the 
 bank upon which check is drawn will not accept it. 
 These checks are printed four or five in a pad, padded 
 at the bottom — numbers running from top to bottom, 
 thus rendering it very easy to draw checks as you can 
 draw four or five without having to detach them each 
 time. 
 
 The cash book is ruled in order to show the dis- 
 tribution of the various accounts of the checks drawn, 
 also showing any deduction, as discount, etc., and the 
 net amount of check together with check number. These 
 numbers are put in from time to time using a numbering 
 machine in order to have same uniform and clear and 
 distinct. 
 
 As soon as the check is drawn, the entry is made 
 in the cash book opposite the number of the check, and 
 proper distribution of the amount drawn is made. Foot- 
 ings are always made when cashier has drawn the 
 checks. For instance, he draws fifty checks at once: the 
 footings will be made at the end of the fifty, or if he 
 draws one check, the new footing will be carried down. 
 The total footings appears in red ink for the debits and 
 black ink for the credits on the credit side, and red ink 
 for the credits and black ink for the debits on the debit 
 side. 
 
 Receipts are entered as soon as received; — the total 
 of each day or of each mail being carried out into the 
 deposit column. Deposit is made daily or every other 
 day, and it is very easy to check these against the bank 
 book at the end of the month. 
 
 You will note from sketch that ruling is designed to 
 
IS 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 19 
 
 show the different accounts credited less whatever deduc- 
 tions are made by the remitters. The difference between 
 the amount of the deposit column on the debit side and 
 the amount of the check column on the credit side, 
 always shows the bank balance, so that the management, 
 at any time, can look into the cash book and find this 
 balance carried out at the side. Also just what remit- 
 tances are coming in and what checks are being paid and 
 notice how the amounts are distributed. 
 
 At the end of the month, the totals of the different 
 columns are posted to the various accounts in the gen- 
 eral ledger without making journal entry. 
 
 This sytem is now taking care of between four and 
 five hundred checks a month and the larger the business, 
 the more time is savea in the entries and convenience 
 of having everything in the one book. 
 
 In case accounts are kept with different banks, it 
 would be a very simple matter to enlarge the cash book 
 so as to provide columns on the debit and credit side for 
 the deposit items sent to the different banks and to take 
 care of the checks as 'drawn, and showing the numbers. 
 These checks, of course, can be the same with the excep- 
 tion of having them printed on different colored paper 
 and showing the name of the different banks. 
 
 The cash book we are describing, contains five hun- 
 dred pages, size 14x17, leaving wide binding space. 
 
 Method Devised for Record of Instalment 
 Collections. 
 
 WHERE instalments are to be collected a card 
 is made out, as per example, giving in conveni- 
 ent form the lease, date, number, name, address, 
 deposit, and promised weekly payment, also in pencil 
 the amount of merchandise charged. Payments are put 
 down by the collector as made and reported each day to 
 the book-keeper. It frequently happens that payments 
 are made at the office, and for convenience of finding 
 the card in the collector's bunch a hole is cut in the side 
 
20 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 21 
 
 in a certain position which signifies the initial of the 
 customer's name, both side edges of the card being re- 
 served for these alphabetical indexes. The top edge 
 of the card is reserved for similar cuts, referring to the 
 north, south, east and west quarters of the city, the bot- 
 tom edge cut in indicating various surrounding towns. 
 These cuts are preferable to projecting tabs, for the 
 reason that such tabs would break off in the collector's 
 pocket. 
 
 An Up-to-Date Cash Book. 
 
 THE accompanying illustration of cash book em- 
 bodies several features which seem to have some 
 degree of merit. 
 
 As in the customary form of cash book, columns are 
 provided for the accounts requiring frequent entries. 
 However, in the form shown, accounts receivable is 
 omitted and discount on sales and amount received are 
 used for entering payments made by customers. The 
 net amount received and the discount allowed for any 
 item are posted separately to the proper account in the 
 sales ledger. Whether or not a certain customer takes 
 advantage of discounts is something a credit man often 
 wishes to know. The information can be gotten directly 
 from the personal account if the above method of post- 
 ing is used. As much as possible, ledger accounts should 
 show on the face the proper relation of the different 
 transactions involved. A system which does not provide 
 for this lacks an essential feature. When the cash book 
 is balanced the two columns mentioned are footed and 
 the same total is posted to the credit of accounts receiv- 
 able in the main ledger. 
 
 On the credit side a similar plan is adopted with 
 accounts payable. The net amounts paid and discounts 
 allowed are posted to the proper accounts in the purchase 
 ledger. When the voucher system is used the method is 
 still the same. The details of any item may be secured 
 from the voucher register. The sum of the two footings 
 
22 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 23 
 
 is posted to the debit of accounts payable, or vouchers 
 payable as the case may be. 
 
 Accountants generally agree that the bank account 
 should be closely allied to the cash book, and various 
 arrangements have been suggested from time to time by 
 which this combination might be made advantageously. 
 The form presented herewith seems to unite the two very 
 acceptably, and should work well in practice. It will be 
 noticed that the money columns are in one block, the 
 bank account occupying the middle part. This is made 
 possible by placing date and explanation columns on the 
 credit side to the extreme right. It is desirable that the 
 bank account occupies contiguous columns since deposits 
 and withdrawals are compared constantly and should 
 not be too widely separated. A column is also provided 
 for the bank balance by the use of which the book-keeper 
 has before him at all times the exact condition of the 
 bank account. It is scarcely necessary to explain the use 
 of the three columns. The amount deposited at any time 
 must always agree with the total of cash received since 
 the last deposit, less any discount or exchange. Cash 
 paid out is extended to the withdrawals column, the bal- 
 ance on hand appearing in the proper column. The bank 
 account is practically a duplicate of the work on the stub 
 of the check book, and the two are easily compared. 
 Errors are avoided which would otherwise be hard to 
 discover. Furthermore, the cash items on both sides of 
 the cash book are traced very readily to the bank account 
 and thus an intimate relationship between the two 
 accounts is established. 
 
 When the cash book is balanced the amount on hand 
 should be the same as the bank balance added to any 
 cash which is in the cash drawer at that time. 
 
 In carrying out these suggestions, the work of the 
 book-keeper is not increased to any great extent, while, 
 at the same time he has at a moment's notice correct 
 information concerning any feature of the cash account. 
 
24 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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 S3 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 25 
 
 Labor Saving Methods of Keeping Instalment 
 Accounts. 
 
 HAVE three copies made of the lease, making pro- 
 vision thereon for the instalments, date of pay- 
 ments, and balance due. 
 
 One of these leases would go to the customer, one 
 to the collector, and one to be put in a loose leaf binder 
 as the office record. The collector c- file his form in a 
 chronological index, filing it ahead to the day when col- 
 lection should be made. When collection is made he 
 enters the amount on both his and customer's copy, put- 
 ting down date of payment, amount, and balance due. 
 It might be well, perhaps, for the collector to note on 
 his and customer's copy, the date when next payment 
 should be made. On collector's return to the office, he 
 turns in the money and leases upon which he has col- 
 lected. Proper record is made in cash-book and credits 
 entered on the office lease or record. When payments 
 are completed, the office lease can be removed from the 
 binder and filed either numerically or alphabetically, or 
 in any other suitable way. If two kinds of filing of 
 collected leases would be desired, the collector's lease 
 could be filed in one way and the office lease in another. 
 
 Our next illustration is of a book ruled like a four 
 inch column cash book, one being provided for the busi- 
 ness of each year. 
 
 Two or more pages are allowed for each business 
 day in the year, the date being written at the top of 
 the page. 
 
 When a lease or note comes into the office an entry 
 is made for each payment falling due, under the cor- 
 responding date in this tickler. On one line the name 
 and address of purchaser, amount of payment, and inter- 
 est on payment are entered. These payments are car- 
 ried through as many years as lease runs. A tickler for 
 1906 is now in use. In this way all payments falling due 
 are always listed. Notices are sent from this book, which 
 contains all information regarding each payment, with- 
 
36 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 out reference to the ledger. In this business collections 
 are made, as far as possible, by correspondence, but a 
 collector would find his list made out on this book. 
 
 When a note is discounted the amount is carried out 
 in the third column of this book, and when an account 
 is canceled or paid before maturity the amount is car- 
 ried into the fourth column. The sum of the footings of 
 the two last columns, taken from the sum of the two first 
 columns gives exact sum which should be paid into the 
 business every day. 
 
 Labor Saving Method for Keeping Accounts 
 Receivable in an Ice Business. 
 
 EACH driver delivering ice has a regular route. After 
 the season is fairly opened, so that he knows who 
 are to be his regular customers, a list is made in 
 the order in which he calls upon them. A copy of this 
 list is inserted in his "slate," a metal frame holding the 
 
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 ■3 
 
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 May 
 
 June 
 
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 14- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 tftt.tftt 
 
 
 
 Dp 
 
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 fcal. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 lists and ruled slips on which he enters the weights of 
 ice delivered to each. Upon his return to the office the 
 weight slips are taken from the slate and blanks inserted 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 27 
 
 for the next day. The book-keeper takes from his card 
 ledger the group of cards representing the route and 
 posts the several weights to the proper cards in the space 
 provided for that day. On these cards, as will be seen 
 by the printed form here given, there is one space for 
 each day for six months. The month columns are headed 
 May to October, a period which covers most of the retail 
 ice sales. For those customers who take ice during the 
 other months of the year the card is turned over. The 
 other side is the same as this except' g the month head- 
 ings which read from November to April. At the end of 
 the month the weights are footed, and the value of the 
 ice delivered is entered in the space below headed "Dr." 
 Then monthly charges are listed and the total charged in 
 the journal to accounts receivable. When collections 
 on these accounts come in they are entered in the cash 
 book and the separate credits posted to these ledger 
 cards. At the end of each month the total of the ac- 
 counts receivable column in the cash book is passed to 
 the credit of the accounts receivable account. The balance 
 of this account is occasionally verified by a trial balance 
 of the card ledger. 
 
 Special Form for Customers' Ledger. 
 
 BY the method hereunder described a central column 
 is provided which, instead of recording the out- 
 standing balances of an account at any particular 
 period, records the amount of debits covered by various 
 settlements of account. 
 
 Let us consider the object of an account in the sales 
 ledger; its needs, and the best way to attain the required 
 results. 
 
 As the ledger is not an original book of entry, but 
 a convenient form of showing each customer's indebted- 
 ness, a page completed should not so much show the total 
 balance outstanding, as each particular item of debit 
 and credit still open. Therefore any arrangement enabling 
 us to ascertain the condition of an account, quicker than 
 
28 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 29 
 
 by the methods in common use, is a desirable improve- 
 ment. 
 
 Many of the card systems, now used, show the entire 
 balance due each month. This is of but little use, as very 
 few customers settle month by month; the majority of 
 payments being made to cover one bill or a group of 
 bills. 
 
 This conceded, it would seem that our object should 
 be to devise the ledger page, so as to show at a glance 
 the actual condition of an account, without bothering 
 with amounts already canceled by previous payments. 
 
 The aim of the Central Amount Column is, to avoid 
 long additions, to keep the records in compact form by 
 grouping the credits directly opposite to the debits in- 
 volved, and to balance as often as possible. 
 
 The idea consists of adding to the usual rulings of 
 the ledger, a central amount column placed between 
 the debits and credits, and of dividing the credit side into 
 three columns, viz.: cash — discount — allowance or re- 
 turns. 
 
 Whenever a consecutive number of debit items, be- 
 ginning from the top, are balanced by amounts in the 
 cash discount or return columns, the total is extended in 
 the central amount column, thus balancing the account 
 to that date. 
 
 In the example it will be observed that the first group 
 is not balanced until payment of January 15th. The first 
 settlement made January 10th only equaled the third and 
 fourth debits, therefore amount could not be extended in 
 central amount column before the first and second items 
 were paid. 
 
 In this first group the consecutive debits from the 
 top amount to $1,567.93, so do cash, discount and re- 
 turns, consequently the account is closed to that total. 
 
 As the above example stands, the customer owes 
 $843.27, $926.05 and $76.29, viz., the only items appear- 
 ing below the cross line. 
 
 If a red ink line is drawn under each amount in the 
 
30 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 central amount column, you are able to see at a glance 
 how the account stands; any figures below the red line 
 are open and those above closed. The time required to 
 draw the red lines, is more than made up by not having 
 to write by cash, by discount, by credit, etc. 
 
 As each payment is directly opposite to the items 
 covered by it, the information regarding promptness of 
 settlement is apparent. No forwarding necessary. When 
 a page is completed, keep right on until a section is made. 
 
 No large columns to add in making your trial bal- 
 ance, simply the figuring of live items. Another feature 
 is, that if an error occurs in your balance you are almost 
 certain that it is not in posting from the cash book, as 
 each payment has equaled the corresponding debits. 
 
 Figuring Percentages. 
 
 THE practice of figuring percentages of indirect 
 expense on gross sales is very often quite mis- 
 leading. The particular point is that the profit on 
 some kinds of goods in some departments of a business is 
 much greater than the profit on other lines in other de- 
 partments. If, therefore, the general expense is based on 
 gross sales the department making a large profit has to 
 bear a much larger relative proportion of indirect expense 
 than the department making a less profit, while at the 
 same time the latter department may actually require 
 more supervision and attention from the general offices 
 than the former. 
 
 Percentages should, in our opinion, be based on 
 turnover. We have illustrated turnover on several pre- 
 vious occasions. It is obtained by adding inventory at 
 commencement of period to purchases and productive 
 labor, and deducting inventory at close of period. The 
 result represents the cost of the goods sold. 
 
 Percentages based on amount of sales must neces- 
 sarily be variable, depending on the ratio of profit added 
 to make selling price. Percentages on cost will not fluc- 
 tuate with the fluctuations of profit, and will therefore 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 ai 
 
 4 
 
 £ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 1 
 
 
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 -a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 N A 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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32 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 be much more reliable and absolutely fair under all con- 
 ditions to all departments. 
 
 One of the advantages of basing percentages on 
 turnover is that by this method any general reduction of 
 profit as compared with the quantity of goods sold is im- 
 mediately detected and an opportunity afforded to intelli- 
 gently trace the cause of difference. 
 
 Efficient System for Handling Drafts. 
 
 APPENDED are examples of letters to slow cus- 
 tomers on whom drafts have been made, and illus- 
 tration of draft register. Draft is made through 
 bank at city in which debtor lives, and is followed up 
 once a week until letter No. 6 has been sent, when the 
 account is placed in the attorney's hands for collection. 
 When the draft is paid, the date of payment is en- 
 tered in the date column provided in front of the amount 
 column. 
 
 LETTER NO. 1. 
 Gentlemen: Enclosed please find statement of your account, which 
 
 is past due. We are making draft for the amount through 
 
 Bank. Kindly honor same when presented, as we have instructed the 
 cashier to return the draft to us if not paid within fi e days after the 
 same has been presented. We sincerely hope you will give the draft 
 your personal attention and oblige. 
 
 LETTER NO. 2. 
 
 Much to our surprise, we have' heard nothing from our draft, 
 although the cashier was instructed to hold the same not longer than 
 five days. If the amount is not correct, according to your books, we 
 should be pleased to know just where" tfte difference is. If the 
 amount is correct, we would like an explanation why our draft is not 
 honored. Thanking you for giving this your prompt attention, we 
 remain. 
 
 LETTER NO. 2y 2 . 
 
 (When it is time to send the next letter after the first one, if 
 draft has been returned unpaid — same will be marked "Ret." on draft 
 sheet — send letter No. 2]/ 2 instead of 2. If draft has not been returned, 
 send letter No. 2.) 
 
 Much to our surprise, our draft made on you 
 
 has been returned to us unpaid. If the amount is not correct accord- 
 ing to your books, we should be pleased to know just where the 
 difference is. If the amount is correct, we would like an explanation 
 why our draft is not honored. Thanking you for giving this your prompt 
 attention, we remain. 
 
 LETTER NO 3. 
 
 On the .... inst. we wrote you with reference to our account, 
 which is due. Not having heard from you with reference to the same, 
 we write to know if you intend paying this account. Thanking you 
 for a prompt reply, wc remain. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 33 
 
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34 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 LETTER NO. 4. 
 
 We again call your attention to our account, which has not been 
 paid. You surely must have overlooked this matter, and we ask you 
 to kindly send us a check for the amount due us by return mail. The 
 profits on our goods are not large enough to warrant our carrying 
 this account any longer. 
 
 LETTER NO. 5. 
 
 Just one month ago, we made a draft upon you for past due ac- 
 count, — the same was returned to us unpaid. We have written you 
 repeatedly asking you to send us the amount due us, and you have 
 given us no good reason why this account has not been paid. We 
 must now insist upon a check by return mail for the amount due us. 
 
 LETTER NO. 6. . 
 
 We have been very patient with you regarding your past due 
 account, but have decided to place the same in our attorney's hands 
 for prompt collection unless we have a check from you for the full 
 amount due us before next Saturday. 
 
 Labor Saving Card Ledger System. 
 
 THE system hereunder described is that used by a 
 large savings bank, but the principle may be con- 
 veniently adapted to the requirements of any busi- 
 ness, where the number of customers' accounts is very 
 large and sectionalization necessary so that several book- 
 keepers may be employed on the work. 
 
 In this case the accounts are divided into sections 
 of 10,000 accounts each, a book-keeper being appointed 
 to each section. A separate tray is provided for each 
 1,000 accounts (see illustration), so each tray really con- 
 stitutes a separate ledger, each book-keeper controlling 
 ten ledgers. The illustration of the book-keepers' desks 
 shows in the foreground a section containing ten trays or 
 sub-sections. 
 
 The cards are indexed by number and the guide cards 
 are made with large projections for convenience of the 
 book-keepers in quickly securing any desired card. These 
 large projections on the guide cards give numbers in tens. 
 The small projections on the ledger cards give units from 
 i to 9; thus, to find account 493433 look for guide 49343 
 and following card 3. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 35 
 
 Expense Adjustments. 
 
 MANY book-keepers have on their books charges in 
 respect to expenses paid in advance, and there 
 are also liabilities not entered in the books in 
 respect to expenses incurred but not paid. When mak- 
 ing a balance sheet the proper method is to establish a 
 reserve account for liabilities, and a suspense or adjust- 
 ment account for advance payments. In some businesses 
 these two accounts are amalgamated under the heading 
 of "adjustment" account, the balance being entered on the 
 balance sheet as a liability or an asset, according to 
 circumstances. Insurance, taxes, etc., are usually paid 
 in advance, and there are frequently a number of small 
 expense bills for which it is not considered advisable 
 to open accounts but which are nevertheless actual lia- 
 bilities of the business. 
 
 These accounts are extinguished when the regular 
 charges are made on payment of bills, while reserves on 
 account of advance payments are transferred to the debit 
 of the regular accounts by journal entry in reopening 
 the books. 
 
 This method is commonly adopted for the reason 
 that it is supposed to be desirable that the balance sheet 
 should represent assets and liabilities actually appearing 
 on the ledger, but a large number of business houses 
 simply make the adjustments on the balance sheet itself 
 and do not go to the trouble of creating the adjustment 
 accounts on the ledger. 
 
 Rule for Finding Real Discount. 
 
 THE following rule will enable the reader to com- 
 pound any two: 
 
 From the apparent total of two trade dis- 
 counts subtract i-ioo part of their product, and the 
 remainder will be the real discount equivalent to the two. 
 Take 20 and 10. The apparent total discount is 30, 
 from which subtract 1-100 part of 20 x 10 or 2. The 
 result is 28. 
 
36 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Again take 28 and 5. The apparent total discount 
 is 33, from which take 1-100 part of 28 x 5 or 1 2-5. 
 The result is 31 3-5, the real discount before shown. A 
 little practice will enable the reader to compound either 
 mentally or by pen a series of trade discounts. 
 
 It may be necessary to compare trade discounts at a 
 glance to see which is the more advantageous. In the 
 case where the apparent discounts of two series differ, 
 I believe that the series with the greater apparent dis- 
 count will have the greater real discount. 
 
 In the case with the apparent discounts of two series, 
 the same as 10, 10 and 10 for one series, and 20, and 5 
 and 5, the other series, it will be found that the more the 
 discounts of a series approach equality, the less the real 
 discount; and that the more the trade discounts are con- 
 centrated into a single discount, the greater the real 
 discount. 
 
 From what we have said it will follow that 10, 10 
 and 10 are less than 20, 5 and 5. 
 
 There may be cases in which we cannot tell at a 
 glance. In this last case we must calculate the real dis* 
 counts by the rule given above. 
 
 A Few Pointers About Checks. 
 
 BANK checks possess many advantages for the con- 
 duct of business, and are used to a proportionately 
 great extent. They are in nature but orders for 
 the payment of money, and are payable in the order in 
 which they are presented. As given in the usual course 
 of business, they do not constitute payment of the indebt- 
 edness for which they are given until paid. Nor will 
 the concurrent receipting of the debts for which they 
 are given change this. If they are not paid on proper 
 presentation, resort may be had to the original claims. 
 The rule is different in this respect as to certified checks. 
 So the having of checks certified constitutes payment as 
 to the persons drawing them. 
 
 Checks should be dated. If not dated at all, and 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 37 
 
 they do not contain any statement as to when they are 
 to be paid, they are never payable. They may be ante 
 or post-dated, as well as dated on the day of delivery. 
 By being ante-dated they may be made to cover prior 
 transactions, and in a measure determine the relative 
 rights of the parties to them, provided that no fraud is 
 intended or done. Post-dating in the main determines 
 the date of payment. 
 
 When post-dated so as to fall due on Sunday, they 
 are payable on the following Monday. Checks post- 
 dated or maturing on legal holidays should be presented 
 the day following. When post-dated checks are paid 
 before the dates mentioned, the money paid on them can 
 be recovered. If blanks are left for the date, the holders 
 of checks are thereby authorized to insert the true dates 
 of delivery, but no other dates, and if they insert any 
 other date it makes the checks void. Changing the date 
 of checks without consent of the drawers will do the 
 same. 
 
 The presumption is that when checks are drawn, 
 funds will be provided at the banks on which they are 
 drawn to meet them, but presentation for payment mus!; 
 be made within a reasonable time. If not so presented, 
 the holders will be charged with any consequent loss. 
 When persons receiving checks and the banks on which 
 they are drawn are in the same place, they should be 
 presented the same day, or, at the latest, the day after 
 they are received. Where they are in different places, 
 the checks must be mailed to some bank or person at 
 the place where payable before the close of the day fol- 
 lowing any receipt, and the latter must present them 
 before the close of the banking hours on the day follow- 
 ing the receipt there; no extra time will be gained by 
 holders depositing checks in their own banks for collec- 
 tion. 
 
 After duly presenting checks, it is also the duty of 
 the holder, if they are not paid, to notify the drawers 
 before the close of the next secular day following the 
 
38 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 presentation and dishonor. No particular form of no- 
 tice is required. It may be written or verbal. The 
 principal case in which losses occur from failure to use 
 due diligence in the collection of checks is where the 
 banks on which they are drawn fail in the meantime. 
 If the banks continue solvent, the drawers will remain 
 liable to pay their checks for months at least after they 
 are drawn. Presentation and notice of dishonor will 
 also be dispensed with where there are no funds to pay 
 checks, and where the banks on which they are drawn 
 suspend payment before they can be presented, using 
 proper diligence. After receiving checks, they must be 
 presented for payment, unless such presentation would 
 be useless before the original claims can be sued on, 
 for, by accepting checks, there is an implied agreement 
 to use that method of procuring the money for which 
 they are drawn. 
 
 When checks are negotiable and pass by indorsement 
 or delivery, the same degree of diligence will be re- 
 quired of each person to whom they are indorsed, in or- 
 der to hold those indorsing them, as is required of orig- 
 inal payees to hold original drawers of checks. But by 
 putting checks in circulation, the liability of the drawers 
 cannot be prolonged. They must be presented within 
 the same time by indorsees as by payees. 
 
 To Ascertain What Amount Invested Will With 
 
 Interest Added Amount to a Given Sum 
 
 in a Specified Time. 
 
 By the provisions of a will $17,032 was bequeathed 
 to three brothers, to be so divided that, being invested 
 at 5 per cent simple interest, the three should receive 
 equal amounts at the age of 21 years. What sum should 
 the executor invest in each case, the ages being respec- 
 tively 12, 15 and 16 years? F. S. Sims. > 
 
 Let ALGEBRAIC SOLUTION. 
 
 X equal the share to be received by the brother aged 
 12 years. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 39 
 
 Y equal the share to be received by the brother aged 
 
 15 years. 
 
 Z equal the share to be received by the brother aged 
 
 16 years. 
 Then 
 
 X+Y+Z=i 7 ,o 3 2. (1) 
 
 Now as the inheritance of "X" is to be invested for 
 nine years at 5 per cent per annum, it will earn 45 per 
 cent during the period until he is 21 years of age, and 
 the amount he will receive at 21 will be $i.4sX. 
 
 Likewise "Y," lacking 6 years of 21, will receive 
 when of age $i.3oY; and "Z" lacking 5 years of 21 will 
 receive when of age, $i.25Z. But as they are each to 
 receive equal amounts when of age, we may construct 
 the following equations: 
 
 1.45X=1.30Y (2) 
 1.25Z=1.30Y (3) 
 Reducing equation (2) we get 
 
 X 130Y 26Y 
 
 145 29 
 and from (3) 
 
 Z 130Y 26Y 
 
 125 25 
 
 Substituting these values of X and Z in equation (i) 
 
 26Y Y 26Y 17032 
 29 25 
 
 Multiplying all the terms of the equation by 725 in order 
 to eliminate fractions. 
 
 630Y+725Y+754Y=:12348200 
 2129Y=12348200 
 Y=5800 
 As X 26Y 
 
 X=5200, and Z will be 6032. 
 
 29 
 
 ARITHMETICAL SOLUTION. 
 
 From a careful consideration of the problem it is 
 evident that if the "present worth" of one dollar can be 
 found, for the time existing between the present ages 
 of the three sons and when they should each arrive at 
 majority or 21 years — it would be the basis of the propo- 
 sition into which the inheritance should be divided. 
 
40 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Following the simple rule of finding the "present 
 worth" and indicating the division by fractions instead 
 of carrying the figures out to unsatisfactory decimal 
 places, we have the following fractions, representing the 
 proportion into which the inheritance should be divided: 
 
 100 100 100 
 
 — — reducing these 
 
 145 130 125 
 
 to their least common denominator we 
 
 1300 1450 1508 
 
 have — — now, 
 
 1885 1885 1885 
 
 as fractions having a common denominator are to each 
 other as their numerators we have the following pro- 
 portion, viz. : 650. 725. 754., these added together makes 
 2129 — which represents the total inheritance — 17,032 — 
 and each son's share is as follows: 
 
 G50 
 
 12 years of age X17032=$5,200.00 
 
 2129 
 725 
 
 15 years of age X17032=$5,800.00 
 
 2129 
 754 
 
 16 years of age — X17032=$6,032.00 
 
 2129 
 
 $17,032.00 
 
 Some Arithmetical Short Cuts. 
 I. 
 
 The complement of a number is the difference be- 
 tween it and the unit of the next higher order. 
 
 98 2 (Complement) Thus the complement of 98 is 2; 
 
 94 6 (Complement) of 94 is 6; of 987 is 13, etc. To 
 
 multiply these two numbers, 
 
 9212 multiply the complements, 2 and 
 
 6, and place the product 12, in 
 the answer. For the remaining 
 two figures, subtract across, 
 either the 2 from the 94, leav- 
 ing 92, or the 6 from 98, leav- 
 ing 92. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 41 
 
 2. 
 
 Suppose you want to find the value of 128 yards at 
 
 75 cents. Now to find the value of any number of yards 
 
 of cloth at 75 cents a yard, or any number of articles at 
 
 128 75 cents each, deduct one-quarter of the number 
 
 32 from itself and call the remainder dollars. At one 
 
 dollar a yard the answer would be $128; then at 
 
 $96 75 cents it must be three-quarters of this, or one- 
 quarter less. At 873/2 cents deduct one-eighth. At 66 2-3 
 cents deduct one-third. 
 
 3- 
 
 To multiply numbers, such as 37 by 43. Here the 
 
 mean number — that is, the number which is as much 
 
 40 greater than 37 as it is less than 43 — is 40. Forty. 
 
 40 squared, or multiplied by itself gives 1600. The 
 
 square. of 3, the difference between the mean num- 
 
 1600 ber and one of the numbers is 9. 1600 — 9, 1591, 
 
 9 the product of 37 and 43. Apply this rule to 87 
 
 by 73, 63 by 57, 22 by 18, 1009 by 991, 116 by 124. 
 
 1 59 1 The entire work should be done mentally. 
 
 4- 
 If you wish to multiply two large numbers, each of 
 1235 which is a little over 1,000, such as 1,235 by 
 1003 1,003, multiply the excesses; that is, 235 by 3, 
 
 carrying the product 705, three places to the 
 
 1238705 right. Then add the numbers, omitting one of 
 the ones at the left. Apply this rule to such numbers as 
 1,312 by 1,003, 1,199 by 1,005, etc - 
 
 5- 
 
 MULTIPLICATION BY SUBTRACTION. 
 
 Instead of multiplying by 9, we multiply by 10 and 
 subtract the number from this product 
 
 8435625X9=84356250 
 8435625 
 
 Product =75920625 
 
 to multiply by 99, add two ciphers and subtract; to mul- 
 tiply by 999, add three ciphers and subtract, etc. 
 
42 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 ADDING FROM RIGHT TO LEFT. 
 
 8516 
 7493 
 2G58 
 0390 
 
 23847 
 121 
 
 25057 
 
 Foot the first column to the left and place the total 
 23 as shown in example. Foot the second column from 
 the left, which amounts to 18. Place the 8 on the same 
 line as 23, and place the 1 underneath the 3. Foot the 
 third column amounting to 24, place the 4 on the same 
 line as the 2, 3, 8— place the 2 underneath the 8. Foot 
 the last column amounting to 17 — place the 7 on the first 
 line and the 1 underneath the 4. Then add these two 
 lines, which will give you the total footing. 
 
 7- 
 To multiply numbers of two figures each where the 
 left hand figures are the same and the right hand figures 
 add to 10 (as 34x36). To obtain the product multiply 
 4 by 6 and put down 24, carry 1 to the left hand mul- 
 tiplier, multiplying 3 by 4 and putting down 12. This 
 rule applies to the following numbers of two figures each, 
 and also to the following examples of three figures each: 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 
 18 
 
 17 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 
 21 
 
 • 22 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 25 
 
 29 
 
 28 
 
 27 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 31 
 
 32 
 
 33 
 
 34 
 
 35 
 
 39 
 
 38 
 
 37 
 
 30 
 
 35 
 
 41 
 
 42 
 
 43 
 
 44 
 
 45 
 
 49 
 
 48 
 
 47 
 
 40 
 
 45 
 
 51 
 
 52 
 
 53 
 
 54 
 
 55 
 
 59 
 
 58 
 
 57 
 
 56 
 
 55 
 
 01 
 
 62 
 
 03 
 
 64 
 
 05 
 
 09 
 
 68 
 
 07 
 
 00 
 
 05 
 
 71 
 
 72 
 
 73 
 
 74 
 
 75 
 
 79 
 
 78 
 
 77 
 
 70 
 
 75 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 43 
 
 81 
 
 89 
 
 82 
 88 
 
 83 
 87 
 
 84 
 86 
 
 85 
 85 
 
 91 
 
 99 
 
 92 
 
 98 
 
 93 
 
 97 
 
 96 
 
 95 
 95 
 
 112 
 118 
 
 113 
 
 117 
 
 114 
 116 
 
 115 
 115 
 
 123 
 127 
 
 129 
 121 
 
 132 
 138 
 
 193 
 197 
 
 194 
 196 
 
 295 
 2.95 
 
 392 
 398 
 
 393 
 397 
 
 491 
 499 
 
 792 
 798 
 
 996 
 994 
 
 8. 
 This rule also applies where two figures of one prod- 
 uct are the same, while the two figures of the other 
 product add to io (as 33x37) : 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 73 
 
 64 
 
 55 
 
 28 
 
 82 
 
 37 
 
 __ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 33 
 
 33 
 
 33 
 
 91 
 
 19 
 
 46 
 
 73 
 
 37 
 
 82 
 
 44 
 
 55 
 
 66 
 
 77 
 
 88 
 
 99 
 
 91 
 
 82 
 
 73 
 
 64 
 
 46 
 
 28 
 
 9. 
 
 The rule also holds good where the addition of any 
 two of the numbers equals the addition of the other two; 
 or where the addition of three of the numbers amounts 
 to the same as the fourth number. 
 
 13 
 24 
 
 13 
 31 
 
 14 
 22 
 
 28 
 16 
 
 17 
 26 
 
 24 
 18 
 
 48 
 
 18 
 
 22 
 19 
 
 21 
 
 48 
 
 21 
 
 67 
 
 22 
 46 
 
 23 
 44 
 
 23 
 61 
 
 24 • 
 34 
 
 39 
 24 
 
 24 
 42 
 
 26 
 31 
 
 36 
 26 
 
 48 
 26 
 
 46 
 27 
 
 69 
 27 
 
 42 
 29 
 
 63 
 29 
 
 84 
 29 
 
 31 
 
 68 
 
 31 
 97 
 
 32 
 66 
 
 32 
 
 94 
 
 48 
 34 
 
 34 
 
 62 
 
 36 
 42 
 
 68 
 36 
 
 64 
 38 
 
 96 
 38 
 
 93 
 39 
 
 41 
 88 
 
 42 
 
 86 
 
 43 
 
 84 
 
 46 
 61 
 
 86 
 47 
 
 63 
 
 48 
 
 84 
 
 48 
 
 82 93 96 12 88 62 
 
44 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 49 68 66 26 55 97 
 
 10. 
 
 This rule also applies to numbers of three figures 
 each, or where the multiplicand contains three figures and 
 the multiplier two. It also holds good in respect to some 
 fractional numbers. 
 
 128 
 94 
 
 146 
 
 77 
 
 126 
 86 
 
 328 
 
 88 
 
 246 
 49 
 
 105 
 143 
 
 147 
 
 124 
 
 246 
 127 
 
 168 
 181 
 
 164 
 283 
 
 43 
 121 
 
 53 
 151 
 
 62 
 242 
 
 84 
 143 
 
 92 
 186 
 
 II. 
 Another rule is, where the left hand figures add to 
 io and the right hand figures are the same, in which case 
 instead of carrying i, one of the unit numbers is added 
 to the product of the left hand figures (as 6 multiplied by 
 6 equals 36; 8 multiplied by 2 plus 6 equals 22) 2236. 
 
 26 
 86 
 
 25 
 
 85 
 
 24 
 
 84 
 
 23 
 
 83 
 
 22 
 
 82 
 
 21 
 
 81 
 
 27 
 
 87 
 
 28 
 88 
 
 29 
 89 
 
 31 
 71 
 
 32 
 
 72 
 
 33 
 73 
 
 34 
 74 
 
 35 
 75 
 
 36 
 76 
 
 37 
 
 77 
 
 38 
 
 78 
 
 39 
 79 
 
 41 
 61 
 
 42 
 62 
 
 43 
 63 
 
 44 
 64 
 
 45 
 65 
 
 46 
 66 
 
 47 
 67 
 
 48 
 68 
 
 49 
 69 
 
 51 
 51 
 
 52 
 52 
 
 53 
 53 
 
 54 
 54 
 
 55 
 55 
 
 56 
 56 
 
 57 
 57 
 
 58 
 
 58 
 
 59 
 59 
 
 12. 
 
 In the following examples the rule is modified, as 
 double the unit figure should be added. When the sum 
 of the tens is 20 three times the number should be added; 
 when the sum of tens is 30, three times the unit number 
 should be added. 
 
 33 
 
 134 
 
 135 
 
 136 
 
 137 
 
 73 
 
 74 
 
 75 
 
 76 
 
 77 
 
 143 144 145 146 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 45 
 
 62 63 64 65 68 
 
 151 
 51 
 
 153 
 53 
 
 154 
 54 
 
 157 
 57 
 
 159 
 59 
 
 162 
 
 48 
 
 163 
 43 
 
 165 
 
 45 
 
 167 
 
 47 
 
 161 
 41 
 
 183 
 23 
 
 184 
 24 
 
 185 
 25 
 
 186 
 26 
 
 188 
 28 
 
 
 
 ' — ' — 
 
 ' 
 
 
 ~ "" 
 
 Sectionalization and Controlling Accounts. 
 
 SOME book-keepers in these progressive days desire 
 whenever possible, to have a record of stock of 
 goods, or products, in such a shape that they may 
 at any time be able to ascertain the amount of inventory 
 on hand. Numerous methods have been devised with this 
 object in view, based on the keeping of stock books, or 
 stock records, wherein all goods received are debited to 
 the respective accounts to which they belong, and all 
 goods sold credited at cost, the difference being supposed 
 to be the value of the stock on hand. It must be perfectly 
 clear to everyone that these stock records could be most 
 accurately kept, and yet at the same time someone might 
 be stealing a part of that stock every day, and the theft 
 would not be discovered (except accidentally) until the 
 actual inventory was taken, and the result of such inven- 
 tories compared with the amounts called for by the stock 
 record. Notwithstanding this fact, nobody ever thinks 
 of taking inventory every day, or every week, or (with 
 few exceptions) every month. As a rule, inventory is 
 not taken oftener than once every three months. It is 
 taken far more frequently once every six months, and 
 usually once a year. In the same way, if the totals of 
 the ledgers can be proved and the work of the book- 
 keeper shown to be accurate so far as figures are con- 
 cerned, there seems to be no good reason why the book- 
 keeper should be called upon each month to draw off all 
 the individual balances, or, in other words, take inven- 
 tory of his accounts receivable in order to prove in that 
 way that his work is correct. In a bank it is particularly 
 necessary to prove the accuracy of the debits and credits 
 
46 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 < 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 _c ft 
 
 
 
 
 
 II 
 J 3 
 
 
 
 s 
 
 
 n 
 tj-j 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 p 
 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 1 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 flf 
 
 4- « 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 iO "0 
 
 
 
 h CN 
 
 
 <0 
 
 
 
 0) 0) 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 (0 - 
 
 
 
 n - 
 
 
 dO 
 
 a in 
 
 
 
 il 
 
 * 
 
 
 u? 
 
 i) 
 
 4^ 
 
 3 
 
 iO 
 
 ^J 
 
 t 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 JO 
 
 4- 
 
 si 
 
 8 3 
 
 § 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 tQ N 
 
 
 
 u 
 
 K 
 N 
 
 
 
 
 - © 
 
 
 
 l?r 
 
 
 
 
 
 Y^ 
 
 ~ CO 
 
 " 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 1 
 

 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 47 
 
 to the customers' accounts each day, because if a posting 
 is omitted it is quite possible the bank will suffer serious 
 loss the next day. This does not apply to the general run 
 of commercial businesses, but no system can be claimed 
 to be exactly suitable to the requirements of every com- 
 mercial enterprise, and the method we here advocate is 
 only expected to be used where the circumstances are 
 favorable. When a book-keeper posts a credit to the 
 wrong account, and sends his statement showing a cor- 
 respondingly larger debit balance to the customer who 
 sent the check, it does not usually take that customer 
 long to notify the house of the error, and the only method 
 of preventing such errors is by checking back the post- 
 ings, which we believe is only done in very exceptional 
 cases. 
 
 If, therefore, we know that the totals of the individual 
 balances in the City sales ledger, for instance, amount 
 to a certain sum, why should the book-keeper be called 
 upon to take inventory of his accounts each month in 
 order to verify that sum? This is particularly true where 
 the duties of the book-keeper and cashier are separate, 
 as in this case there can be no temptation for the book- 
 keeper to tamper with the accounts receivable. 
 
 In order to carry out the method we suggest it is 
 necessary to have separate ledgers for the separate classes 
 of accounts, or to keep the separate classes of accounts 
 in different sections of the ledger. The more the accounts 
 are sectionalized the easier it is to prove them and to 
 obtain a trial balance. 
 
 In the illustration headed "cash received" it will 
 be noted that the ledgers are divided into four sections, 
 each section to be proved separately. The sections are 
 Country sales ledger, City sales ledger, Purchase led- 
 ger, general ledger. In the general ledger will be 
 opened a controlling account with each of the other led- 
 gers as per illustration headed "city sales ledger," which 
 represents the account in the general ledger with the 
 City sales ledger, and the balance shown of this account 
 represents the total of the individual balances contained 
 
48 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 in the City sales ledger. This account is opened by 
 charging it with the total of the individual balances 
 drawn off from the City sales ledger, or the city sales 
 section, on December 31st. A separate column for this 
 ledger, or section of ledger, is then provided in every 
 book from which postings are made to that ledger. At 
 the end of the month the totals of these columns in the 
 books from which postings are made are posted to the 
 debit or credit of this account, as shown on illustration 
 headed "city sales ledger." 
 
 It will be noted that in the illustration the books of 
 original entry are shown to be only cash and journal. 
 It is supposed for the sake of this illustration that the 
 total of the sales is carried through the cross-entry jour- 
 nal. 
 
 The total amount of sales and journal entries charged 
 to this account will be found to be accurate if they agree 
 with the total amounts shown on the monthly recapitula- 
 tion sheet. Thus, the City sales ledger columns on the 
 monthly recapitulation sheet will show on the journal 
 debit side $27,535.60, which is the amount of the ledger 
 postings. You thus have the same amount ($27,535.60) 
 coming from the ledger as being posted, and coming from 
 the journal and sales book as having been entered there, 
 which is a complete check on the accuracy of the posting. 
 In like manner the cash charged to this account is com- 
 pared in the same way with the total of the cash debit 
 column for the City sales ledger on the monthly recapit- 
 ulation sheet. The credits to City sales ledger account 
 are agreed in the same way, and the outstanding individ- 
 ual balances, amounting to $28,288.85, are then incor- 
 porated in one amount in the trial balance, which is made 
 up entirely from the few accounts kept in the general 
 ledger, and which trial balance can as a rule be easily 
 completed in less than one hour, especially if this system 
 of check is also applied to the postings to that book. " 
 
 When the time comes to take inventory of these indi- 
 vidual balances in the different ledgers, the safest plan 
 (and frequently the quickest in the end), is to draw off 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 49 
 
 total debits, total credits for the period, as well as the 
 balances. If a difference should be found this method 
 will enable the book-keeper to locate the error on either 
 the debit- or credit side of the ledger in which it occurred, 
 which will be found a great saving of time. 
 
 It sometimes happens that a debit intended for a cus- 
 tomer in the Country sales ledger is charged to a customer 
 in the City sales ledger. This mistake is traced not only 
 by the total debits and credits compared with the totals of 
 the sales ledger accounts, but will also be located by the 
 monthly recapitulation sheet, and this method thus to a 
 certain extent will check posting of amounts to a wrong 
 account. 
 
 If one's employers, or the officers of the company by 
 whom the book-keeper is employed, object to a trial bal- 
 ance being taken off at any other interval than once a 
 month, this advantage still remains — that a correct finan- 
 cial statement can be furnished on the first of the month 
 and the individual balances drawn off at leisure from 
 the ledgers for comparison with the total balances shown 
 on the individual ledger accounts carried in the general 
 ledger. 
 
 
 The Reverse Posting System. 
 
 THE question of obtaining a daily check on the work 
 of the book-keeper is a subject of constant thought 
 to him. We have scarcely ever found one who 
 did not desire to find some practical way by which he 
 might rid himself of constant suspense as to the accuracy 
 of his work and how his trial balance is going to com: 
 out. Numerous suggestions have been made, and many 
 methods have been tried with this end in view, such as, 
 for instance, the check figures 9, II, 13, 19, 101, etc., etc. 
 There is no doubt that some book-keepers can use the 
 check figure with such facility that it makes no appreci- 
 able difference in the amount of work they are able to 
 perform in the course of a day. At the same time it has 
 been amply demonstrated that no check figure is infallible, 
 
50 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 and there are a number of transpositions which they will 
 not detect. 
 
 There is also a very laborious method of providing 
 special columns in the ledger for drawing off daily bal- 
 ances of accounts. These daily balances are supposed to 
 fulfill the two-fold purpose of allowing the principal, or 
 credit man, to find the balance of an account at any time 
 without computation, and to facilitate the drawing off of 
 a trial balance by the book-keeper at any moment when 
 he may be required, or think it desirable to do so. The 
 number of publications which have been offered to book- 
 keepers on this subject is legion, but most of them are 
 founded on certain well-known lines, and in fact it must 
 be apparent to all that there is no royal road to obtain 
 a trial balance. 
 
 Dn 
 
 Cd 
 
 s^a Ooon D — 
 
 — o-j^V*- 
 
 AirvourCte 
 
 Amourtfo 
 
 Amounfe 
 
 Arriourtte 
 
 Amoun1S> 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <S>n~nlo.p» .slips* febeu*ed foi= debit «and cpedi+" 
 sides of evepy boots frorr\ xvhi<=h po^TihQfi oi=>e made 
 
 It is quite possible that a large number of the readers 
 of this article may have been long acquainted with the 
 majority of the systems referred to, but the object of this 
 work is to explain what the authors consider to be the 
 most efficient and practical method of obtaining a daily 
 check on book-keeping work, and getting a trial balance 
 without drawing off the individual balances. It is true 
 the method here recommended involves a certain amount 
 of extra labor, but it is absolutely efficient if ordinary 
 care is taken by the book-keeper. 
 
 We first call your attention to the illustration here 
 following, headed "Cash Book." 
 
 You will notice that this illustration is also marked 
 "Reverse Posting System." A slip similar to this should 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS - 51 
 
 be provided not only for the debit and credit sales of 
 every book from which postings are made, but also for 
 the debit and credit postings to each ledger used; thus, 
 if the customers' ledgers are sectionalized, being divided, 
 say, into Country sales ledger and City sales ledger, 
 there should be a separate slip provided for both debit 
 and credit sides of the Country sales ledger and the debit 
 and credit sides of the City sales ledger. 
 
 The book from which postings are made should, 
 whenever possible, be placed on the left-hand side of the 
 ledger, and the slip should be placed on the right-hand 
 side of the ledger. The reason is this : After the amount 
 has been posted from the original entry to the ledger, 
 and entered on the slip, the eye travels back to the book 
 from which the posting has been made. It, therefore, 
 necessarily crosses the posting in the ledger, so that the 
 book-keeper can note automatically that the amount on 
 the slip is the same as the amount in the ledger. 
 
 After the postings from any book of original entry 
 have been completed, the amounts entered on the slip 
 should be footed and compared with the total of the 
 amount shown in the book of original entry as having 
 been posted. If the two totals agree, you will know that 
 the work so far as the figures are concerned is accurate, 
 and that the books are in balance. The instructions 
 above given pre-suppose that the sales for the different 
 ledgers are kept separate, either by using separate books 
 or separate columns, as otherwise the check cannot be 
 so easily applied. 
 
 This system will not, of course, prevent the book- 
 keeper from posting an amount to the wrong account, 
 nor do we know of any practical system which could be 
 devised for that purpose. 
 
 At the end of the month the totals of the various 
 slips should be carried to the monthly recapitulation sheet 
 as per illustration shown on page 50 and the 
 totals of the columns on this monthly recapitulation 
 sheet should equal the totals of the books of orig- 
 inal entry which they represent, thus completing the 
 
52 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 check on the month's work. Thus the book-keeper using 
 this method will be enabled to check his work day by day 
 as he goes along, and at the end of the month, instead 
 of having a month's work to check, he only has one day's 
 work to check, and this will be checked during the day 
 as he works from the different books of original entry. 
 
 Note. — If the book-keeper has a Beach calculating 
 machine he will find it a great advantage to use instead 
 of the slips, as he will thus be saved the labor of adding 
 the totals, the machine accomplishing this automatically. 
 
 This system is also much used in banks as per the 
 following description: 
 
 A proving paper is used, simply being a sheet with 
 four columns on it arranged for recording from right side 
 to the left the credits, the debits, the present balances and 
 the former balances. Of convenient size for ready handl- 
 ing, this sheet is laid, on the ledger just where you are 
 posting, and as soon as you have made the entries on the 
 ledger, the requisite figures are speedily copied on it from 
 the ledger, the whole force of the proof consisting in 
 the fact that it is a duplicate of what appears on the led- 
 ger. If an error has been made on the ledger, by care- 
 lessly substracting a deposit, or adding a withdrawal, 
 or a mistake in addition or subtraction, the actual figures 
 appearing on the ledger are copied down on the proof 
 paper and it will be wrong also, and the existence of a 
 mistake in the work, and the amount of it too, will be 
 noted as soon as the four columns on the proof paper are 
 footed up and a balance struck. 
 
 The balance between credits and debits should be the 
 same as between present balances and former balances, 
 and on the same side of the sheet; and if it is not, then 
 there is an error in the work, and you are immediately 
 notified of it (by reason of the discrepancy) and can 
 proceed at once to locate and correct it. If these two 
 balances are the same, you know that your work has been 
 done correctly, and you need not turn again to your ac- 
 counts to assure yourself of that fact. 
 
 By analyzing this proof a little closer it shows: 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 53 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 u 
 j 
 
 1 
 
 Jt« 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 ah 
 
 
 
 4> 
 
 u 
 
 Q 
 
 
 
 
 "p 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 j 
 
 
 'J 
 
 e 
 
 
 
 
 f c 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 < 
 
 Z 
 3 
 ] 
 
 ] 
 
 
 1 
 
 « i 
 
 
 
 e 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 3 
 
 u 
 
 e 
 U 
 
 
 X 
 
 
 c 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 t 
 t 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 q 
 
 J 
 
 U 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ] 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 'J 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
54 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 The total of column number one on the right equals 
 the total of the deposits of the day; and the total of col- 
 umn number two equals the total of the withdrawals of 
 the day; so we are assured that we have posted all of the 
 day's transactions on the ledgers. (For convenience, and 
 so that several book-keepers may be at work at the same 
 time, we divide the work into sections, corresponding 
 with the ledger; and each section can be dealt with by 
 itself, but the principle remains the same.) From the 
 proof obtained from columns three and four we are as- 
 sured that we have increased or decreased our balances 
 on the ledger, as the case may be, correctly. 
 
 Suppose we are posting from a journal, a sales book, 
 and a cash book. 
 
 Our Purchase Book footing is $1,579 75 
 
 Our Journal Book footing is . 7,031 31 
 
 Our Sales Book footing is 1,203 05 
 
 Our Cash Receipts 9,539 47 
 
 Our Cash Expenditures 3,154 24 
 
 Amount of Accounts closed 2,694 64 
 
 Our trial balance, with items, as here shown, is out 
 $43,56. TRIAL BALANCE. 
 
 Cash $14,061 58 $ 3,lo4 24 
 
 Proprietors 11,271 64 
 
 Expense 425 00 
 
 Mdse 3,888 55 3,797 55 
 
 Bills Receivable 225 00 
 
 Heustis 294 25 
 
 Haywood 62 50 
 
 Taylor 44 
 
 White 452 05 79 75 
 
 Leach 219 00 
 
 Foskett 13125 
 
 Hall 1,500 00 
 
 $19,759 62 $19,803 18 
 
 To find on which side of the trial balance this error 
 is, or what part of it is on each side, we proceed as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 Add together footing of previous Trial Bal- 
 ance $00,000 00 $00,000 00 
 
 Journal footing 7,031 31 7,031 31 
 
 Purchase Book 1,579 75 1,579 75 
 
 Sales Book 1,203 05 1,203 05 
 
 Cash Receipts and Expenditures 9,539 47 3,154 24 
 
 Items posted from Cash Book 3,154 24 9,539 47 
 
 $22,507 82 $22,507 82 
 
 Deduct amount of closed accounts .$ 2,704 64 $ 2,704 64 
 
 The correct footing of the Trial Balance 
 
 should be $19,803 18 $19,803 18 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 55 
 
 We find, therefore, that the credit side of our trial 
 balance is correct, and that the error is $43.56, and this 
 is the difference between our footing of the debit side of 
 the trial balance and our footing of the proof. The most 
 likely way in which this error could occur is either a 
 transposition of figures, or the posting of dollars for cents. 
 
 If the error is one of dollars posted as cents, then 
 the dollars and cents of the error added together will be 
 99. To locate the error, omit the cents, add 1 to the dol- 
 lars, and the sum will be found posted as cents when it 
 should be dollars, or vice versa. Glancing over our trial 
 balance, we find that we have a debit of 44 cents against 
 Taylor, and referring to his account in the ledger we find 
 that the debit should be $44. The difference between $44 
 and .44 is $43.56, or our error. 
 
 Labor Saving Method for Sundry Accounts. 
 
 THE form illustrated (p. 56) is a combination invoice, 
 collection record, and petty ledger. The blank at 
 the right of the perforation is the invoice which is 
 made in duplicate. The original goes to the customer, 
 and the duplicate constitutes the petty ledger, being filed 
 in alphabetical order. 
 
 The blank at the left of the perforation is used as the 
 collection record, containing date of sale, name and ad- 
 dress of customer, and date when collection should be 
 made. 
 
 General Ledger. 
 
 THE accounts with customers being eliminated, it 
 is an easy thing to take a trial balance from the 
 general ledger. Take footings of both debits and 
 credits of all accounts whether they balance or not, 
 entering the amounts in the trial balance. The totals of 
 the trial balance will then equal the amount of the previa 
 ous trial balance plus amounts posted during the month, 
 and to verify the accuracy of these totals add to the pre- 
 vious totals the amounts posted during the month, taking 
 
r,o 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 57 
 
 the footings from the various books from which postings 
 have been made, as the following form will illustrate (no 
 account with casFrteing kept in the ledger), viz.: 
 
 Dr. Cr. 
 
 Footings of trial balance May 31 $100,000 00 
 
 $100,000 00 
 Deduct cash on hand May 31 500 00 
 
 Actual ledger totals $ 99,500 00 $100,000 00 
 
 Journal postings for June 40,000 00 
 
 40,000 00 
 
 Cash Book postings for June 25,000 00 25,500 00 
 
 Balance cash on hand 1,000 00 
 
 New footings of trial balance June 30 $105,500 00 $165,500 00 
 
 When entering footings from cash book, it must 
 be borne in mind that these items in detail have been 
 posted to the opposite side of the ledger and the totals 
 should therefore so appear in the proof form. 
 
 A Simple Interest Formula. 
 
 INTEREST may be very easily understood and com- 
 puted by what might hz called the Rational Method. 
 The method has a great advantage in following the 
 same line of reasoning by which pupils solve such ques- 
 tions as, "What is the cost of 2 bu. 3 pks. 1 qt. 1 pt. of 
 beans at $1.75 per bushel?" 
 
 In that way it makes interest but a continuation of 
 other subjects, instead of an entirely new subject with 
 a new system of computation. 
 
 The rule is stated as follows: Find interest on prin- 
 cipal for one year at given rate; reduce months and days 
 to the decimal of a year; multiply the interest for one 
 year by the number of years. 
 
 For example: Find the interest of $750 for 2 yrs. 9 
 mos. 18 days at 4^ per cent. 
 
 Divide 18 days by 30 and reduce to a decimal. 
 30)18.0 
 
 .6 month. 
 Divide 9.6 months by 12 and reduce to a decimal. 
 12)9.6 
 
58 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 $750X.045 gives interest for 1 year = $33.75. 
 
 Multiply $33.75 (interest for one year) by 2.8 (years) = $94.50. 
 Interest on $2,875.75 for 3 yrs. 7 mos. 17 days at 5^%. 
 17 -h 30 = .567 month. m 
 
 7.567 -=- 12 = .63 year. 
 Multiply $2,875.75 by 5.5 = x. 
 
 Multiply x oy 3.63 = interest on $2,875.75 for 3 yrs. 7 mos. 17 
 days at 5J^%. 
 
 Economical Form of Sales Ledger. 
 
 THE form of ledger here illustrated has been devised 
 with a view to overcoming the inconvenience of 
 having an account containing a large number of 
 debit entries and only one or two credit entries, thus 
 wasting a great deal of paper on the credit side. 
 
 Sinking Fund Computations. 
 
 TO ascertain what annuity payable at the end of each 
 year will amount to a given sum in a stipulated 
 number of years at a stated rate of interest com- 
 pounded annually: 
 
 Divide the interest for one year upon the given sum 
 by the compound interest upon $i at the stated rate for 
 the stipulated numbers of years. 
 
 Where the annuity is payable at the beginning of 
 each year, proceed as above and divide the result by the 
 amount of $i for one year at the given rate. 
 
 For example — provide for the payment of $20,000, 
 payable in twenty years by putting into the sinking fund 
 a certain amount at the end of each year at 3 per cent 
 compound interest, divide the interest for one year on 
 $20,000 at 3 per cent, which will amount to $600 by 
 $0.80612 (the compound interest for twenty years upon 
 $1 at 3 per cent) and the result is $744.31, which is the 
 amount to be thus set aside. 
 
 If this amount is to be set aside at the beginning of 
 each year, divide $744.31 by $1.03 and the result is 
 $722.63. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 59 
 
 
 U 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 45 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 -o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 _l 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 <u 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 G 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 £1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
60 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 A Bond Purchase Formula. 
 
 WHAT must be paid for bonds amounting to $10,- 
 ooo maturing in ten years with 4 per cent inter- 
 est, to net six per cent? and give the formula by 
 which you arrive at the figures. 
 
 The question does not mention whether interest is to 
 be paid annually, semi-annually, or quarterly, which 
 makes a difference in the result. If annually, the oricc 
 to be paid is $8,527.98; if semi-annually it is $8,512.25. 
 The process is as follows, at annual interest: 
 
 a. Add to $1 its net income for one period. 1 + .06 = 1.06. 
 
 b. Multiply this by itself till you have used it as a factor as 
 many times as there are periods (10.). 106 X 1.06 X 1.06 X 1.06 
 
 X 1.06 X 1-06 X l.oa 
 X 1.06 X 1-06 X 1.06 
 = 1.790847 
 
 c. Divide 1 by the result of b. 1 -f- 1.790847 = .5583948 
 
 d. Subtract the result of c from 1. 1.0000000 — .5583948 = 
 .4416052. 
 
 e. Multiply this by the difference between the cash interest and 
 the net income (6 — 4 = 2). .4416052 X 2 = .8832104. 
 
 /. Divide this by the net income rate (6). .8832104 -=- 6 = 
 .1472017. 
 
 g. This last result is either premiem or discount. As the net 
 income rate is larger than the cash interest, it must be discount. There- 
 fore it is to be subtracted from $1. 1. — .1472017 = .8527983, which 
 is the value of $1 on the proposed terms. 
 
 h. The value of $10,000 of bonds is 10,000 times as much, or 
 $8,527.98. 
 To prove that this is correct, take the first year's income. 
 
 6% of $8,527.98, or $ 511.68 
 
 3nd from it subtract the cash interest 400.00 
 
 and the remainder $ 111.68 
 
 is the appreciation caused by the bond approaching maturity. 
 
 Add this to 8.527.9S 
 
 and we have $8,639.66 
 
 as the value of the bond when it has only 9 years to run. 
 
 Again. Compute a year's interest on this principal, 
 and repeat the process, until at maturity the value is 
 found to be $9,999.99, and the amount paid to redeem it is 
 $10,000. The odd cent is due to the fact that in the orig- 
 inal price about 3 mills were saved to the purchaser at the 
 "nearest cent." You have thus had 6 per cent interest 
 continuously on the amount invested. 
 
 The work of multiplying 1.06 by itself 9 times and 
 then dividing $1 by the product is very tedious. It is im- 
 mensely shortened by the use of logarithms. Simply take 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 61 
 
 the logarithm of 1.06, multiply it by 10, subtract that from 
 zero, and search in the book of logarithms for the corre- 
 sponding number, which is at once found to be .5583948. 
 Algebraically expressed, the formula is much simpler. 
 Let c represent the cash interest received periodically on 
 each unit of par, r the rate of net income on each unit 
 invested, n the number of periods, then the premium or 
 discount. 
 
 Present Value of Bonds. 
 
 PROBLEM.— What can I pay for a 6 per cent U. S. 
 Bond maturing in 10 years, so that my investment 
 will yield to me 4 per cent interest payable semi 
 annually ? 
 
 Rule. — Divide the compound interest on $1.00 at the 
 required rate for the given time by the regular rate; mul- 
 tiply the quotient by the interest on the bond for one 
 year; to the product add the face value of the bond and 
 divide the sum by the compound amount of $1.00 at the 
 required rate for the given time. — (B. and S. Com. 
 Arith., page 388.) 
 
 Explantion of the Rule. — (a) There are two methods 
 for the solution of problems relating to stock and bond 
 investments, viz., the Simple Interest Method, and • the 
 Compound Interest Method, (b) The government uses 
 the Compound Interest Method, (c) This method al- 
 lows the investment and each payment of interest on the 
 bond to be compounded, at the investor's rate, to ma- 
 turity, (d) Each payment of interest is compounded at 
 the end of each bond interest interval, while the invest- 
 ment is compounded at the end of each of the intervals 
 agreed upon in contract, (e) If there be no such agree- 
 ment, the investment is compounded at the end of each 
 of such intervals as are equivalent to a bond interest in- 
 terval, (f) Whenever the bond interest interval and 
 the investment interest interval are of unequal duration, 
 both are reduced to respectively equal intervals and the 
 interests calculated accordingly, (g) The principle in- 
 
62 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 volved in the compound interest method is: Any pay- 
 ment of interest is worth the same interest rate to the 
 investor as he receives from the entire investment, (h) 
 The final value of the interest payments at the maturity 
 of the bond is the sum of the compound amounts of the 
 payments at the investor's rate, (i) The maturity value 
 of the bond is evidently the sum of the face value of the 
 bond and the final value of the interest payments, (j) 
 Then, in accord with above principles the investment is 
 the compound present worth at the investor's rate per 
 interval, of the maturity value of the bond. 
 
 A Credit Man's Ledger. 
 
 On page 63 is a convenient form of sales ledger 
 where the book-keeper also acts as credit man. 
 
 Proof by Casting Out of g's. 
 
 TO cast the 9's out of any number, is to find the ex- 
 cess of the sum of its digits above a certain num- 
 ber of 9's. It is performed thus: Begin at either 
 end of the number and add the digits in order, and when 
 the sum is 9 or more, drop the 9 and add the excess to 
 the next digit and so on, the last excess being retained. 
 For example, to cast the 9's out of 735684, we say 7 and 
 3 are 10, which is 1 above 9; 1, 5 and 6 are 12, which is 
 3 above 9; 3 and 8 are II, which is 2 above 9; 2 and 4 
 are 6; 6 is the sum of the digits above a certain numbci 
 of 9's. 
 
 Proposition.— Any number divided by 9 will leav 1 
 the same remainder as the sum of its digits divided by 9. 
 To illustrate this we will take the number 36745. 
 
 36745= 
 
 30000=3(10000) = 
 
 6000=6( 1000) = 
 
 700=7( 100) = 
 
 40=4( 10) = 
 
 5=5 = 
 
 3(9999+l)=3X9999+3 
 6( 999+D=6X 999+6 
 7( 99+l)=7X 99+7 
 4( 9+l)=4X 9+4 
 5 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 63 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 L 
 <u 
 
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 "C 
 
 E 
 
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 u 
 
 On 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ay 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ft- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J* 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
64 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 From this analysis wc see that 36745 might be writ 
 ten, 
 
 2 X 9999 + 6X999 + 7X99 + 4X9 + 
 
 3 + 6 + 7 + 4 + 5. 
 
 When written in this equivalent form it is at once 
 seen that if it is divided by 9, the only remainder that 
 can occur will come from the division of 3 -|-6-|— 7-f -4-}- 5 
 by 9, that is from the division of the sum of the digits 
 by 9- 
 
 Proof for Addition. — Cast the 9's out of the addends, 
 also cast the 9's out of the sum; if the excesses agree, the 
 work is correct. 
 
 Proof for Subtraction. — Cast the 9's out of the 
 minuend, also cast the 9's out of the subtrahend and re- 
 mainder; if the excesses agree, the result is correct. 
 
 Proof of Multiplication. — Cast the 9's out of the mul- 
 tiplicand and the multiplier. Multiply the two excesses 
 together and cast the 9's out of the result. If the last 
 excess is equal to the excess of 9's in the product, the 
 work is correct. 
 
 Illustration — 
 
 876 Excess of 9's in 876 is 3 
 
 483 Excess of 9's in 483 is 6 
 
 2628 6X3=18, excess of 9's in 18 is 
 
 7008 
 3504 
 
 423108 Excess of 9's in 423108 is 
 
 Proof of Division. — Cast the 9's out of the dividend, 
 divisor, quotient and remainder. Multiply together the 
 excesses in divisor and quotient and cast the 9's out of the 
 result. To this result add the excess of 9's in the re- 
 mainder, and cast the 9's out of the sum; if the work is 
 correct, this last excess will be the same as the excess 
 of 9's in the dividend. 
 
 Illustration — 
 
 
 283 ) 876345 
 
 ( 3096 
 
 849 
 
 Excess of 9's in 3096 is 
 
 
 
 Excess of 9's in 283 is 
 
 2734 
 
 
 2547 
 
 4X0=0, exc. in is 
 
 
 
 Excess of 9's in 177 is 
 
 1875 
 
 
 1698 
 
 0+6=6, ex. of 9's in 6 is 
 
 
 
 Excess of 9's in 876345 is 
 
 177 
 
 remainder. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 65 
 
 The Check Figure Eleven. 
 V^TTHILE the check figure n is not infallible, it is 
 \^y reliable in most cases. An operation of this 
 system may be described as follows : 
 
 Take two amounts of five figures each. Starting 
 at the right hand, add the first, third and fifth figures and 
 deduct the second and fourth. If the latter exceeds the 
 former, add n and then deduct. The result is the proof 
 figure. 
 
 The illustration merely shows that the footing is 
 correct, the footing of the check figures giving the same 
 check figure as the footing of the amounts. But if these 
 amounts are posted to the ledger the same operation will 
 prove the accuracy of the posting. 
 
 We will suppose that our book-keeper is enlightened 
 and progressive, and desires to prove each day's work 
 as he goes along, so as to be able to get his balance 
 promptly without trouble on the first day of the month. 
 
 He will post from his sales book, or ticket, $484.26. 
 As he posts the amount in the ledger he extracts his proof 
 figure "4," and writes it in the sales book in a column 
 which he arranges for the purpose. 
 
 The proof figure of the footing of the sales book will 
 then prove the accuracy of the postings to the ledger for 
 the day by agreeing with the footing of the column of 
 proof figures in the sales book which represent the post- 
 ings to the ledger. The same operation will prove the 
 accuracy of the ttay's postings from the cash book, jour- 
 nal, purchase record, or any other book, so that it is 
 within easy reach of every book-keeper with extraordin- 
 arily little trouble to prove each day's work as he goes 
 along, and to be free from all bother and trouble of errors 
 when he endeavors to obtain his monthly trial balance. 
 
 In order to make this matter perfectly clear, we ap- 
 pend an illustration representing one day's work from the 
 cash book and its proof. 
 
 The amounts posted to the ledger from the sundries 
 column of the cash received side of the cash book are 
 represented by the check figures in the check column, 
 
66 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 the footing of which is 29, or 9 minus 2 equals 7. The 
 check figure extracted from the total of the sundries col- 
 umn — $12,578.68 — is also "7," thus proving the postings 
 to be correct for the day. The postings from the sales 
 book, journal, etc., are treated in like manner, each sec- 
 tion of the work being thus proved separately and easily. 
 In entering balances from the ledger into the trial 
 balance book the check figure should be extracted first, 
 and the amount copied from the ledger after. The foot- 
 ing of the check figures will then check the correctness 
 of the amounts in the trial balance book, which have been 
 copied from the ledger, and any errors will be promptly 
 located. 
 
 The 12 Per Cent Method of Computing Interest. 
 
 THERE is scarcely an instance where the interest 
 in a note or an account, especially when the ac- 
 count is of one item, is desired that it can not be 
 done mentally with a little practice in a fraction of the 
 time ordinarily consumed in figuring it out on paper, or 
 turning to several different pages, jotting down an amount 
 from each one of these pages and finally footing up these 
 amounts for the desired result, as is necessary with all 
 books of interest tables no matter how well the book may 
 be tabulated and indexed. In the ordinary routine of 
 business any amount less than one dollar can be elim- 
 inated from the process, except that where the interest is 
 desired on an account of several items maturing at dif- 
 ferent dates, an average should be struck by treating 
 amounts over fifty cents as one dollar and ignoring lesser 
 amounts. For example: $234.74 should be taken as $235 
 and $234.26 would be taken as $234 only. Then by using 
 the 12 per cent method as a basis, the majority of notes 
 and time drafts being for even months and interest on 
 such papers almost universally being a rate of which 12 
 is a multiple, it becomes merely a matter of simple mental 
 arithmetic. The interest for one month on any amount 
 at 12 per cent is readily seen to be 1 per cent of the prin- 
 cipal. For example the interest on $234.00 for one month 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 67 
 
 at 12 per cent is $2.34. By multiplying this amount by 
 the number of months for which the interest is desired, 
 say three months, we have $7.02, the interest on the' 
 principal for the desired time at 12 per cent. Should 
 the rate of interest be 6 per cent simply take one-hali 
 of $7.02 which is $3.51 the interest on $234.00 for three 
 months at 6 per cent. Should the rate of interest be 3 
 per cent, take one-quarter of $7.02 which is $1.76. In 
 cases where the rate of interest desired is not a factor 
 of twelve the operation can be carried mentally till the 
 interest at 12 per cent is reached and for convenience 
 written down. Then if the rate sh^ M be 5 per cent, 
 divide this amount by 2 per cent which gives you 6 per 
 cent and deduct one-sixth from this amount, the remain- 
 der being the interest at 5 per cent. Or again one-third 
 of the amount secured at 12 per cent gives the interest at 4 
 per cent then adding one-quarter of this result we have 
 the interest at 5 per cent. A number of examples, one 
 given below with simple amounts it being advisable to 
 practice on even amounts and full months until the 
 process becomes familiar and then any amount at any 
 fraction of a month becomes a simple matter as will be 
 shown. 
 
 Desired the interest on $756.00 at 4% for 5 mos. 
 
 Interest for 5 mos. at 12% is 5 by 7.56 is 37.80. 
 1/3 of 37.80 is 12.60, the desired amount. 
 Desired the interest on $649.75 at 5% for 3 mos. 
 
 Interest for 3 mos. at 12% is 3 by 6.50 is 19.50. 
 
 1/3 of 19.50 is 6.50 int. at 4% 
 Plus 1/4 1.63 
 
 $8.13 int. at 5% 
 Desired the interest on $532.21 at 8% for 7 mos. 
 
 Interest for 7 mos. at 12% is 7 by 5.32 is 37.24 
 Less 1/3 of 37.24 = 12.41 
 
 $24.83 int at 8% 
 
 When the time given includes fractional parts of a 
 month the number of days given should be treated as a 
 fraction of a month, 30 days being the customary time 
 on which the month is based, so that 10 days is 1-3 of a 
 month, 6 days 1-5 of a month and so on. When the 
 number of days given is not one or more an exact factor 
 
68 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 of a month for all ordinary purposes it is sufficient to 
 add on or drop one or two days to make it so. For ex- 
 ample 13 days would be considered 1-2 of a month or 15 
 days, or by dropping a day it would become 2-5 of a 
 month. Thus the operation in arriving at the interest 
 on any amount at 12 per cent for the given time would 
 be as follows: 
 
 Desired the interest on $673.64 at 12% for 3 mos. 21 days. 
 Interest for 3 mos. is 3 by 6.74 is 20.22 
 21 days or 2/3 of 6.74 is 4.49 
 
 $24.71 int. at 12% 
 
 The operation would then be continued to secure any 
 rate as shown before. It will be seen also that on the 
 basis of 30 days to a month that removing the. decimal 
 point one unit to the left, in the amount of interest for 
 one month you have the interest for 3 days. The above 
 example can thus be simplified as will be found in the 
 majority of cases, it becoming again merely a mental mul- 
 tiplication of .67 by 7 instead of taking 2-3 of 6.74, re- 
 quiring figuring by anyone not somewhat proficient in 
 mental arithmetic. Thus the process would be as follows : 
 
 Interest on $673-64 at 12% for 3 mos. is 20.22 
 Interest for 21 days is 7 by .67 is 4.69 
 
 $24.91 
 
 By this method with a little practice anyone can 
 arrive at the interest on any amount for any given time 
 in much less time than with the old process of multiply- 
 ing the principal by the rate to secure the interest for 
 one year and reducing this amount to the time in months 
 and days required. It will be found much quicker also 
 than using an interest book as it is always necessary to 
 write down several amounts and then perform the subse- 
 quent addition for total sum, it being much quicker to 
 perform a simple example in multiplication or division 
 by a unit, than to hunt for the proper column in a con- 
 fusing mass of figures. As a concluding example it is 
 desired to secure the interest on $1,263.45 at 5 per cent 
 for 3 months 12 days. Mentally we say, 3 times 1263 is 
 37.89 writing down this amount. Then remembering the 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 69 
 
 interest for three days, is one tenth of one month we say 
 4 times 1.26 is $6.04 which we write down under the 
 first amount, being the interest for 12 days. The sum of 
 these two amounts $43.93 gives us the interest at 12 per 
 cent for the desired time. One-half of $43.93 is $21.97 
 the interest at 6 per cent, less 1-6 of the amount which is 
 $3.66, leaves $18.31 the desired interest which is obtained 
 in much less time than it takes to tell it. The operation 
 is shown below and it will be seen that it is only neces- 
 sary to write down the final amount in each operation. 
 
 Desired the interest on $1,450.00 at 7% for 4 mos. 5 days. 
 4 by 14.50 is 58.00 int. for 4 mos. at 12% 
 1/6 of 14.50 is 2.42 int. for 5 days at 12% 
 
 $60.42 total int. at 12% 
 1/2 of 60.42 is 30.21 total int. at 6% 
 1/6 of 30.21 is 5.04 
 
 $35.25 total int. at 7% 
 
 Interest on Daily Balances. 
 
 EXTEND the daily balance day by day calculating in 
 a separate column the number of days each bal- 
 ance is in existence. Thus, if $ioo were deposited 
 in a bank January ist and no further deposits or any 
 withdrawals made until February ist, the number of days 
 would be 31. Multiply the amount of the daily balance 
 by the number of days and divide the product by the in- 
 terest divisors according to the rate of interest. Thus, 
 the divisor for 4 per cent is 8760; for 4^ per cent, 8030; 
 for 5 per cent, 7300; for $ l /> per cent, 6570; for 6 per 
 cent, 6220. 
 
 Some Arithmetical Oddities. 
 
 "by f. l. sawyer, m. a. 
 
 Here is a circular number of 18 digits 
 
 1 57894736842 1 05263 
 
 Multiply it by any number whatever and the product 
 will still consist of the same figures in the same order. 
 The sum of any number of consecutive odd num- 
 
70 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 bers is always a square number. For instance, the sum 
 of i, 3 and 5 is the square of 3; the sum of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 
 11, 13, is the square of 7. In each case the sum will be 
 seen to be the square of the number of terms taken. 
 
 The following equations may be added to the re- 
 markable combinations discovered by Prof. Asoph Hall, 
 as mentioned in the September Book- Keeper: 
 
 121=2x2. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12321=3x3. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1234321=4x4. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 123454321=5x5. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12345654321=6x6. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1234567654321=7x7. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 123456787654321=8x8. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12345678987654321=9x9. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 9 
 
 plus 
 
 10 
 
 equals 
 
 1111111111. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 18 
 
 plus 
 
 20 
 
 equals 
 
 2222222222. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 27 
 
 plus 
 
 30 
 
 equals 
 
 3333333333. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 36 
 
 plus 
 
 40 
 
 equals 
 
 4444444444. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 45 
 
 plus 
 
 50 
 
 equals 
 
 5555555555. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 54 
 
 plus 
 
 60 
 
 equals 
 
 6666666666. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 <>:>> 
 
 plus 
 
 70 
 
 equals 
 
 7777777777. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 72 
 
 plus 
 
 80 
 
 equals 
 
 8888888888. 
 
 123456789 times 
 
 81 
 
 plus 
 
 90 
 
 equals 
 
 9999999999. 
 
 This table is still more interesting when it is noticed 
 that each multiplier is divisble by 9, and that, when the 
 figures of each answer are added together and the added 
 number is subtracted/ the answer is o. For example, the 
 sum of 1, in, in, in is 10; 10 minus 10 is o. 
 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 987654321 
 
 times 9 equals 
 
 times 18 equals 
 
 times 27 equals 
 
 times 36 equals 
 
 times 45 equals 
 
 times 54 equals 
 
 times 63 equals 
 
 times 72 equals 
 
 times 81 equals 
 
 8888888889. 
 
 17777777778. 
 
 26666666067. 
 
 35555555556. 
 
 44444444445. 
 
 53333333334. 
 
 62222222223. 
 
 71111111112. 
 
 80000000001. 
 
 In this table it will also be noticed that each multi- 
 plier is divisible by 9, and that, if the figures in each 
 answer are added together, they will form a total which, 
 if added together, will equal 9. For example, take the 
 second answer, T-777777777%- These figures added 
 together equal 72, and 7 plus 2 are 9. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 71 
 
 The number 142,857 is quite peculiar, and forms the 
 basis of many seemingly marvelous number tricks. 
 
 142,857X1=142,857. 
 142,857X2=285,714. 
 142,857X3=428,571. 
 142,857X4=571,428. 
 142,857X5=714,285. 
 142,857X6=857,142. 
 142,857X7=999,999. 
 142,857X8=1,142,856 
 
 It will be noticed that the products down to that by 
 7 consist of the figures of the number 142,857 in regular 
 order, but beginning at different places. The product 
 by 7 consists of 9's only. The product by 8 is the 
 product by 1, diminish by 1 and with 1 prefixed. The 
 products by 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 are made from the products 
 by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 in the same way as the product by 8. 
 
 142,857X14=1,999,998. 
 
 The products by 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, are gotten 
 from the products 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, by subtracting 2 and 
 prefixing 2. 
 For example — 
 
 142,857x19=2,714,283 
 
 The product by 5 is 714,285. When 2 is subtracted 
 and prefixed this becomes 2,714,283. The reader will 
 readily see how this peculiarity extends to the products 
 by all numbers. 
 
 In general, to multiply any number by 142,857, 
 divide the number by 7, and from that number among 
 the products of 142,857 by 1, 2, 3, 4/5, 6, 7 correspond- 
 ing to the remainder subtract the number of 7's and also 
 prefix the number of 7's. 
 
 Illustration: Multiply 635,485 by 142,857. 
 
 635,483-^7=90,783, with remainder 4. The remainder 
 4 corresponds to 571,428. 571,428 less 90,783=480,645. 
 
 To this remainder prefix 90,873, and the product 
 90,783,480,645 appears. 
 
 The number 142,857 is the integral part of the 
 quotient arising by dividing 1,000,000 by 7. Or, it is the 
 simple repetend produced by reducing the common frac- 
 tion 1-7 to a decimal. Any person at all familiar with 
 
72 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 the subject of repetends will readily see that any num- 
 ber of sevenths similarly reduced must give a like repe- 
 tend, the repeating figures, of course, occurring in a dif- 
 ferent order. But there are more striking peculiarities 
 connected with this repetend not noticed in the article 
 referred to. For instance, take the repetends for 1-7, 
 2-7, 3-7, 4-7, 5-7, and 6-y with the successive remainders 
 arising from their production in regular order and we 
 have, 
 
 Fraction. Repetends. Remainders. 
 
 1/7 
 
 142857 
 
 326451 
 
 2/7 
 
 286714 
 
 645132 
 
 3/7 
 
 428571 
 
 264513 
 
 4/7 
 
 571428 
 
 513264 
 
 5/7 
 
 714285 
 
 132645 
 
 6/7 
 
 857142 
 
 451326 
 
 First, the sum of the digits of each repetend is 2J, 
 and the sum of each perpendicular column is also 27. 
 
 Second, the numbers headed remainders are sim- 
 ple repetends, each one succeeding the first commencing 
 with the same numerical period as the original repetend. 
 
 Third, the sum of the digits of each remainder is 21, 
 and the sum of each perpendicular column is also 21. 
 
 Fourth, if the repetends be expressed as a common 
 fraction the radix for their reduction is 2j, 37, 143. 
 
 Fifth, express the remainders as a common fraction 
 and reduce to the lowest common denominator, 9009, 
 and the common radix of the numerators will be 70 with 
 quotients of independent relations, and the successive 
 remainders 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 
 
 The curious in such matters might find pleasure, 
 if not benefit, in discovering an explanation for the 
 appearance of 27 and 21 in the horizontal and perpendi- 
 cular summation of the digits in the repetends and in 
 the remainders. 
 
 The number 588,235,294,117,647 possesses similar 
 properties. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 7S 
 
 "One Hundred" Problem. 
 
 Can you arrange the figures — i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 
 o — so that they will foot up 100 without using any num- 
 ber twice? 
 
 
 
 
 SOLUTIONS. 
 
 
 
 8X9+7+6+5 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 +4+3+2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 +1+0=100 
 
 
 
 70 
 
 12 
 
 9 8/4 
 
 5 6/3 
 76.9 
 
 0.1 
 
 2. 
 
 5. 
 .48/3 
 
 100. 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 
 7 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 2+7 
 
 
 9- 
 
 -2 
 
 
 
 80 ■ 
 
 80 
 
 
 12 
 
 35 
 
 6 
 
 • 9 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 65.9 
 
 40.9 
 
 8 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 70.9 
 100 
 
 An Efficient Voucher System. 
 
 IN a large business two series of vouchers are main- 
 tained; one to cover accounts payable and expendi- 
 tures and the other to cover employes' accounts for 
 checks and cash drawn and the few sundry cash expendi- 
 tures. This gives a voucher for every cent paid out 
 whether cash or check. 
 
 When goods are to be ordered an order blank is made 
 out in duplicate, the original is sent to the party and the 
 duplicate is placed in a file labeled goods ordered. The 
 orders are numbered consecutively. Upon receipt of the 
 invoice it is stamped with a rubber stamp and prices and 
 extensions examined and O. K.'d. 
 
 As bills are vouchered monthly or oftener if cash 
 discounts are allowed, all bills from the same firm are 
 stamped with the same voucher number, bills and requisi- 
 
7} 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 75 
 
 tions securely fastened together and placed in a file to 
 await payment. When payment is to be made a voucher 
 is made out, items of distribution, etc., entered in voucher 
 register, and check and voucher sent to creditor. The 
 total of the check is entered on credit side of cash book 
 in column headed "vouchers payable." When voucher is 
 returned properly receipted, all bills and requisitions 
 referring to same voucher are filed with it. Upon return 
 of the check it is also filed with voucher, thus giving a 
 history of everything bearing on the order from the 
 
 n — =? ^" 
 
 No.. 
 
 Nevada Live Stock Co. 
 
 Deep Hole, N«v 
 Th 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 ,, = 
 
 
 Correct 
 
 $> Rtct.vto of T«t Nevada Live Stock Co. 
 
 t\a\\arS 
 
 IN*eTTLtMtN-| Of ACCOUfjT AS A&OVE. 
 
 S'iJ'ij 
 
 IbooKKeepf 
 Approved b, 
 
 
 Supf. 
 
 Pleasf Jate.sigo ao& i-eTurq 
 
 original requisition to the ultimate settlement of same. 
 
 The total of amount column in voucher record is 
 posted at end of the month to credit of vouchers payable 
 account in the general ledger. Total of vouchers payable 
 column in cash book is posted to the debit of vouchers 
 payable account. 
 
 The difference between the debit and credit sides of 
 this account will represent the amount of bills unpaid. 
 
 Labor Saving Retail Sales Record. 
 
 SUCH a vast amount of time is wasted in retail stores 
 in keeping track of "charge" sales, that any good, 
 practical system should be welcomed as a much 
 needed economy. 
 
76 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 A large number of proprietors of retail stores, how- 
 ever, know just enough about book-keeping to believe it 
 necessary to open ledger accounts with all customers and 
 post the items of all sales thereto. These items are copied 
 once a month on statement blanks which are then mailed 
 to customers, and altogether, there is a considerable 
 amount of work involved, most of which is entirely 
 unnecessary. 
 
 Perhaps as good a system as any, under ordinary 
 conditions, is described below: 
 
 The counter clerks enter customers' orders on sale 
 tickets or debit slips in duplicate. When the customer 
 takes the goods he is given the duplicate; when the goods 
 are delivered the duplicate ticket goes with them. The 
 original is handed to the book-keeper who, at his leisure, 
 enters the items on a regular billhead (long size), again 
 in duplicate. 
 
 'At the end of the month the bills for that month are 
 cates are attached to the counter charge slips. A re- 
 footed and the originals sent, to the customers. The dupli- 
 capitulation of the footings is made and the total debited 
 to an account which is opened in the ledger and called 
 "May sales" or "June sales" or whatever month's business 
 it may represent. 
 
 The bills are filed in a separate file which is labeled 
 "May bills" and which is really the May or June sales 
 ledger. 
 
 A six column cash book is used, separate columns be- 
 ing provided for cash sales, May (etc.) sales, sundries. 
 The total of May sales column is credited to May Sales 
 account in the ledger, so that the amount of May sales 
 remaining unpaid can be ascertained at any time. As 
 accounts are paid they are removed from the May file. 
 When a payment on account is received it is deducted 
 from the total of the bill and the latter remains in the 
 May file until paid or otherwise disposed of. 
 
 Some of the advantages of the system may be sum- 
 marized as follows: 
 
 Unpaid accounts of previous months show up sep- 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 77 
 
 arately on each month's trial balance, thus commanding 
 attention and investigation. 
 
 No customers' ledger account, no posting, no draw- 
 ing off balances. 
 
 Economy of time, labor and ledger space. 
 
 Facility of obtaining trial balance. 
 
 A Quotation Record for the Buyer. 
 
 A RECORD of quotations received is an important 
 thing especially if the purchase of any consider- 
 able variety of articles is entrusted to a buyer. 
 
 The letter of quotation is sometimes preserved to 
 act as a record but this is a clumsy method because it 
 presents no comparative statement of quotations received 
 from different sources on the same article. More than 
 this, a way should be provided 'for recording verbal and 
 telephone quotations as well. 
 
 The form shown here is a 3x5-inch card, one card 
 being used for each article quoted except where whole 
 lists are submitted for figures in which case it is not 
 necessary to make a card record. As both sides of the 
 card are used and as it is the usual custom to purchase 
 a 60 days' supply of a commodity a card will last a long 
 time. 
 
 This card is valuable — not only as a clear compari- 
 son of prices quoted but also as a means of reference 
 to previous orders when it becomes necessary to re-order 
 the same articles. 
 
78 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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80 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Efficient Method for Keeping Record 
 of Office Supplies. 
 
 A SYSTEM for the storage and record of office sup- 
 plies such as pencils, ink, etc., is essential to the 
 proper conduct of any business office. There are 
 many different methods of handling the storing of these 
 articles, some of them good, others poor. In some offices 
 very little effort is made to keep these things in proper 
 shape, and as a result some day there are no invoice 
 blanks on hand, or the stenographer reports to the office 
 manager that the writing paper is all gone. "Just used 
 the last sheet." Such situations are trying in the ex- 
 treme, and there is no reason why such conditions should 
 exist. 
 
 We will make a list of the various office supplies that 
 ought to be accessible and ready for use at all times, 
 which ordinarily would be about as follows: Pens, ink, 
 pencils, penholders, pins, paper fasteners, sponges, rubber 
 bands, inkwells, letter paper, carbon paper, card index 
 cards, mucilage. 
 
 &ox*l- Peocils 
 
 T-to 
 
 ftlack 
 
 5Uoi 
 
 Scfooi 
 
 J.A.Huot&Co. 
 
 S- 31-03 
 
 8-10 
 
 H 
 
 10 ■ 
 
 flO*. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 This is a fairly comprehensive list of usual office 
 supplies for the ordinary conduct of business. There may 
 be slight variations from this list, but it is a substantial 
 one, and will answer our purpose of illustration fairly 
 well. 
 
 Have a cabinet made like sketch, and number each 
 drawer consecutively. You will notice the drawers are 
 of different sizes and that there are two rows reserved 
 for some of the articles. This is to provide plenty of 
 room for certain articles which are largely used, so that 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 81 
 
 the entire stock may be kept in the one place. The 
 bottom row is reserved for storage only, and the row 
 above it contains the working supply. The drawers will 
 easily accommodate the entire stock of each article, and 
 it will not be necessary to divide up the stock. 
 
 Each article should be given a card, and the number 
 of the box containing it will be recorded on the card, as 
 also amount of purchase, price, from whom purchased, 
 and length of time the supplies lasted. 
 
 Efficient System for Keeping Track of Piece 
 Work in the Clothing Business. 
 
 A QUESTION which all manufacturers of clothing 
 are often more or less troubled with is how to 
 keep track of cuts in work by the tailors, or oper- 
 ators, or finishers. In a small concern where fifty work- 
 men are employed, this can be easily kept by making an 
 entry in each operator's book of what garments he has 
 made, and at the same time the book-keeper makes an 
 entry into his own book used for the purpose. It must 
 be understood that all these hands are piece workers. The 
 question arises where a firm has five hundred or more 
 hands, all being piece workers. This can be then man- 
 aged by a ticket system. The book-keeper, or the man 
 in charge of distributing the garments to the operators, 
 puts a ticket into each bundle, marking on same the 
 quantity of garments contained in that bundle. 
 
 The tailors, when they have finished the garments, 
 present same to the examiner, who O. K.'s the garments 
 if correctly made and signs the tickets which are then 
 good for the price of labor for that particular style which 
 each ticket calls for. This ticket is not valid, unless it 
 bears the signature of both foreman and examiner. Each 
 garment has the trade mark of the firm sewed on it, also 
 having the order number written on said trade mark 
 ticket. The garments after being passed by the exam- 
 iner, are transferred to the shipping department where 
 the shipping clerks assort all garments according to like 
 order numbers. The office men have by this time trans- 
 
82 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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84 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 ferred the order to a shipping slip which is in the pos- 
 session of the shipping clerk. 
 
 The shipping clerk having this shipping slip is posted 
 as to what garments are in work and for whom, and by 
 the date of the order on said slip knows when the gar- 
 ments are due in his department. We assume that the 
 garments being assorted, that order number 800 is 
 amongst the lot. The shipping clerk then checks off the 
 garments that he has ready to ship for order number 800 
 and hands the shipping slip into the office where the bill 
 is made. (See illustrtaion how garments are checked 
 off from the shipping slip.) Before the shipping clerk 
 hands the package containing goods for order number 
 800, or the John Brown Company, to the express company, 
 he must enter into a book used for that purpose, the date, 
 the order number, the quantity shipped to said order 
 number and how shipped. 
 
 A Card System for the Memory. 
 
 MANY a memorandum comes to your notice during 
 the course of a day's business which requires no 
 action just at the moment, but it should be at- 
 tended to, perhaps tomorrow, the day after, or possibly 
 some day next month. It is always an easy matter to 
 forget little items of this character, and to act as an 
 automatic memorandum a little desk box should be pro- 
 vided. Any stationery store will sell you a desk drawer 
 box whicK will fit inside of any one of the drawers of 
 your desk. This box contains a set of monthly index 
 cards for the year and a set of index cards numbering 
 from 1 to 31 covering each day of the month. When 
 a matter is brought to your notice which you desire to 
 have again called to your attention on the 10th of the 
 month, we will say, you fold it in a convenient manner 
 and place it in front of the card bearing number 10. 
 This same action is taken with every matter coming 
 to your notice which requires setting forward for atten- 
 tion, and when you come to your desk in the morning 
 your first duty will be to take out the papers and 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 85 
 
 cards for that day, setting the card behind with the 
 previous cards at the back of the box, and giving proper 
 attention to the memorandum which is brought to light. 
 
 If the papers in each day's compartment are taken 
 out each morning it will always be certain that every 
 matter requiring your notice will be given prompt 
 attention just when it should be attended to and that 
 nothing will be overlooked. 
 
 In case a memorandum requires setting forward 
 beyond the limits of the present month it is simply placed 
 next to the index card representing the particular month, 
 when it. will come up automatically on the first day of 
 that month. 
 
 Order Register. 
 
 WHERE concerns are handling a large number of 
 orders of small individual amounts it is often 
 found advisable to provide an order register. All 
 orders are registered as soon as O. K.'d by the credit man, 
 and then transmitted to the order filling department. 
 The lines on the order register are numbered consecu- 
 tively and by means of a suitable numbering machine 
 which can be purchased very cheaply the order is made 
 to bear the number shown on the register. A convenient 
 arrangement provides an extension column on the order 
 itself and the prices and extensions are carried out 
 thereon. After this is done and the bill made out the 
 amount of the order is entered upon the order register, 
 and if desired this order register can be used as a jour- 
 nal, the amounts being posted to the individual accounts 
 instead of posting from the order itself. In case it is 
 desired to distribute sales according to sales territories, 
 or according to salesmen's territories the order register 
 can be provided with vertical columns, one column for 
 each sales division. If a cross check as to the total 
 amount is desired the amount of the order irrespective of 
 the territory to which it is to be credited can be entered 
 in the first column and again entered under the appro- 
 priate heading in one or another of the vertical columns. 
 
86 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 87 
 
 The total footing of these columns at the expiration of 
 the month, week or other period determined upon gives 
 the total sales of any given salesman or in any given 
 territory. This first or check column is not neces- 
 sary, however, although it costs but a slight amount 
 of additional work on the part of the entry clerk. It 
 will readily be seen that no page will be footed until 
 return has been made of every order listed on that 
 page, ancl no page will be ruled off as complete until 
 all previous pages are filled. A glance at the register 
 at any time will show just what orders are filled and 
 unfilled, and if for any cause an order is delayed an 
 unreasonable length of time through inability to fill, etc., 
 it can be canceled, transferred to a later number and 
 re-numbered on its face, a note of the transfer number 
 being made on the order register. 
 
 Perpetual Inventories. 
 
 THE following method is used by a large clothing 
 house : 
 i. The salesman makes sale slip or ticket with 
 each sale showing the cost in characters and the selling 
 price in plain figures, of the articles sold. 
 
 2. This slip goes to the cashier, who records both 
 cost and selling price on daily sale sheet, of that depart- 
 ment. 
 
 3. The total footings for each day, are posted as 
 follows : In ledger, each department is credited with 
 selling price of goods sold. In stock book, each depart- 
 ment is credited with cost price of goods sold. 
 
 4. Invoices of goods received are charged to proper 
 department at cost price, on both ledger and stock book. 
 
 This will then allow the gross profit to be shown on 
 the ledger account of each department, and the goods on 
 hand (at cost price) on stock book of each department, 
 and the accounts, at time of closing, would look some- 
 thing like the following: 
 
88 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Cashier's Report of Sales, Month of , 19 — . 
 
 No. 1. 
 Clothing $800 00 $450 00 $1,250 00 $1,000 00 
 
 No. 2. 
 Shoes. 
 
 No. 3. 
 Hats, etc. 
 
 CLOTHING DEPT. (LEDGER ACCT.) 
 
 March 1 — 
 
 Inventory $9,000 00 
 
 Purchases 500 00 
 
 Gross profit 250 00 
 
 $9,750 00 
 
 Total sales $1,250 00 
 
 Inventory (cost) 8,500 00 
 
 $9,750 00 
 CLOTHING DEPT. (STOCK ACCOUNT). 
 March 1 — 
 
 Inventory (cost) $9,000 00 
 
 Purchases 500 00 
 
 $9,500 00 
 March 31 — 
 
 Cost on sales - $1,000 00 
 
 Cost inventory 8,500 00 
 
 $9,500 00 
 
 If goods are marked down and sold for less than cost, 
 they are so shown on sale ticket, and loss appears on 
 ledger account with department, Dut not on stock record. 
 
 Time Savers for the Office Man. 
 
 THE ordinary office man wastes too much time in 
 doing unnecessary things — too much time in run- 
 ning around looking for something which his office 
 boy could get for him just as well. 
 
 How many office men do we see scrambling through 
 a drawer full of papers to find a certain one which is 
 needed at the moment. Valuable time is wasted — his 
 time or his employers. Keep papers of every class in a 
 separate compartment, thus: Procure some pieces of 
 heavy Manilla paper about I2xi8-inches in size and fold 
 each one through the middle making a "folder" about 
 9xi2-inches and place them on your desk ready for 
 use. Letter or label these folders according to your 
 needs and always remember that they are not letter files 
 or "grave yards for letters" but merely temporary rest- 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS . 89 
 
 ing places for material which is soon to be. referred to. 
 One for instance, may be lettered "Quotations to be 
 made," another, "Suggestions for advertising," another 
 "For Dictation," etc., etc. The various purposes for 
 which each separate folder may be reserved will readily 
 suggest themselves when the scheme is placed in opera- 
 tion. 
 
 Labor-Savings System of Keeping Track 
 of Printed Matter. 
 
 ALMOST every office which uses a great deal of sta- 
 in keeping track of it. Very often, just when 
 tionery or printed matter has more or less trouble 
 badly needed some certain blank or card runs out, neces- 
 sitating exasperating delay, extra haste and often poor 
 work on the part of the printer in getting out a new sup- 
 ply. Very often stationery is misplaced or overlooked, 
 and when the new lot is printed it is found that there 
 is an ample supply of the old at hand. It often takes con- 
 siderable research to find out who was the printer, the 
 quantity used, when the supply is likely to run out, as well 
 as the cost, and the quantity which should be ordered. 
 It is also desirable to have a plan by which, if a change 
 is to be made in the new edition, note to that effect can 
 be made without danger of overlooking it. The plan de- 
 vised and used by the Inland Type Foundry is very sim- 
 ple and inexpensive. By its use not only can the desired 
 piece of printed matter be found instantly, but at any 
 moment the system will tell the cost, how much is on 
 hand, when it is likely to run out and from whom it 
 should be procured. Here are the details: 
 
 When printed matter is ordered, the order specifies 
 into how many packages it must be wrapped. When it 
 is received by the clerk who has charge of the stationery, 
 a sample is reserved and pasted in a scrap-book, together 
 with the date, the amount and the cost, which last may 
 be in cipher if desired. The stationery is all kept in a 
 large cabinet, the different divisions of which are marked 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 91 
 
 with letters. Before putting away a lot, to each package 
 is attached a label similar to fig. 2, which is reduced 
 one-third. Whenever a new lot of matter is received, 
 the bundles are counted to see if they agree with the re- 
 quisition and a card is filled out like figure i. It is hardly 
 necessary to say that at this time nothing is written 
 against the numbers, which fill the greater part of the 
 sheet. In the Inland Type Foundry's office a stock-card 
 is used (shown reduced in the illustration), which, as 
 will be noted, contains but 88 numbers. This card meas- 
 ures 4x6 inches. Where a great number of packages are 
 to be used, it is better to get a little larger card, so as to 
 contain 100 numbers. It is unnecessary in most cases to 
 have a hole for a rod, so that all the lower space may be 
 
 Package No. X Div.No. ?3 
 
 Received _„ 3 /%L 190 % 
 
 CONTAINS 
 
 Use highest numbered package. 
 
 utilized. If more than 100 packages are to be used, which 
 is seldom the case, a small supply of additional cards 
 running from 101 to 200 and from 201 to 300 can be pro- 
 cured. In case a large number of packages are received, 
 two or three cards can be used, each bearing the same 
 heading, the card with the highest number being placed 
 on top and the cards fastened together with a wire clip. 
 The clerk in charge of the stationery and other matter 
 looks up and sees where there is space in the cabinet for 
 the fresh consignment (in this illustrative case Estimate 
 Blanks), and then puts the proper letter in the upper 
 right-hand corner of the card (P3). A little experience 
 will soon demonstrate the size packages which are re- 
 quired for each instance, the cards themselves being a 
 fair indication as to how rapidly each particular kind of 
 
92 -BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 stationery is used. Each label has not only a description 
 of the contents, but states the quantity in the package, 
 the total number of packages and the number of the 
 package. The stationery clerk has rigid instructions to 
 always take out the highest numbered package, in this 
 case No. 10. After the entries are made and the pack- 
 ages put away on their proper shelves, the cards are filed 
 alphabetically in an ordinary indexed card-tray. If any 
 one requires stationery of any particular kind, the requisi- 
 tion is presented to the clerk who has it in charge and the 
 proper card is found in the tray. A glance shows that in 
 this case there are 8 packages left, consequently the clerk 
 will go directly to the cabinet, and take out of Division 
 P3 package No. 8, deliver it and enter the date on the 
 card. While so doing, this clerk glances at the card and 
 notes how many packages are remaining. The blank 
 spaces above the dates show this, while the dates them- 
 selves show how many packages have been used. By 
 comparing the first date with the last, the quantity used 
 within a certain time is easily ascertained, and if the 
 stock on hand is running short an order is made out for 
 a further supply, notation being made on the face of the 
 card to that effect. If the dates of the old card (which 
 is kept in another part of the tray) indicate that a large 
 quantity is used' an inquiry is made if the same piece of 
 stationery is likely to be in constant use, and a greater 
 quantity is ordered. If the dates on the card indicate 
 that the amount last printed is sufficient to last for an 
 extended time, a lesser quantity is ordered. If desired, 
 in addition to the date, room may be left on the card for 
 the requisition number, or another column may be added, 
 in which a letter or a number indicates the person or 
 department to whom these blanks were delivered, and in 
 this way track is kept of where the goods have gone. 
 
 Although over 1,000 different kinds of printed matter 
 are kept in stock, the supply is kept in such shape that it 
 is seldom necessary to order anything in a very great 
 hurry. The proper amount is ordered, and the printer 
 given sufficient time to get it out in presentable style. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 93 
 
 Tools and Their Care. 
 
 EVERY manufacturing institution and practically 
 every mercantile institution is obliged to include 
 as a part of its equipment a certain investment in 
 tools. In the case of a mercantile institution this invest- 
 ment is small, and with the value of tools alone to be 
 considered it would hardly seem necessary to pay much 
 attention to their care. As a matter of fact in mercan- 
 tile houses the value of the tools is insignificant com- 
 pared to the waste of time incidental to hunting them up 
 when they are needed. No part of the permanent 
 equipment of most institutions is so carelessly used or 
 so poorly cared for as these same tools, and in an insti- 
 tution of any size the loss through carelessness or abuse 
 of tools is considerably more than one would think, 
 unless the matter has been investigated. No mat- 
 ter what the size of the institution or what the amount 
 involved in the tool equipment the responsibility for the 
 care and preservation of the tools should be vested in 
 one person, this person to be made responsible for the 
 safe keeping of all tools in his charge. In the case of an 
 establishment large enough to use time checks for its 
 employes the time check may be deposited with the 
 person in charge of the tools in exchange for the tool 
 borrowed. As the workman cannot, of course, enter 
 his time without the check he will naturally make it a 
 point to return the tool and get his check back again, 
 and the man in charge of the tools will see that no check 
 is given back to the workman without the return of the 
 tool it represents. 
 
 In a small establishment where time checks are not 
 used and where a regular tool room is not maintained 
 it will be sufficient for the custodian to make a memo- 
 randum of the name of the borrower of the tools, the 
 memorandum to be canceled when the tool is returned. 
 At intervals the tool keeper should be required to fur- 
 nish an inventory of all tools, which inventory should 
 be compared with the original inventory and the dis- 
 
94 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 crepancies explained and accounted for. In every case 
 a positive rule must be in force that all tools of every 
 character must be returned by the borrower. This will 
 not only prevent unnecessary loss which is also an 
 amount large enough for consideration, but it will also 
 result in the saving of a considerable amount of time 
 
 BORROW SLIP. 
 
 SMITH &« JONES' TOOL ROOM. 
 
 Date 
 
 Received of 
 
 Storekeeper — The following tools which I agree to 
 become responsible for until safely returned by me. 
 
 Workman. 
 
 wasted in hunting for tools as above stated. Where no 
 rules of this sort are in force it is quite customary for a 
 workman to borrow a tool, say a saw, hammer or some 
 similar instrument and drop it just where he ceased to 
 use it, and the next man who wants it must hunt it up, 
 inquiring from man to man who had it last. This waste 
 of time may seem to be very small but after all it is 
 quite an item in a small establishment. The writer has 
 seen enough time wasted hunting for a hammer and 
 saw to pay for the tools twice over. Time is money, so 
 have a place for your tools and keep them in that place. 
 A suitable rack of pigeon holes will be provided for 
 the storage of tools and the check or slip identifying the 
 borrower will be placed in the space from which the tool 
 was taken. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 95 
 
 A Quick System for Filling Orders. 
 
 IN many jobbing concerns a great deal of time is 
 wasted in filling orders. A shoe house with which 
 the writer once came in contact, was in the habit 
 of starting all orders on the top floor. The warehouse 
 contained five floors and stock men and helpers were 
 required on each floor. Nearly every order received 
 called for goods stored on from two to five different 
 floors. As a result of starting the orders on the top floor, 
 the order clerks on the lower floor had nothing to do 
 in the morning and toward night they had more than 
 they could do while those on the upper floors were out 
 of work. 
 
 To overcome the difficulty as many copies of the 
 order were made as there were floors. A copy of the 
 order went to the stock man on each of these floors so 
 he could get his part of the goods out at once, sending 
 them to the shipping room where the order was assem- 
 bled. The next copy of the order was sent to the ship- 
 ping clerk and on this he checked the goods as they came 
 to him from the different floors and his copy would 
 show when the order was completed, at which time it 
 could be packed for shipment. 
 
 Handling Cards. 
 
 HERE is a simple but effective scheme to insure the 
 return of a card to its proper place in the file, 
 when it has been removed for reference. When 
 you take a card from the file it often happens that some 
 one else refers to the same file or a slight jar causes the 
 cards, which have left an opening where you have 
 removed the card, to slide together. It is then necessary 
 to finger the indexes until you find the exact place where 
 the card belongs. 
 
96 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 97 
 
 The next time you remove a card from the file, pick 
 up with it the next card back and as you remove your 
 card allow the other to fall back into the tray so that 
 it strikes on one corner with the side resting on the edge 
 of the tray, as shown in the illustration. 
 
 When you wish to return the card to the file all that 
 is necessary is to place it immediately in front of the 
 card with the corner projecting. 
 
 A Safeguard for the Correspondence Files. 
 
 IN every large office more or less confusion is caused 
 on account of correspondence being out of the files 
 which cannot be located without consulting all of the 
 people who are accustomed to obtain correspondence 
 for reference. This is particularly true where there 
 are several correspondents. 
 
 One correspondent sends to the file for a letter of a 
 certain date from John Dow, and before he has re- 
 turned it, some other department wishes to consult 
 the same letter. The filing clerk, as a rule, does not 
 remember to whom the letter was given and knows only 
 that it is not in the files. This results in an exasperating 
 delay, to say nothing of the loss of time in searching 
 for the letter. 
 
 The problem of keeping track of correspondence 
 when it is out of the files has been satisfactorily solved 
 in a very simple manner by one large concern with 
 which the writer is familiar. 
 
 t Each correspondent who has the authority to call 
 for letters from the files is furnished with a block of 
 slips, like Form No. i. This is a requisition on the 
 filing clerk for certain correspondence. This is filled 
 in, signed and dated by the correspondent and sent to 
 the files. When the filing clerk delivers the correspond- 
 ence, this slip is placed in the files as a charge against 
 the correspondent. The concern in question uses the 
 vertical filing system and has adopted another scheme 
 to make this system even more simple. 
 
98 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 When a requisition for correspondence is received, 
 the filing clerk delivers the folder with all of the cor- 
 respondence, so if one letter does not give the desired 
 information, the correspondent will have before him all 
 the letters bearing on the subject. 
 
 When the folder is taken from the file, another 
 folder of color which is a strong contrast to the regular 
 folders, is put into the file in place of the original, and 
 the requisition slip is placed inside of this colored folder. 
 
 J1Q- 
 
 P/eose fot-Qi'si) Corres/Doydeyce. o"f: m 
 
 Hfo 
 
 As manilla is the color usually adopted for the regular 
 folders, red or blue is a good color for the special 
 folders. This can be furnished by any printer cut from 
 very ordinary paper stock. 
 
 The advantage of this scheme is that when corres- 
 pondence leaves the files, the filing clerk is not requested 
 to make an entry to trace the correspondence but has a 
 receipt signed by the person to whom it was sent. Care 
 should of course be used to deliver none without a prop- 
 erly signed requisition. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 99 
 
 A Reminder Which Will Not Be Overlooked. 
 
 AVERY busy man who is at the head of three or 
 four large institutions which keep him away 
 from his office a great portion of the time has. 
 adopted a plan which enables him to have presented 
 at his desk a memorandum which may come to him 
 at any odd moment when away from his office. He 
 carries in his pocket a supply of U. S. postal cards, 
 and when an idea strikes him he jots it down on one of 
 these cards and drops it into the next mailing box he 
 comes to. These postal cards are already addressed to 
 him, and when he returns to the office they are there to 
 be attended to in due course. The gentleman in ques- 
 tion claims that this is the best scheme he has ever seen 
 for keeping in view occasional thoughts which would 
 otherwise be lost track of entirely in the pressure of 
 other and larger affairs. 
 
 Loose Leaf Inventory Taking. 
 
 THE annual inventory of a mercantile or manufac- 
 turing concern is a much dreaded job as a general 
 thing and especially so in those concerns where 
 a "shut down" is necessary during the inventory's pro- 
 gress. The usual custom is to use a number of blank 
 books — one or more for each department — pricing and 
 extending the items when the inventory is complete. 
 This necessitates a delay in the work of pricing and 
 extending which can be entirely done away with by the 
 use of loose leaves or sheets. 
 
 If these sheets are numbered beforehand there is no 
 danger of the loss of any sheet and as each one may be 
 sent to the pricers as soon as complete much time is 
 saved. By the use of this method the final figures may 
 be ready within a few hours of the time when the last 
 item of stock is entered. 
 
 The loose sheets are, of course, bound into book 
 form for preservation. 
 
100 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 On Handling Orders. 
 
 IT will be assumed that a modern mercantile estab- 
 lishment will have provided a means for the prompt 
 classification and distribution of all incoming mail 
 so that mail of every character will be sent at cer- 
 tain stated times of the day to the proper persons for 
 attention. It will be found wise to arrange that mail 
 be delivered at the various desks not oftener than four 
 times a day except in special cases. 
 
 The credit man for instance will have his work 
 simplified if orders reach him at certain stated times 
 and can thus be looked up and passed upon in bunches. 
 Where orders come through for attention one or two 
 at a time too much unnecessary waste of valuable time 
 results. The first step in handling the order is the 
 authorization of credit by the credit manager. In order 
 to preserve a proper routine all orders, even cash and 
 C. O. D. orders, should follow the same course as a 
 credit transaction. It might easily chance that certain 
 circumstances would make it inadvisable that an order 
 should be filled even though it be cash or C. O. D. Every 
 mercantile institution has had experience with the man 
 who orders goods C. O. D. and then allows them to be 
 returned, thus throwing the charges both ways upon 
 the shipper. A rubber stamp can be used for authoriz- 
 ing credit, and the sketch shown below indicates a pro- 
 posed form. 
 
 In some instances this form can be printed on the 
 order blank, but if orders are put up or entered from' 
 the original as written by the customer a slip of paper 
 gummed on one corner can be provided in place of the 
 rubber stamp. This is often found more convenient 
 than the stamp for the reason that in the case of the 
 printed slip it can be attached to the order always in 
 the same position whereas there might not be a blank 
 space convenient for the placing of the stamp. If the 
 order is one demanding special attention in the way of 
 a hurried shipment the slip used may be printed on red 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 101 
 
 paper, having it understood in the establishment that 
 all orders bearing the red credit slip will receive imme- 
 diate attention. Care must be taken, however, that this 
 red slip be used only when haste is imperative, for the 
 effect of the slip will be lost if it is used indiscriminately. 
 Of course it will not be necessary to go through 
 the full investigation of all orders. Many of the orders 
 passing through the credit manager's hands will at once 
 be recognized as unworthy of credit without investiga- 
 tion, while others must necessarily go to the accounting 
 department for data before the order is filled. The form 
 provides for a statement from the accounting depart- 
 ment as to the amount the purchaser now owes, the pro- 
 portion of this which is due, the highest credit, or the 
 largest amount his account has reached during the year. 
 The next line lettered SHIP: is intended to bear special 
 instructions in case the credit manager desires to instruct 
 C. O. D. shipment. The last line is to bear the credit 
 man's O. K. and initials in case he decides to authorize 
 shipment. 
 
 To Finger Cards Rapidly. 
 
 MANY people know nothing about handling cards 
 rapidly." The result is that many of them will 
 insist that cards cannot be as quickly handled as 
 the leaves of a book. 
 
 In many places where card indexes are used it is 
 necessary to count the cards. To count them in the 
 drawer or to handle each one separately is a slow and 
 unsatisfactory method. They can be counted very 
 quickly, however, if a small handful is taken out at a 
 time. 
 
 First see that the bunch of cards is even just as 
 you would "even" a pack of playing cards before shuf- 
 fling. 
 
 Grasp the cards firmly, with .both hands, one hand 
 at each end of the bunch, holding them between the 
 thumb and fingers. 
 
102 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 193 
 
 With a slight motion of the fingers "travel" the 
 cards until the end of each projects just a little beyond the 
 next card above it. 
 
 The cards may then be "snapped" one at a time, 
 slowly or rapidly — for counting or to refer to a name 
 or number. 
 
 Try this as shown in the illustration and see how 
 quickly you can refer to every one of a bunch of 25 or 
 30. 
 
 Labor Saving Ledger Card Index. 
 
 FROM the illustration hereto appended, the advan- 
 tage of this card index system is apparent, the same 
 card covering a period of forty-eight years, being 
 ruled and printed on both sides. 
 
 A Quick Collection System. 
 
 A CHICAGO concern collects a large number of 
 small debts at a very trifling cost by practically 
 acting as its own legal collector. 
 By paying a young attorney a modest monthly fee 
 they get the privilege of using his name, keeping con- 
 stantly on hand a supply of stationery with his imprint. 
 A threatening letter from an attorney sometimes works 
 wonders and by this means the effect is produced at very 
 small cost, as the letter to the debtor is sent from the 
 concern's home office, being dictated by the regular col- 
 lection manager, simply using the attorney's stationery. 
 Should it be found necessary a little later to commence 
 suit against the party the attorney in question com- 
 mences the suit, but in nine cases out of ten a letter 
 or two written on the attorney's letter head produces the 
 desired effect. 
 
104 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 105 
 
 Efficient Method of Paying Employes 
 in Large Factories. 
 
 EVERY person when entering the employ of the 
 concern is obliged to give his or her pedigree to 
 the doorkeeper, which is duly recorded on an em- 
 ployment blank, and at the same time the person is given 
 a brass check with the number corresponding to number 
 on the employment book. (This number and check is 
 retained by the employe until he leaves, is discharged or 
 transferred to another department.) The employe is also 
 given a small slip printed thereon, "This check will be 
 considered a receipt for your envelope on pay day and 
 under no circumstances will envelope be delivered with- 
 out it. In case this check is lost, a new one will cost 
 fifteen cents." 
 
 The blank after having been O. K.'d by the superin- 
 tendent or other proper person is immediately sent to the 
 office and the employe's name is then recorded on the 
 pay roll book and blank filed. 
 
 Have the pay roll book so arranged as to keep de- 
 partments separate, for when making same up this will 
 enable you to keep department envelopes entirely separate 
 and greatly facilitate paying off." Start at one end of 
 the room and go from person to person without their 
 leaving their machines or any other particular work, 
 and it will be found that when the paymaster makes his 
 appearance everyone will have his check ready for his 
 envelope. 
 
 Before starting to pay count the envelopes and when 
 through the paymaster must return a check for each en- 
 velope given out, otherwise he must return. the envelopes. 
 
 After the checks are returned to office they are 
 given to the doorkeeper, who will arrange same numeri- 
 cally before the morning, and as each employe enters he 
 is given his check. 
 
106 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 A System for Supplanting the Purchase Ledger. 
 
 MANY of our best, largest and most modern busi- 
 ness houses have entirely done away with the 
 keeping of a purchase ledger. These concerns 
 do not open an account with any of the people from 
 whom they purchase goods. It is their custom to dis- 
 count every bill wherever a cash discount is allowed, and 
 have assumed that no check is needed on the account 
 payable, arguing that if an account is overlooked the 
 man to whom it is due will very promptly call attention 
 to the oversight. If a bill is presented which is incor- 
 rect, instead of making a debit against the concern from 
 whom the goods were purchased the bill is returned for 
 correction, a memorandum being kept of the manner in 
 which the bill should finally be submitted. They thus 
 do away with an enormous amount of ledger work 
 which the old fashion of opening accounts with each 
 of the parties through whom goods are purchased entails. 
 
 A Quick Method of Making Statements. 
 
 WHERE a typewriter is used in making out state- 
 ments of account it is easy to provide for ad- 
 dressing an envelope at the same time the state- 
 ment is addressed by inserting in the machine, with the 
 statement, an envelope and placing between the state- 
 ment and the envelope a sheet of carbon paper. Thus 
 the address is written on the statement and the envelope 
 at the same time the statement heading is written, sav- 
 ing the extra time which is usually consumed in address- 
 ing envelopes in which to mail or deliver the statements. 
 An indelible pencil or stiff pointed pen can be used in 
 place of the typewriter by using specially prepared car- 
 bon paper which can be obtained from any office supply 
 house. This carbon paper is extra soft and will make a 
 good clear carbon copy amply sufficient for the address 
 on the envelope. In case a collection card is used as 
 well, it can also be made at the same time as statement, 
 making all three copies at once by the use of a book type- 
 writer. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 107 
 
 A Scheme to Insure the Prompt Handling of Cor- 
 respondence. 
 
 IN all concerns of any considerable magnitude, where 
 correspondence must necessarily pass through the 
 hands of several departments, the problem of dispos- 
 ing of it quickly is one that requires no little attention. 
 
 It has been the writer's experience that all large 
 concerns receive a greater or less number of com- 
 plaints relative to the delay in answering letters. These 
 complaints for the most part come from individuals 
 who are accustomed to receive but a small amount of 
 mail. The man who writes one letter a week is the 
 most impatient if he does not receive a reply by return 
 mail. It is usually the case that the delay is entirely due 
 to his own lack of method. He will send a remittance 
 and in the same letter refer to an unfilled order and ask 
 for prices on another line of goods. He does not stop 
 to think that this letter must be handled by three differ- 
 ent departments, each of which will attend to one of the 
 three subjects covered by the letter, and if he does not 
 receive full information by return mail, he concludes 
 that his correspondence has been neglected. 
 
 Inasmuch as we cannot educate our customers and 
 insist on their using a separate sheet for each separate 
 subject, it becomes necessary to overcome the difficulty 
 so far as possible in our own office. 
 
 Numerous schemes have been tried, such as making 
 copies of the letters and referring these copies to the 
 various departments interested. One of the best 
 schemes of which we know, is that adopted by one of the 
 big western mail order houses. This concern has a large 
 number of correspondents and each one is given a num- 
 ber, and in the house, he is always known by that 
 number. 
 
 In-coming mail is opened and sorted by a clerk who 
 reads every letter to see to what department it belongs. 
 On each letter is placed the number of the department so 
 
108 • BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 that when distributed, the correspondence will go to the 
 proper person. 
 
 When a letter requests the attention of two or more 
 departments, the mail clerk determines which is of first 
 importance and then places the numbers of the depart- 
 ments on the letter in the order of their importance. 
 For instance, if a letter contains a remittance, the cash- 
 ier will be the first one to whom it is sent. These 
 letters which bear two or more numbers are kept 
 by themselves and delivered separately from the other 
 correspondence. After being sorted by departments, the 
 letters are delivered by a messenger and it is the duty 
 of each correspondent to first attend to those letters 
 which bear other department numbers so that no other 
 department need be held up through any fault of his. 
 The stenographers are also instructed to immediately 
 write the answers to these letters and return them to 
 the correspondent. The carbon copy of the reply is 
 attached to the letter which is then placed in a messen- 
 ger basket, on the desk of the correspondent. The mes- 
 senger comes around once every hour and collects all 
 mail from these baskets, and after sorting, delivers it to 
 the proper department. 
 
 With this system it is very seldom that a letter 
 requiring the attention of several departments is held 
 over night. Another feature of advantage is the fact 
 that when the correspondent receives a letter which has 
 been handled by another department he has before him 
 the reply which gives him full information as to what 
 has been done. Very often the manner in which a letter 
 is handled by one department will have an important 
 bearing on its handling by another. 
 
 The expense of this scheme is so small that it need 
 hardly be considered special in view of the saving of 
 time in the handling of correspondence. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 109 
 
 A Few Pointers in Regard to Prommissory Notes. 
 
 PRESENTMENT for payment is not necessary in 
 order to charge the person primarily liable on the 
 instrument, but when payable at a specified place 
 if not presented, the debtor cannot be held responsible 
 for any damages or costs on account of failure to make 
 such presentment. 
 
 When payable on demand presentment must be 
 made within a reasonable time after issue. 
 
 A sufficient presentment is that made by the holder, 
 or a person duly authorized to receive payment on his 
 behalf at a reasonable hour, on a business day, and at a 
 proper place. If the person primarily liable is absent, 
 or inaccessible, presentment may be made in person at 
 the place specified for payment. 
 
 Where no place of payment is named, presentment 
 should be made either at place of business or residence 
 of person primarily liable. 
 
 If the maker removes to another place within the 
 state in which the note was issued, the holder is bound 
 to make presentment at that place. 
 
 In the case of a note made and dated in New York, 
 the maker then residing in Florida and not having 
 changed his residence at maturity, HELD that demand 
 must be made of the maker in Florida in order to change 
 the indorser. 
 
 Presentment must be made upon the day the paper 
 is due. Presentment either before or after maturity is a 
 nullity. 
 
 An acceptance is not good unless completed by deliv- 
 ery. Only those who have the title to an instrument 
 can transfer it, and if held by several jointly, all must 
 join in the transfer, unless one holder is authorized 
 by all to do so. 
 
 No one but the drawee can accept a draft unless 
 specially authorized. 
 
 Q Acceptance may be conditional, partial, local or 
 qualified as to time. 
 
110 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 (i) Conditional, making payment by the acceptor 
 dependent upon the fulfillment of a condition therein 
 stated. As the following, written across a draft: "Ac- 
 cepted — payable on surrender of bills of lading for cot- 
 ton, per ship 'America.' " Or, again, "Accepted — pay- 
 able when in funds." 
 
 (2) Partial, or restricted as to amount. As, A. 
 draws on B. for $100; B. accepts as to $50. Or, A. 
 draws a draft on B. for $100; B. accepts it payable $50 
 in cash and $50 in goods. This would be good as to the 
 cash, but not as to the goods. 
 
 (3) Local, or restricted as to place of payment. As, 
 draft addressed to "B., of Utica," and it is accepted pay- 
 able at Syracuse, N. Y. 
 
 (4) Qualified as to time. As, A. draws on B., 
 payable in two months after date; B. accepts, payable in 
 three months after date. 
 
 A "Goods Wanted" Register. 
 
 EVERY retail merchant at some time starts to keep 
 a "Want Book" in which he proposes to make a 
 memorandum of the goods which are needed, so 
 they can be ordered when the next salesman calls 
 on him. I say starts to keep, for the reason that this 
 book is seldom kept up. 
 
 The reason is that he has no means of classifying 
 these items and when the salesman calls it is about as 
 much trouble to pick out the items from a book as it is 
 to obtain the same information by looking over the stock. 
 
 This can be very easily handled by the use of cards. 
 Whenever stock of any kind has run low, make a note 
 of it on a 3x5-inch card or slip of paper cut the same 
 size, then file this card or slip in a card file. One of 
 the small desk boxes will answer the purpose, or a home 
 made box may be used. 
 
 This file should be provided with blank indexes on 
 which are written the different departments or different 
 classes of goods required, arranging these as far as 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 111 
 
 possible to conform to the lines carried by the jobbers 
 with whom the merchant is dealing. For instance, the 
 general store would have one index headed "shoes" and 
 another headed "groceries." These departments would 
 very likely be subdivided as all of the goods are not 
 bought from the same house. 
 
 Where certain houses are favored for certain lines of 
 goods, it is well to have an index headed with the name 
 of each of these concerns. When a salesman for John- 
 son & Co., from whom you buy crockery calls, you will 
 find behind the index headed "Johnson & Co.," cards 
 showing what is needed in his line. 
 
 In the meantime, a salesman from another crockery 
 concern calls and offers some very attractive prices. 
 You will have no difficulty in remembering that you 
 have been buying crockery from Johnson & Co., and 
 can immediately refer to those cards. 
 
 One advantage of a card index of such a record as 
 this is, it is never filled up with dead matter. When the 
 goods are ordered, simply destroy the card. This frees 
 the files from dead matter and gives you only the infor- 
 mation desired. 
 
112 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 A Cross Index. 
 
 THERE are many records which are necessary to 
 be cross indexed, that is, indexed in two or more 
 ways. As an illustration, take a collection card 
 or instalment card in the follow-up system. Two things 
 must be known, the name of the debtor or customer, and 
 the date on which the card should be given attention. 
 
 If the cards are filed in the alphabetical index it 
 becomes necessary to look through all of the cards every 
 day in order that none requiring attention be over- 
 looked. On the other hand if they are filed in a monthly 
 and daily index under the date on which they should 
 receive attention, we cannot find a given name without 
 looking through all of the cards. 
 
 These records may be easily cross indexed by the 
 use of tabs. There are two ways of doing this. 
 
 First— Have the cards themselves made with tabs cut 
 1-20 the width of the card and with the letters of the 
 alphabet printed on these tabs. This provides for twenty 
 divisions of the alphabet, letter "A" being on the first 
 tab at the left of the card and the letters "X> Y, Z" on 
 the last tab at the right end of the card. 
 
 NAME. 
 
 J.N. Adar^-t-Co. 
 
 ADDRE.5S „ 
 
 Jbuffalo, N.Y 
 
 DATE. INVOICE. 
 
 TERMS 
 
 Ntt3o - 2^0-10 
 
 DATE. DUE. 
 
 AMOUNT 
 
 STATEMENT 2^ Notice 
 
 ^ Notice 
 
 SPECIAL LE.TTE.R5 
 
 }■„ 
 
 Pay me.nt5 
 
 FINAL DISPOSITION 
 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 113 
 
 In entering the names, select a card bearing a tab 
 that corresponds to the first letter in the customer's 
 name. That is, "J ones " would be entered on the card 
 with the "J" tab. You can then file the cards according 
 to date and to find Mr. Jones' card, it is only necessary 
 to refer to the row of "J" tabs until the right card is 
 found. 
 
 Second — Another method contemplates the use of a 
 simple adjustable metal tab which can now be obtained 
 from almost any stationer. These metal tabs can be 
 placed on the cards at any point and removed at will. 
 The cards may be without' tabs, but across the upper 
 edge there should be printed a series of numbers from 
 i to'3i. 
 
 
 /2J4-56739 1011 ni3M5MI1 It 11 20 21 22 231+75 2L 77 212130 51 
 
 NAME. FOLIO 
 
 AbbRE.55 
 
 DATE. INVOICE. TERMS 
 
 These numbers are intended to represent the days 
 of the month. If a card will require attention on the 
 16th of the month, one of these metal tabs is placed 
 over No. 16, and the card may^then be filed in an alpha- 
 betical index under the name of the customer. 
 
 The card of any customer is then quickly located 
 and the tabs themselves indicate just what cards should 
 receive attention each day. These metal tabs may also 
 be used to advantage in books. Ledgers are sometimes 
 arranged with one of these daily indexes across the 
 top of the sheet and the tabs are placed in a position to 
 show when the accounts are due. 
 
114 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Short Cuts for Users of Printing. 
 
 THE average business man knows very little about 
 buying printing. He takes the printer's word for 
 it in the majority of cases, with the natural con- 
 sequence that he knows nothing about whether he is 
 being overcharged or not. Going on the general princi- 
 ple that "there is no bottom to the price of printing," he 
 either makes the error of depending on low price as a 
 criterion and therefore yielding the temptation of paying 
 less than a thing is worth, and putting the printer in the 
 position of giving him less than he pays for; or, with 
 the idea of getting as far away from error as possible, 
 he overpays. 
 
 The buyer of printing should know something about 
 paper stock; he should know something about the prices 
 of paper, and a few simple rules about how to make up 
 a book so his catalogue may be put up in decent shape. 
 
 NUMBER OF WORDS IN A SQUARE INCH. 
 
 In calculating the amount of space the manuscript 
 will occupy, the following little table will prove accurate 
 enough for ordinary estimation: 
 
 WORDS TO SQUARE INCH. 
 
 Pearl, leaded 50 
 
 Pearl, solid «. . . . 69 
 
 Nonpareil, leaded 34 
 
 Nonpareil, solid . . . . ; 47 
 
 Minion, leaded 27 
 
 Minion, solid 38 
 
 Brevier, leaded 23 
 
 Brevier, solid 32 
 
 Bourgeois, leaded 21 
 
 Bourgeois, solid 28 
 
 Long Primer, leaded 16 
 
 Long Primer, solid 21 
 
 Small Pica, leaded , 14 
 
 Small Pica, solid 17 
 
 Pica, leaded 11 
 
 Pica, solid 14 
 
 English . 11 
 
 Great Primer, solid . . . 7 
 
 Double Small Pica 4 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 115 
 
 THE SIZE OF AN EM. 
 
 In measuring type the printer charges so much per em 
 in everything excepting display job work. This price per 
 em is computed by a standard of measurement adopted 
 by printers. An em is the square of the letter m of the 
 size of type used in the composition. 
 
 SHIPPING TAGS. 
 
 In ordering shipping tags it is well to specify sizes 
 already in stock, as otherwise there will be an extra 
 charge for special manufacturing. The following table 
 shows the standard sizes: 
 
 INCHES. 
 
 No. 1 1^x2^ 
 
 No. 2 154x254 
 
 No. 3 1^x354 
 
 No. 4 .* 2^x454 
 
 No. 5 2^x4^4 
 
 No. 6 2Vsx5y 2 
 
 No. 7 2^x6 
 
 No. 8 3^x6^4 
 
 TABLE FOR ORDERING RULED HEADINGS SUCH AS BILL HEADS, 
 LETTER HEADS, ETC. 
 
 RULED HEADS, 
 
 
 Nos. 
 
 Size in inches 
 
 Rul. 
 Pens 
 
 No. Cut 
 Full R'm 
 
 Size Cut 
 From 
 
 Bill Heads 
 
 Bill Heads 
 
 2's 
 3's 
 
 4's 
 6's 
 8's 
 4's 
 4's 
 8 : s 
 8's 
 8's 
 8's 
 12' s 
 6's 
 8's 
 24' s 
 12's 
 
 8^x14 
 8'V 2 x 9^ 
 8^x 7 
 8%x 4% 
 8% x 3^ 
 8% xll 
 8 xlO^ 
 85* x 5K 
 6 x^ 
 5^x 8% 
 5^x 8% 
 VA x 5% 
 5% xll 
 5^ x 8% 
 6 x 3H 
 8j4x 3% 
 
 4 
 4 
 4 
 3 
 2 
 7 
 7 
 7 
 5 
 5 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 3 
 ^ 3 
 
 1,000 
 1,500 
 2,000 
 3,000 
 4,000 
 2,000 
 2,000 
 4,000 
 4,000 
 4,000 
 4,000 
 6,000 
 3,000 
 4,000 
 12,000 
 6,000 
 
 14x17 
 14x17 
 14x17 
 14x17 
 14x17 
 17 x22 
 16x21 
 17x22 
 19x24 
 17x22 
 17x22 
 17x22 
 17x22 
 17x22 
 19x24 
 17x22 
 
 Bill Heads 
 
 Bill Heads 
 
 Bill Heads 
 
 Letter Heads 
 
 Letter Heads 
 
 Mem. Heads 
 
 Packet Note Heads. 
 Com. Note Heads. .. 
 
 Statements, short... 
 
 Statements, long: 
 
 Statements, H. &T. 
 Statements, Infant.. 
 Statements, Yankee. 
 
116 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Sometimes the office man in ordering ruled headings 
 will make an odd size that requires a great waste of 
 paper in cutting up the stock. The appended table will be 
 useful in assisting him to place his order. 
 
 In the foregoing table it will be seen that the 
 ruling is noted as the number of "pens." A "pen" is 
 the unit of measure by which distance between the lines 
 is measured. This will be found standard, and is 
 adopted by printers throughout the United States. 
 
 EMS IN A SQUARE INCH. 
 
 In setting up descriptive matter for advertisements, 
 especially in long descriptions, the printer generally 
 charges so much per thousand ems. It is essential 
 therefore for the advertiser to know how to measure up 
 his copy to be able to O. K. the bill. Measure the width 
 of the matter, then the length of it; that will give you 
 
 Square 
 Inch 
 
 iy 2 Pt. 
 
 Diamond 
 
 5 Pt. 
 Pearl 
 
 5V 2 Pt. 
 Agate 
 
 6 Pt. 
 Nonpareil 
 
 7 Pt. 
 Minion 
 
 1 
 
 256 
 
 208 
 
 176 
 
 144 
 
 .106 
 
 
 Square 
 Inch 
 
 8 Pt. 
 Brevier 
 
 9 Pt. 
 Bourgeois 
 
 10 Pt. 
 L. P. 
 
 11 Pt. 
 Small Pica 
 
 12 Pt. 
 
 Pica 
 
 1 
 
 81 
 
 64 
 
 52 
 
 44 
 
 36 
 
 the number of square inches ;. multiply the number of 
 square inch by the number of ems in a square inch ac- 
 cording to the following table, first getting the size of the 
 tvoe from the printer. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 117 
 
 SIZES OF ENVELOPES. 
 
 Envelopes come in the following standard sizes, and 
 any manufacturer handles these sizes: 
 
 tnches 
 
 Inches 
 
 Inches 
 
 No. 2 
 
 ..2V 2 x 1% 
 
 3 2%x i% 
 
 4 2% x 5^ 
 
 5 3/ 8 x f>% 
 
 6 m x 6 
 
 6J* 3^x 6 
 
 6^ 3% x 6J^ 
 
 6% 3^x V/ 2 
 
 7 3%x 6K 
 
 8% 3^x 8% 
 
 9 4 x m 
 
 10 4J4x 9^ 
 
 11 4^x10% 
 
 12 4%xll 
 
 14 5 xll^ 2 
 
 Baronial 
 
 No. 4 3^x4^ 
 
 " 5 VAxbVs 
 
 Coin 
 
 No. 1 2%xi% 
 
 " 2 2%xi%. 
 
 " 3 2%x4% 
 
 " 5 3^x5% 
 
 Drug 
 
 No. 1 1^x2% 
 
 " 2 2 xSK 
 
 " 3 2^x3^ 
 
 Photograph 
 
 Cabt 4^x7% 
 
 Imp'l 5^x7M 
 
 Pay 
 
 No. 2 2J£x 4J< 
 
 Policy 
 
 No. 9 iy a x 9 
 
 " 10 4^x 9% 
 
 " 11 4^x10^ 
 
 " 12 4^x11 
 
 Portfolio 
 
 No. 1 4^x8% 
 
 " 3 ,...6/ 8 x9M 
 
 '• 4 6^x9^ 
 
 Safety Express 
 
 No. 9 3%x8% 
 
 " 10 Wx9y 2 
 
 The quality of an envelope depends entirely upon 
 the quality of paper. The X is 40-pound paper; XX 50- 
 pound paper; XXX 60-pound paper, the size of the 
 sheet being 22^x30 out of which envelopes are cut. 
 
 SCALE OF SIZES OF CUT CARDS. 
 
 Nos. 
 
 Sizes in Inches 
 
 No. Cuts to 
 Sheet 
 
 Sheet Required J 
 tocutlOOOcards 
 
 1 
 
 3 xlH 
 
 112 
 
 9 
 
 2 
 
 V/ 2 x\ 13-16 
 
 98 
 
 11 
 
 3 
 
 8 7-16 x 2 1-16 
 
 80 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 3%x2 1-16 
 
 70 
 
 15 
 
 5 
 
 3K x 2 5-16 
 
 63 
 
 16 
 
 
 4x2 5-16 
 
 55 
 
 19 
 
 7 
 
 4 x 2 9-16 
 
 50 
 
 20 
 
 8 
 
 i% x 2 9-16 
 
 48 
 
 21 
 
 9 
 
 4^x2 13-16 
 
 42 
 
 24 
 
 10 
 
 5/ 8 x4 
 
 36 
 
 28 
 
 , 11 
 
 53/i X 33/ 8 
 
 32 
 
 32 
 
 12 
 
 3 3-16 x 1 13-16 
 
 88 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 4 x 2 1-16 
 
 60 
 
 17 
 
 Card board comes in sheets 22x38 in size, and different 
 sizes of cards are cut from these sheets. The following 
 table will show how these cards are cut and the number 
 that can he cut of the different sizes from each sheet; 
 
118 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 also the number of sheets required to furnish iooo cards 
 of each size. 
 
 It is of advantage to the user of printing sometimes 
 to buy his own stock which he can often do at a consid- 
 erable discount from the wholesaler or manufacturer. 
 
 STYLE OF ENGRAVING IN GENERAL USE IN ADVERTISING. 
 
 There are four styles of engravings in general use 
 in advertising, — half-tones, zinc etchings, electrotypes 
 and stereotypes. 
 
 HALF-TONES. 
 
 Half-tones are made direct from photographs 
 or other copy and are exact reproductions in black 
 and white of the copy. The half-tone is repro- 
 duced by a mechanical process whereby in transferring 
 the photograph to a copper plate the photograph is made 
 through a screen. On all half-tones will be noticed the 
 little dots and lines which is the screen used in the 
 reproduction. For use in newspapers the half-tone is 
 made through a 65-line screen, or at most a 75-line 
 screen, will give the best results. For ordinary maga- 
 zines printed on a superfinished paper a no or a 120-line 
 screen may be used. For highly enamelled paper 130 or 
 150-line screen is generally used. Screens, however, are 
 made up to as high as 300 lines. As the screen gets finer 
 the result is softer and more difficult to print, requiring 
 that the very highest grade of enamelled paper be used 
 for the 200-line screen. 
 
 Half-tones are generally used for reproduction of 
 photographs, wash drawings, oil paintings, photogra- 
 vures and steel engravings. The copy from which the 
 half-tone is made must be absolutely free from all 
 cracks, spots or other defects as the half-tone is a photo- 
 graphic reproduction of the copy. 
 
 ZINC ETCH-NGS. 
 
 A zinc etching is the simplest mechanical method 
 of reproducing copy. It will not take copy, how- 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 119 
 
 ever, like photographs where there are many half 
 tones, or light shadows. Zinc etching will simply repro- 
 duce black and white and no gray effects can be obtained, 
 therefore copy for zinc etching should be made in what 
 is known as line drawing. It will reproduce black lines 
 or black dots, but not wash or photographic half-tones. 
 The copy should always be made in black and white and 
 not in any other color as zinc etchings are made from 
 photographic wet plates which will not take pink or blue 
 or any of the colors of the spectrum so well as it will 
 take arbitrary black. 
 
 ELECTROTYPES. 
 
 Electrotypes are simply either a reproduction of half- 
 tone or zinc plate made by means of a mold being made 
 of the original and t-hen the metal being poured into the 
 mold and a reproduction being made that way. 
 
 STEREOTYPES. 
 
 Stereotyping is the cheapest method of reproducing 
 from plates. Cuts from which stereotypes are to be made 
 should always have metal base. Stereotypes are fre- 
 quently used in newspaper advertising. 
 
 COST OF ENGRAVINGS. 
 
 Half-tones cost from 20 to 25c a square inch: the 
 minimum price of small cuts being from $2 to $3. 
 
 Zinc etchings cost from 5 to yc per square inch: 
 the minimum price of small plates is from 50 to 75c. 
 
 Electrotypes cost from 2 to 4c per square inch: the 
 minimum price of small cuts being from 10 to 15c. 
 
 Stereotypes cost from i}i to 3c per square inch: the 
 minimum price of small cuts being 8c to 12c per small 
 cut; 50 per cent additional is usually charged for metal 
 bases. 
 
120 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 FORM OF PAGE FOR CATALOGUES AND BOOKLETS. 
 
 Many advertisers would be very much surprised to 
 know that the reason their catalogues did not 
 look more attractive is because of a lack of sym- 
 metry in the make-up of the pages. It is a well accepted 
 rule that the page should be arranged so that: — the diag- 
 onal measure of a page from the folio in the upper cor- 
 ner to the opposite lower corner should be just twice 
 the width of the page. As Bigelow says: "This is no 
 arbitrary technical rule, but is in conformity to the law 
 of proportion establishing the line of beauty; it applies 
 equally to all objects of similar shape, and satisfies the 
 eye completely. A long-brick shaped page or book will 
 not look well, however nicely it may be printed. When 
 we come to a quarto or square page, the true proportion 
 of the diagonal to the width will be found to be as 
 10^2 :6^4 — the size Of a good shaped quarto — instead of 
 2:1, as in the oblong, or octavo. And this shape also 
 proves as satisfactory to the eye as the former one. 
 However large or small the page may be, these propor- 
 tions should be maintained for a handsome book." 
 
 BOOK PAPERS. 
 
 ANTIQUE FINISH. 
 
 Antique Book is very spongy with a dead finish that 
 is without gloss. In the majority of instances it is used 
 in order to make a work look bulky. A book that is 
 printed on Antique finish has bulk and lightness. You 
 cannot use this kind of paper to print half-tones or fine 
 engravings, but coarse wood cuts or zinc etchings can 
 be printed acceptably on it. 
 
 LAID FINISH. 
 
 This paper is made with bars or lines like water 
 marks running through the sheets. This finish offers 
 very poor printing surface for fine half-tones or zinc 
 etchings. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 121 
 
 ENAMELLED FINISH. 
 
 Enamelled finish is a very high, glossy surface, in- 
 tended primarily for printing half-tones. This surface is 
 made by a coating of clay, chalk or other mineral sub- 
 stances, and furnishes a hard, brittle paper of no parti- 
 cular durability, but capable of taking a fine half-tone or 
 zinc etching. 
 
 S. AND C. FINISH. 
 
 (Sized and Calendered.) 
 
 This paper, is sometimes called M. F. Book; other- 
 wise known as Machine Finished. Its surface is smooth 
 without a gloss, and is used principally for the com- 
 moner grades of book work and will take a zinc etching 
 nicely, but will only take a coarse screen half-tone. 
 
 S. AND S. C. FINISH. 
 
 (Sized and Supercalendered.) 
 
 This approaches the enamelled stock in grade, hav- 
 ing a hard finish with a glossy surface. 
 
 In order to detect the finish of a paper make a 
 cylinder of it so the light will reflect on the surface of the 
 cylinder. If it is an enamelled stock it will show 
 up strong reflections, smooth, hard, and very glossy and 
 if it is any of the other grades, it will appear less glossy, 
 until in the Antique finish you will get little more than 
 the effect of soft cloth. 
 
 TERMS FOR SPECIAL POSITION OF ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 In ordering advertisements inserted in magazines and 
 publications in specifying the position, it is not neces- 
 sary to write a long letter of instructions. The fol- 
 lowing aSbreviations are sufficient to show the location 
 desired : 
 
 N. T. R. — next to reading matter. 
 
 O. A. P. — only ad on page. 
 
 T. P. N. R. M. — top page next to reading matter. 
 
 T. C. R. M. — top column, next to reading matter. 
 
122 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 F. P. — full position — i.e., wholly along side of read- 
 ing matter, top of column, or following reading in a 
 broken column. 
 
 R. P. — run of paper, which means no position speci- 
 fied. 
 
 P. P. — preferred position, nearly the same meaning 
 as full position. 
 
 MEASUREMENT OF ADVERTISING SPACE. 
 
 Advertising space is measured almost uniformly in 
 Agate type, fourteen Agate lines unleaded making one 
 inch. Nonpareil is sometimes used, twelve unleaded 
 Nonpareil lines making one inch. 
 
 STANDARD COLUMN WIDTHS. 
 
 The standard measurement for newspaper columns 
 is 2 1-6 inches wide, or 13 pica ems. Some of the. maga- 
 zines such as "The Ladies' Home Journal" and "The 
 Youth's Companion" are 2^ inches wide, or 133/2 Pica 
 ems. The standard magazine column is 2^ inches wide 
 or 16 Pica ems. Electrotypes to be used in both maga- 
 zines and newspapers should be made the narrowest 
 measure, unless it is deemed wise to incur the extra 
 expense. 
 
 SIZES OF POSTERS. 
 
 Posters come in sheets. The standard size of a 
 sheet is 28x42 inches. 
 
 STREET CAR CARDS. 
 
 The standard size of street car cards is 11x21 
 inches. They are generally cut from stock 22x42 inches. 
 
 TO CALCULATE THE WEIGHT OF PAPER. 
 
 Paper is sold almost universally by the weight per 
 pound, and is put up in bundles of five hundred 
 sheets which is called a printer's ream. These reams 
 weigh according to the unit of the weight of the paper — 
 for instance, a 25 x 38 enamelled paper may weigh 60 
 pounds, or 70 pounds or 80 pounds and so on to any spe- 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 123 
 
 cial weight, 25 x 38 being the size of the sheet, and it 
 takes 500 sheets to weigh 60 pounds; if the paper were a 
 little heavier, the same number of sheets the same size 
 would weigh 70 pounds and so on up to any special 
 weight. 
 
 It is oftentimes necessary, however, for the buyer 
 of paper to be able to calculate what a ream of paper 32 x 
 44 of the same relative weight of a sheet of paper 25 x 38, 
 would cost. Divinne has given a very good rule on this 
 subject. "When paper of irregular sizes must be ordered, 
 and it is important to retain a certain thickness, as in 
 the case of enlargement of a form of ordinary 24mo. to 
 32mo., or in case of a reduction to a i6mo., the proper 
 weight of the size wanted may be determined by a simple 
 calculation, thus: The difference between 24 and 32, or 
 between 24 and 16, is 8, or eight twenty-fourths, or one- 
 third. The size of paper wanted should weigh one-third 
 more for the thirty-two page form, or one-third less for 
 the sixteen-page form. 
 
 When the proportion between the sizes is not regu- 
 lar, as in the above case, the desired weight may be found 
 by reducing both sizes (the paper in use, and the paper 
 desired) to square inches, making a question in simple 
 proportion. For example: To find the weight of a ream 
 of paper 20 x 30 inches, as a ream 24 x 38 inches, weigh- 
 ing 40 pounds. Multiply together the length and width 
 of the smaller size, 20x30 9i2:6oo::40 
 
 which gives 600 square 40 
 
 inches. Multiply the length 
 
 and width of the larger 912)24000(261/3 lbs. 
 sheet, 24x38, which gives 1824 
 
 912 square inches. It is now 
 
 a simple question of propor- 5760 
 
 tion. As 912 is to 600, so 5472 
 
 is 40 to the answer, which 
 
 is 26 1/3." 288, or about 1/3. 
 
124 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Checking Returns on Form Letters. 
 
 WHERE inquiries are answered by form letters, 
 the follow-up system will require that where 
 the letter in answer to the first inquiry fails to 
 get an order, the name will then be put in the follow-up 
 file, and a second letter will then be sent to that inquirer 
 together with a number of others in rotation certain 
 periods apart. In order to find out what certain form 
 letters are producing, it is the best practice to make out 
 a form letter card ruled somewhat as shown opposite. 
 
 ~) 
 
 Form Letters and Form Paragraphs. 
 
 ANY one dictating a large number of letters will find 
 upon reflection that he is using a constant succes- 
 sion of sentences applicable to certain situations 
 which arise from time to time, constantly repeating the 
 same sentence each time the situation occurs. 
 
 A little thought will enable the correspondent to pick 
 out a large number of these paragraphs which may be 
 copies in duplicate, one copy being retained by the corre- 
 pondent and one copy handed to the stenographer. The 
 paragraphs are then lettered or numbered and in dictat- 
 ing a letter any paragraph is inserted in its proper place 
 in the letter, being indicated to the stenographer by its 
 number only. Fully one-half of the ordinary run of let- 
 ters can be handled in this way. 
 
 A form letter should be clear, concise and to-the- 
 point and should give definite information. It is ex- 
 tremely unprofitable to cut a form letter so short that it 
 lacks that element of complete information for which the 
 possible customer is asking. It is absolutely absurd to 
 say that form letters should be but a page in length. It 
 has been found that form letters containing as much as 
 twenty-five hundred words have proved very much more 
 effective and profitable than letters containing but three 
 hundred words. 
 
 In the mail order business the great majority of the 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 125 
 
 -J 
 
 £ 
 
 f 
 
 L. 
 O 
 u 
 
 I 
 
 <n 
 
 ■1- 
 
 •> 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 L. 
 — O 
 
 O 
 
 i_ 
 <W 
 £L 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4— 
 
 o 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Z 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 o 
 
 z 
 
 > 
 
 i. 
 
 <3 
 
 C 
 <3 
 — ) 
 
 > 
 A. 
 <3 
 
 i- 
 r> 
 
 L 
 <3 
 
 n. 
 < 
 
 <3 
 I 
 
 -> 
 
 >• 
 
 A- 
 •> 
 
 -o, 
 
 < 
 
 Jt 
 
 o 
 
 > 
 O 
 
 z 
 
 L 
 
 >-- 
 
 £ 
 
126 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 business is obtained by the personality displayed in form 
 letters. Personality in salesmanship is the element that 
 makes sales, so salesmanship in form letters is the ele- 
 ment that brings orders. 
 
 A series of form letters covering the different re- 
 quirements of the correspondents should be arranged 
 and keyed and numbered in such a fashion as not to 
 interfere with the impression that they are personally 
 dictated, as the vast majority of mail order correspon- 
 dents resent being treated as a mass. Therefore, form 
 letters should be arranged, for instance, where the word 
 ''Dictated" with the initials of the party dictating and 
 those of the stenographer are generally placed, I. c, 
 "Diet. H. C. — M. R.," something like the following: 
 "Diet. H. C— Mio." The "Mio" is used as the key 
 number of the particular form letter, so that the cor- 
 respondence clerk in answering takes the inquiry, marks 
 "Mio" on it, and hands it to a typewriter to fill in the 
 name and address. This saves the time of dictation and 
 insures a uniform excellence in the replies. 
 
 Indexing Form Letters and Form Paragraphs. 
 
 FORM letters should be arranged in loose leaf scrap 
 books and a complete set furnished to each clerk, 
 stenographer, manager or typewriter handling in- 
 quiries. 
 
 From time to time it will be necessary to substitute 
 new forms for old ones. The old forms can easily be 
 removed from the loose leaf book and new ones inserted. 
 
 Form paragraphs can be numbered i, 2, 3, etc., and 
 in answering such inquiries the correspondence clerk 
 can mark on the inquiry, Paragraph 1, which would be 
 the ordinary form of acknowledgment, and then Para- 
 graph 15, 26 and 33, (dealing with the subject of the 
 inquiry) and ending with Paragraph 2, which may be the 
 ordinary form of closing. 
 
 The paragraph idea, of course, applies to a method 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 127 
 
 of answering letters where each answer is especially 
 typewritten. 
 
 Form letters may be printed in imitation of type- 
 writing so cleverly done that it is almost impossible to 
 detect the difference between the printed letter and the 
 especially dictated letter. 
 
 It pays to have the letter bear all the ear marks of 
 personal dictation, even though it means a considerable 
 relative additional cost. 
 
 Keying Advertisements. 
 
 KEYING advertisements is the modern method of 
 finding out just what a particular line of publica- 
 tions, or what particular publication of a number 
 is bringing the best returns from a certain advertise- 
 ment. 
 
 There are several ways of keying an advertisement. 
 One is making a special offer and attaching a coupon to 
 the ad, requiring that the coupon be filled out and sent 
 in before the special offer is good. This coupon con- 
 tains a statement of where the ad was taken from. The 
 coupon idea, however, is only useful in comparatively 
 large spaces, such as pages or half-pages in the maga- 
 zines, or proportionately large spaces in the newspapers. 
 The coupon pays better in the magazines. 
 
 Some advertisers key their ads by changing the 
 street address on each ad. This, in case where a large 
 number of publications of similar circulation are used, 
 is rather deceptive in determining results for the simple 
 reason that the possible customer in answering the ad 
 may be influenced by magazines which do not get the 
 credit for their work, and it has the additional drawback 
 in such cases of arousing suspicions of possible customers. 
 
 Others change the number of the rooms in the 
 building which they occupy. 
 
 Others request the possible customer to address a 
 different department. This is being used by a number 
 of the larger concerns. 
 
128 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Probably the best way to key an ad is to make a 
 special offer in each magazine, so differentiating the 
 offers as to give a complete index to the magazines 
 bringing the most replies. It has one important draw- 
 back however, of not putting all the magazines on the 
 same plane. 
 
 Up-to-Date Method for Record of Purchases. 
 
 WHEN supplies are required a regular order is 
 made out and the order is also entered on the 
 loose leaf purchase record, which is placed in a 
 file indexed with guide cards for each kind of supplies 
 used. This file is divided into three compartments, 
 namely : 
 
 Goods Ordered. 
 
 Goods Received. 
 
 Bills Audited for Payment. 
 When the bill is received the items and extensions are 
 checked with the order, and the date of receipt of bill is 
 inserted in the purchase record, together with the quan- 
 tity and amount according to the bill to which the pur- 
 chase record is attached. When the goods are received, 
 the bill is stamped with a rubber stamp calling for date 
 received, freight, express, or cartage. 
 
 The bill and purchase record are now transferred to 
 the "goods received" compartment. These bills are then 
 audited for payment on the last day of the month and 
 placed in the "audited" compartment, a recapitulation 
 being made of the amounts, the total of which is credited 
 to accounts payable account in the general ledger. The 
 recapitulation sheet also contains the distribution to the 
 various representative accounts, to which the totals of 
 the various columns are posted. No accounts with credi- 
 tors are carried in the ledger. Wherever bills are regu- 
 larly discounted, and paid at certain fixed dates, it is a 
 waste of time to open separate ledger accounts with each 
 concern from whom purchases are made. The paid bills 
 attached to the vouchers should be placed in vertical files, 
 and as all the bills emanating from one house will be filed 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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130 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 together immediate reference can be obtained whenever 
 desired. It will be seen from our illustration that the 
 purchase record is a duplicate of the order for the goods 
 and bears the same number. In businesses where it is 
 preferred to carry ledger accounts with creditors, this 
 system could be advantageously adapted, as posting could 
 be made direct from the purchase record without the 
 intervention of any other book, the order number supply- 
 ing the place of book folio. 
 
 It will be seen from this description that the invoices 
 received cannot only be referred to, but information can 
 be obtained at a glance as to whether the bill of goods 
 has been received; as to whether the goods are ac- 
 cording to order, and the bill correct; and as to whether 
 the bill has been audited or paid; ancl as a matter 
 of fact, no extra time has been consumed because it 
 is just as easy to place the bill in one file after reference 
 has been made to it as to place it in the file in which it 
 was originally contained. 
 
 The Envelope System for Indexing Clippings, 
 Data, &c. 
 
 HOW many times has the busy business man said 
 to himself: "I saw an article in the magazine 
 about that thing the other day. I wish I could 
 remember where it was I saw it for it had a direct bear- 
 ing on just this subject." Of course, you read the trade 
 papers applying particularly to your own trade of busi- 
 ness. You read The Book-Keeper and Business Man's 
 Magazine to gain information about things and general 
 business procedure. You do these things for the sake 
 of the information you gain, why not index all the in- 
 formation you come across in such a fashion that it will 
 be constantly available for your use whenever you desire 
 to call for it. To do this, that is, to render it constantly 
 available, it is simply necessary to cut out all of the 
 articles which attract your special attention or if you 
 do not desire to mutilate the magazine in which you find 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUT. 131 
 
 the article hand it over to your stenographer to be copied 
 on the typewriter and after you have cut the article out 
 or after a copy has been made it is ready for filing. A 
 series of envelopes lettered with the various letters of the 
 alphabet will answer if you do not expect to accumulate 
 a very large stock of clippings but in order to make the 
 whole subject matter of these clippings constantly avail- 
 able from any standpoint it is well to .use a card index; 
 for cross indexing the subjects dealing with the various 
 clippings. As time goes on you will find that the en- 
 velopes used to preserve the clippings are divided into 
 smaller and smaller divisions and as a consequence your 
 cross index will grow in accordance. We will say that 
 you are the head of a large mercantile institution hav- 
 ing special control of the collections, you find an article 
 in some magazine or newspaper dwelling upon the legal 
 features in connection with a replevin suit in the state of 
 Ohio. These clippings would naturally be filed in the 
 envelope devoted to law which envelope in its turn might 
 well be subdivided into alphabetical division, your card 
 index showing that any particular clipping you desire 
 should be found under the head of replevin subdivided 
 R. in the legal envelope. The best way to cross index all 
 these subjects is to give them their title from the way 
 in which they are the most easily brought to your mind 
 when you read the article, in other words ask yourself 
 how would I refer to this if an inquiry regarding it 
 came to my mind a little later on. 
 
 System for Recording Advertising Results. 
 
 Each publication should have a card made out for it 
 along the line of the following form: 
 
 The key number, or the method of keying the ad 
 should be incorporated in the statement of the contract 
 and the correspondence clerk should be required to keep 
 an accurate record of inquiries, orders or correspondence 
 produced by the advertisement. At the end of each 
 
132 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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134 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 month a summary record should be made according to 
 the form on opposite page. 
 
 In this way the advertising manager is enabled to 
 keep constantly before him the exact results obtained 
 from his advertising campaign not only as to the value of 
 the mediums concerned, but the relative value of different 
 offers in different advertisements. 
 
 Some Correspondence Time Savers. 
 
 GETTING THE LETTERS READY TO ANSWER. 
 
 MUCH time can be saved by a correspondent, both 
 for himself and his stenographer, if the corres- 
 pondence is properly arranged before calling the 
 stenographer to take the dictation. 
 
 When the mail comes to the desk it should be care- 
 fully read and those letters which can be answered at 
 once placed by themselves. The letters on which addi- 
 tional data is required should be laid aside and complete 
 information necessary to an intelligent answer obtained 
 before they are placed with those which are ready for 
 answer. Then when the stenographer is called the let- 
 ters may be dictated without interruption and the time 
 of the stenographer is not wasted in waiting for the 
 information to be obtained. 
 
 A Novel Way to Emphasize in Typewritten 
 Letters. 
 
 IN some of the new and improved "Visible writing" 
 machines it is possible to produce a novel and 
 attractive effect by printing a word, line, or sen- 
 tence in vivid red while the body of the letter is green, 
 purple, or blue. 
 
 This is done by inserting a slip of red carbon paper 
 behind the ribbon at the time the emphasized words are 
 written, removing the carbon as soon as those words are 
 finished. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 135 
 
 Getting Correspondence Data. 
 
 WHERE there are several persons employed in an 
 office it is a mistake to require the stenographer 
 to spend his or her time in looking up minor 
 details necessary to answer a letter. That duty can be 
 more profitably delegated to an employe whose time is 
 less valuable. For instance if a letter is required from 
 the iiles, it is better to send the office boy to the file 
 clerk to get the letter. When information about an 
 account is wanted, make a memo, on the letter and 
 send to the accounting department with instructions to 
 return as soon as possible. It is not always possible for 
 the accountant to furnish the desired information at 
 once without serious interference with work which he 
 is doing. 
 
 Except in unusual instances, the business will be bet- 
 ter served all around if the information is allowed to come 
 through in regular routine. There is no use in having 
 the stenographer attempt to look up details with which 
 someone else in the office is much more familiar. 
 
 Dictating by Numbers. 
 
 ONE of the best time savers in dictating is to desig- 
 nate each letter by a number. When the corres- 
 pondence is taken up for reply, number the letters 
 beginning with number one. Instead of giving the 
 stenographer the name and address call the number of 
 the letter which the stenographer will enter in the note 
 book. If a numbering machine is used the series may 
 be continued throughout the day, otherwise it is better 
 to begin with number one each time the stenographer 
 is called to the desk. 
 
 In handling ordinary business correspondence the 
 writer has found that about twenty per cent of the time 
 is saved where the stenographer does not stop to write 
 the name and address. When the fact thai this means 
 the saving of the time of both the correspondent and 
 the stenographer is considered, it will be seen ihat an econ- 
 omy worthy of consideration results from the scheme. 
 
136 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 Making Corrections. 
 
 WHEN corrections are to be made in a letter the 
 stenographer is aided to a considerable extent 
 by properly indicating the corrections. If a 
 word is to be erased and another substituted draw a 
 light line under the word and on the margin at the end 
 of the line write the word to be substituted and place the 
 proofreader's sign, meaning the word is to be killed. 
 The correction can then be made without re-writing 
 the entire letter. In case of a misspelled word it 
 may be indicated by a line underneath and the correct 
 spelling written at the end of tiie line in which it appears. 
 
 To Save Postage. 
 
 MANY concerns, especially those having several 
 departments, each having correspondence of 
 their own, can save postage expense in a con- 
 siderable amount by making sure that all mail matter 
 addressed to one person during the day by every depart- 
 ment is enclosed under one cover. To do this it is only 
 necessary to provide the mailing clerk with a supply 
 of envelopes addressed to those parties with whom the 
 firm is in constant correspondence. The various depart- 
 ments writing letters to these parties then send their 
 letters each day to the mailing clerk without envelopes, 
 he enclosing them in the same envelopes at the close of 
 the day or whenever the mail is made up. 
 
 In case of concerns having branch agencies the 
 saving in this direction will be considerable in the course 
 of a year, and in addition to this the receipt of all com- 
 munications from the home office under one cover will 
 be found convenient by the party receiving the mail. 
 Much annoyance is caused at times by the placing of 
 insufficient postage on letters for foreign countries. 
 This can be obviated by giving the various stenogra- 
 phers a supply of envelopes already stamped with a 5c 
 stamp. When writing the letter the stenographer 
 will, of course, note that it is addressed to a foreign 
 
3USINESS SHORT CUTS 137 
 
 country and using the stamped envelope will prevent an 
 
 insufficient amount of postage, thus obviating the annoy- 
 ance of delay which is sometimes fraught with grave 
 consequences in the forwarding of important mail. 
 
 Sorting Mail for Filing. 
 
 DID you ever watch a filing clerk in an office where 
 a large volume of mail was received, trying to 
 sort the mail so it could be quickly filed? 
 She probably made neat little piles of letters, some of 
 them on the desk and a couple more in her lap, trying 
 to get all of the Jones', Smiths' and Browns' together. 
 
 Before she gets half through she finds she has 
 not nearly enough room to sort all the letters, so she 
 files those that are already sorted and then proceeds to 
 go through the same operation with the balance. 
 
 A great time saver is one of the sorting trays, such 
 as are used with the vertical filing system. This tray 
 is made like a card tray but very much larger. Inside 
 it is about twelve inches wide, five or six inches high, 
 and about twenty inches in length. Like the card trays 
 it is provided with an adjustable follower. 
 
 By using a set of alphabetical indexes standing up- 
 right in the tray, the mail can be very quickly sorted. 
 The "A's" are thrown in front of the "A" guide or the 
 "B's" in front of the "B" guide and so on until the 
 entire mail is sorted. It is then but the work of a 
 moment to re-sort the "A's" when they are ready for 
 filing. 
 
 If the numerical system of filing is used, these in- 
 dexes should be numbered instead of lettered, one index 
 to a hundred numbers. 
 
 Copies of Replies Attached to Originals. 
 
 WHETHER or not impression copies of letters are 
 taken time can be saved in the end if a carbon 
 copy of the reply is attached to each letter. 
 This- may be attached by the stenographer with a drop 
 
138 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTb 139 
 
 of mucilage or paste. When it becomes necessary 
 to refer to any correspondence in the files the original 
 letter and copy of the reply are found together, giving a 
 more complete history of the particular subject 
 referred to. 
 
 Distributing the Mail. 
 
 IN many concerns it is the custom to deliver all mail 
 for each department to the department head, by 
 whom it is distributed to his subordinates. Where 
 there is a large amount of correspondence to be re- 
 ferred to several different individuals it is inconven- 
 ient to distribute it on the desk and keep that for each 
 individual by itself. To aid in a rapid distribution a 
 desk file is a great convenience. These files, which are 
 designed for use on the desk can be had with an alpha- 
 betical arrangement — a compartment for each letter 
 of the alphabet — or with numbered compartments. Use 
 the initials of the individuals or indicate each by a num- 
 ber and as the letters are read place each in its proper 
 compartment. As each lot of mail is distributed, the let- 
 ters can be sen to the proper individuals and all confu- 
 sion avoided. ' 
 
 Method of Taking Care of the Cash Receipts of a 
 Mail Order Business. 
 
 ALL mail received should be opened by one special 
 clerk, and stamped with the date and also the hour 
 when received. Letters containing money should 
 be sent direct to the cashier, who enters them in a special 
 ticket form of cash book. The pages should be large 
 enough to contain ten tickets, perforated down the cen- 
 ter, and next the binding and also crosswise so that the 
 tickets can be taken out and arranged alphabetically for 
 entry into the loose leaf ledger, or else on a card system. 
 The book should be made with the tickets uppermost, 
 and a plain sheet underneath, printed and ruled like the 
 tickets above, and all tickets and duplicates numbered 
 
140 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 the same by a hand numbering machine, and by using a 
 carbon sheet duplicate copy is left in the book. The 
 tickets are taken out and given to the ledger clerk and 
 entered to its proper account, then all the tickets are 
 arranged and passed over to the treasurer or other con- 
 fidential clerk who checks over the tickets with the 
 ledger leaf or card to see that all are posted to their 
 proper accounts. 
 
 The cashier next draws off a list showing the ticket 
 number and the amount, the balance on hand in the 
 morning, plus the total footing of the sheet will give the 
 balance on hand at night, all of which, or most of it, 
 should be turned over to the treasurer. By this method 
 a very strict watch is kept on the cashier, and if the 
 mail clerk is made to number all remittances going to 
 the cashier, with a numbering stamp, and reports the 
 same to the treasurer, it would be almost impossible for 
 any defalcation to occur without collusion. 
 
 A Perpetual Inventory System. 
 
 BY a very simple and inexpensive card system de- 
 scribed herewith, which with slight alterations to 
 suit the conditions of the stock, can be made to 
 conform to the requirements of any business, a book- 
 keeper or accountant having in charge the accounting 
 department can with the co-operation of his employer 
 submit a complete statement of this business at any time 
 it might be called for. In the vast majority of business 
 houses, an inventory is a job of several days and at times, 
 weeks duration. A short cut in inventories should there- 
 fore prove of incalculable value to the up-to-date and 
 enterprising business man. For lack of space the sim- 
 plest forms of such cards is given here. 
 
 The stock card as you will note is ruled with debit 
 and credit columns much in the same manner as a ledger 
 card and the article represented on the card is charged 
 with the quantity placed in stock and credited with all 
 that is removed for sale. A blank space is left at the top 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 141 
 
 of the card for the name of the article and at the right 
 of the card are twelve lines for balances on hand. This 
 permits of an inventory of the goods on hand being 
 shown once a month if so desired and in a great many 
 business houses today a statement of profits or losses, as 
 the case may be, is required monthly instead of the usual 
 custom of the annual inventory. 
 
 It would be impractical, of course, to make an entry 
 on these cards each time during the day that an article 
 was taken out of stock, and a small blank is used for 
 jotting down the date, article, quantity taken and by 
 whom taken, a form being shown below. These are de- 
 posited in a receptacle conveniently placed and once a 
 day gathered up by the person in charge of recording the 
 
 STOCK MEMORANDUM 
 
 Date 
 
 Article 
 
 Quantity _ 
 Taken by_ 
 
 entries on the stock cards. A competent office boy can 
 be placed in charge of this work. A few minutes each 
 morning is sufficient to enter them. It is advisable, of 
 course, to sort them and enter the total of each article 
 for the day in one sum. 
 
 The plan described is applicable to any business 
 where the stock is made up of merchandise of consider- 
 able bulk or where the stock is not of such a nature that 
 it is sold in broken packages. In the latter case when 
 
142 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 143 
 
 entering the article on the stock card it should be charged 
 with the number of packages or boxes placed in stock 
 and credited with one package or box whenever broken. 
 For instance, with a box of buttons in a retail business it 
 would not be convenient to stop and enter each card 
 sold, consequently when a box of that particular article 
 is broken it should be credited on the card as one box. 
 It is also of advantage in some lines to carry on the 
 
 STOCKKEEPER'S ORDER. 
 
 No.. 
 
 .190 
 
 Please deliver to bearer the following articles : 
 
 Quantity 
 
 STOCK 
 
 No. 
 
 Rec'd by 
 
 By order 
 
 cards what would be known as reserve stock, taking from 
 that stock each morning an amount sufficient to meet the 
 ordinary sales for a day and making it out in a lump. 
 These examples are merely to show that any conditions 
 can be met £y the system, and by making it a serious 
 offense to remove from the stock any article without first 
 making out the "stock memorandum," an accurate condi- 
 
144 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
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BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 143 
 
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146 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 tion of stock is always at hand at a few moments' notice, 
 the balance of stock on hand being taken off the cards 
 just as the trial balance from the ledger. 
 
 If you are in a business of such dimensions as to 
 require a regular stockkeeper and an exclusive buyer, 
 this scheme can be elaborated to meet a threefold pur- 
 pose. First, a ready inventory at one's command; second, 
 an absolute check on a dishonest stockkeeper as well as 
 an absolute check for the honest stockkeeper that all 
 goods that have left his charge have been on a written 
 requisition from a duly authorized party; a perfect buy- 
 er's guide and reference which is explained below. To 
 conform to these conditions the stock memorandum 
 should be made in the form of a requisition on the stock- 
 keeper, a form very simple, and answering the purpose 
 of the two combined, being given herewith. These should 
 be made in duplicate, the party issuing the requisition re- 
 taining the copy, the original being filed by the stock- 
 keeper until the time he chooses to enter it on the stock 
 cards. By having these orders numbered and filed con- 
 secutively after they have been entered they make a valu- 
 able reference. 
 
 The stock card in order to meet the requirements 
 mentioned above, should be ruled with spaces for the 
 name and address of the party from whom the goods were 
 purchased, and a space for entering the "low mark" de- 
 termined upon by the buyers. 
 
 In addition to the ruling formerly shown a form is 
 given in the accompanying illustration as an example. 
 When a card is made for any article the buyer should 
 enter in the space "low mark," the minimum the stock 
 should be allowed to reach, at which point he should be 
 notified of the fact: 
 
 Thus, it will be seen that the buyer has an ever- 
 ready reference at hand obviating any excuse for the 
 often repeated "I didn't know we were out." 
 
 In installing such a system it is best to commence St 
 the time a general inventory is taken, when it would then 
 be a matter of convenience to make out the cards from 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 147 
 
 the inventory, debiting each card with amount shown on 
 hand at that time. 
 
 In a great many wholesale houses, where nothing 
 whatever is taken from stock except to fill an order, and 
 as all such houses have uniform order blanks on which 
 all orders are made, a considerable time can be saved by 
 having these orders go to the person keeping the stock 
 cards before final filing. The entries on the stock cards 
 can then be made from these orders doing away with the 
 extra blank styled as the "stock memorandum." 
 
 A Scheme for the Solicitor. 
 
 THE successful solicitor or salesman keeps a com- 
 plete list of all prospective customers. A scheme 
 which is now largely used by insurance solicitors 
 can be adopted to good advantage by salesmen in all 
 lines. 
 
 When calling on a man for the first time obtain all 
 the information possible that will be of service in making 
 a sale at some future time and make a memo, of this 
 on a card. A card about 3x5 inches in size is convenient 
 
148 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 for the pocket and has many advantages over a memo, 
 book. These cards may be preserved for future use and 
 all information about each customer is by itself instead 
 of being hidden between a lot of other memos, of every 
 character. When the solicitor returns to his office or 
 hotel he can leave all cards of parties who are not to be 
 seen for some time. 
 
 ARRANGING CALLS. 
 
 Before starting out in the morning the solicitor 
 should arrange his prospect cards so that his calls can be 
 made without loss of time in going back over ground 
 
 I 
 
 1 2 M A- 5 G 1 &qio 
 
 Source 
 
 Letters / J 
 
 I 2 d 4- 5 
 
 Fif.A 
 
 already covered, In a city the cards can be very easily 
 arranged by streets so that when the solicitor is in any 
 locality he can refer to the cards and make his calls. In 
 soliciting, the best results can only be obtained by lay- 
 ing out the day's work and sticking to it. Select a 
 territory that can be conveniently covered duiing the 
 day, and do not waste time going from one pait ot the 
 •* : *3? to another. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 149 
 
 ARRANGING PROSPECT CARDS. 
 
 When a prospect card is made out it should be filed 
 in such a manner that it will not be referred to until it 
 needs attention. The best way to arrange this is to have 
 a small card file or tray fitted with a monthly and daily 
 index. This consists of a set of twelve index cards 
 printed with the months and thirty-one numbered 
 indexes to indicate the days. Such an outfit can be 
 obtained at any stationers. If a man is to be seen in 
 three days — ten days — a month of three months, place 
 his card in the proper place in the file and it will come 
 to light at the right time. 
 
 This same sort of a file can be used to advantage 
 by any business man for keeping track of his appoint- 
 ments and all matters requiring attention at a future 
 date. 
 
 A Card System for the Credit and Collection Desk. 
 
 CONSIDERING that the time and labor spent on 
 watching and collecting accounts of a doubtful 
 nature is an extra expense aside from actual cost 
 of doing business, any and all possible means of reducing 
 such expense by way of saving time in handling those 
 accounts should be adopted wherever the present methods 
 can be improved upon, and a few suggestions in this con- 
 nection will undoubtedly assist a great many whose duties 
 include such work. We recommend in the following 
 description a card system for this purpose, as there is no 
 substitute which allows so much information to be shown 
 at a mere glance, as can be shown with cards, using 
 guides and tabs for indexing and cross indexing for 
 name, address and dates on which each card requires 
 attention. The form of card for this purpose should be 
 a 5x8 card, having an ordinary 5x8 drawer or desk tray 
 to contain them. The illustration shown here in reduced 
 size, requires no explanation, it being plain as to what 
 the several columns are intended for; the numbers at the 
 top of the card being the date of the month on which 
 
150 
 
 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 
 
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'JUSTNESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 151 
 
 to place the tab, as described further on. Generally the 
 credit man looks over the monthly statements given him 
 by the book-keeper, and lays to one side all statements 
 requiring his attention. When he has done this and 
 is ready to write a letter accompanying them or inclose 
 a notice of draft, his stenographer should have a supply 
 of the cards in a convenient place. He can be instructed 
 to fill in the card and make notations in accordance with 
 the letter or notice which is sent with each statement. 
 It will be seen that in the course of two or three months 
 it would be seldom -necessary to make out new cards, 
 only as a new account requires special attention. If the 
 accounts of this nature are of sufficient number, it will 
 be found most convenient to index the cards by states 
 and towns, otherwise indexing them alphabetically by 
 names of debtor only, will be sufficient. When a letter is 
 written a card should immediately be made, where there 
 is none already in the file and the proper entries inserted 
 in the several columns; for example: John Doe on the 
 first of June owes a balance of $245, and the credit man 
 merely asks for a remittance on the 10th following: The 
 stenographer makes the entries on the cards as follows: 
 
 2 4 6 8 (10) 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 80 
 Name Ledger Folio 
 
 Date 
 
 Balance 
 
 Pay- 
 ments 
 
 Letters 
 
 Drafts 
 
 Remarks: 
 
 6-l-'04 
 
 $245.00 
 
 
 6-2 
 
 
 Asked to Remit 
 
152 
 
 BUSINESS SHOR1 CUTS 
 
 It will be noted that a tab h put on the cards at 
 the point numbered 10. This indicates from the top of 
 the card that the account needs attention again on that 
 date. By cutting out a card of stiff board the same width 
 but 3-8 inch higher than the record cards and number- 
 ing on the top edge corresponding to the numbers on the 
 cards, it will be of great assistance in noting the dates on 
 which the tabs are placed. For further convenience, by 
 using two different colors of. tabs, say blue for "atten- 
 tion" and red for "draft," it will not be necessary to look 
 at the cards themselves to see on which ones drafts are 
 to be made or to go to the credit man for letter only. 
 For example: Had the credit man written Mr. Doe that 
 he would draw on him for $50 on June 10th, the 
 stenographer would make the following entry on the card, 
 using a red tab. 
 
 1 2 
 
 8 (10) 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 
 
 Name- 
 
 Ledger Folio. 
 
 Date 
 
 Balance 
 
 Pay- 
 ments 
 
 Letters 
 
 Drafts 
 
 Remarks: 
 
 6-l-'04 
 
 $245.00 
 
 
 6-2 
 
 
 Draw 10th, $50.00 
 
 Thus o:\ the ioth this card and all others bearing 
 the red tat on that date, should be removed and given 
 to the book-keeper, who should refer to his ledger and if 
 no payments have been made, draw for the amount noted 
 on card. If any payment or payments have been made, 
 he should enter them in the proper column, showing the 
 date and amount of each and return to the credit man. 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 153 
 
 The same course should be taken regarding cards -jabbe-1 
 for "attention," it being the stenographer's business or 
 whoever may be designated by the credit man, to see that 
 all cards tabbed are given to the book-keeper promptly 
 on the day indicated, he in turn inserting any payments 
 that may have been made since the date of the last bal- 
 ance shown on card, and handing them in to the credit 
 man. 
 
 In conjunction with this system it is sometimes de- 
 sirable to have all correspondence at hand when writing 
 a customer regarding his account and a great deal of 
 time is expended in most houses in hunting through the 
 general files among a vast amount of other papers and 
 correspondence for the desired letters. If, therefore, a 
 small file is used in which to keep all live collection cor- 
 respondence a great deal of time is saved in this direc- 
 tion. This file should be indexed exactly as the 
 cards are indexed. That is, if the cards are 
 indexed by states and towns, the correspondence 
 should be filed in accordance, or if the business 
 is not of such dimensions that there is an ad- 
 vantage gained in indexing in this manner, it is better to 
 index and file both alphabetically by names of the cus- 
 tomers. When the correspondence is kept separately in 
 what would be styled the "Collection File," for attention, 
 it is but a few minutes' work when cards are taken out 
 to secure the correspondence with each customer repre- 
 sented on such cards and attach each card to the corre- 
 spondence belonging to it with a small clip, until it is 
 ready to go back into the proper place. 
 
 While a great many accounts in any business need 
 special attention, they are not necessarily bad accounts 
 and the collection cards being ruled for twelve months, 
 the new balance being entered each month, the card with 
 its references becomes a very valuable adjunct to a credit 
 man's records and when filled requiring a new card to 
 be made, sh.mld be filed with the credit references regard- 
 ing the account. 
 
im BUilNESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 "The Office Man's Time." 
 
 A "TIME SAVER" which borders upon the ridicu- 
 lous was recently published in a leading maga- 
 zine. 
 
 We have all experienced the annoyance of the caller 
 who outstays his welcome — in other words, the bore — 
 the man who does not know how to quit. The story, 
 told at the bore's expense, is as follows : 
 
 An office man was entertaining a caller — an inti- 
 mate friend — one day and during the course of the con- 
 versation he said: "Do you see that office boy of mine? 
 He has the greatest scheme you ever heard of. He is 
 a bright little fellow and can 'spot' a bore as far as he 
 can see one. When one of that ilk comes into my office 
 this boy will give him about so much time and then, 
 coming into my office say apologetically 'Mr. Jones, 
 have you overlooked that engagement you had at 2:45, 
 (or 4:10 naming a time about 5 or 10 minutes ahead.) 
 This gives me a chance to get rid of the unHesirable 
 visitor without offense — great scheme — isn't it?" 
 
 The visitor assented heartily but had no sooner 
 done so than the office boy appeared, holding his watch 
 in iiis hand, saying: "Mr. Jones; have you overlooked 
 your 1 1 -.35 appointment ?" The rest must be imagined— 
 ^ui- the bore left the office, 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS t5i> 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Rules for Locating Errors In Trial Balances ,5»ft-3«8-2» 
 
 General Rules for the Detection of Transposition of Dollars and 
 
 Cents ., .9-12 
 
 How to Detect Transpositions 12*13 
 
 Labor Saving Method for Obtaining Trial Balances 18-14 
 
 Lightning Addition 14-15 
 
 Labor Saving Method of Recording Bank Deposits and Check 
 
 Withdrawals (Illustrated) 17-18 
 
 Device for Recording of Instalment Collections (Illustrated) 18-20 
 
 An Up-To-Date Cash Book (Illustrated) 20-22 
 
 Labor Saving Methods of Keeping Instalment Accounts (Illus- 
 trated) , 23-25 
 
 Labor Saving Method for Keeping Accounts Receivable in an 
 
 Ice Business (Illustrated) 25-26 
 
 Special Form for Customer's Ledger 
 
 Figuring Percentages 29-31 
 
 An Efficient System for Handling Drafts (Illustrated) 30-33 
 
 Labor Saving Card Ledger System (Illustrated) 32-33 
 
 Expense Adjustment » 34 
 
 Rule for Finding Real Discount 34-35 
 
 A Few Pointers About Checks 33-38 
 
 Ascertain what Amount Invested Will With Interest Added 
 
 Amount to a Given Sum in a Specified Time .....38-40 
 
 Some Arithmetical Short Cuts •••••«.4tHU» 
 
 Multiplication by Subtraction. 
 Adding from Right to Left. 
 Sectionalization and Controlling Accounts (illustrated)... »;..«.. .44*49 
 
 The Reverse Posting System (Illustrated) 49-6o 
 
 Labor Saving Method for Sundry Accounts (Illustrated) 55 
 
 General Ledger (Illustrated) 55-57 
 
 Simple Interest Formula 57-58 
 
 Economical Form of Sales Ledger (Illustrated) 58 
 
 Sinking Fund Computations 58 
 
 A Bond Purchase Formula 60-61 
 
 The Present Value of Bonds 61-62 
 
 A Credit Man's Ledger (Illustrated) 62-63 
 
 Proof of Casting Out of Nines 62-64 
 
 The Check Figure 11 65-66 
 
 The 12% Method of Computing Interest 66-69 
 
 Interest on Daily Balances , 69 
 
 Some Arithmetical Oddities t G2-73 
 
 The 100 Problem 73 
 
156 BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 
 
 An efficient Voucher System (Illustrated) 73-75 
 
 Labor Saving Retail Sales Record 75-77 
 
 A Quotation Record for the Buyer (Illustrated) 77-78 
 
 At-. Efficient Method for Keeping Record of Office Supplies (Illus- 
 trated) 79-81 
 
 Efficient System fpr Keeping Track of Piece Work in Clothing 
 
 Business (Illustrated) 81-84 
 
 A Card System for the Memory 84-85 
 
 An Order Register (Illustrated) 85-87 
 
 Perpetual Inventories ' 87-88 
 
 Time Savers for the Office Man 88-89 
 
 Labor Saving System for Keeping Track of Printing Matter 
 
 (Illustrated) , 89-92 
 
 Tools and Their Care (Illustrated) 93-94 
 
 A Quick System for Filling Orders 95 
 
 To Finger Cards in Tray (Illustrated) 95-97 
 
 A Safe Guard for Correspondence Files (Illustrated) 97-98 
 
 A Reminder Which Will Not be Overlooked 99 
 
 Loose Leaf Inventory Taking 99 
 
 Handling Orders , 100 
 
 To Finger Cards Rapidly 101-103 
 
 A Quick Collection System 103 
 
 Labor Saving Ledger Card Index 103-104 
 
 Efficient Method of Paying Employes in Large Factories 105 
 
 A System for Supplanting Purchase Ledger 106 
 
 A Quick Method of Making Settlements 106 
 
 A Scheme to Insure Prompt Handling of Correspondence 107-108 
 
 A Few Pointers in Regard to Promissory Notes 109-110 
 
 A Goods Wanted Register (Illustrated) 110-111 
 
 A Cross Index (Illustrated) '. 112-113 
 
 Short Cuts for Users of Printing 114 
 
 Number of Words in a Square Inch 114 
 
 The Size of an Em 115 
 
 Shipping Tags 115 
 
 Table for Ordering Letter Heads, Bill Heads, etc 115-116 
 
 Ems in a Square Inch 116 
 
 Size of Envelopes 117 
 
 Scale of Sizes of Cut Cards 117 
 
 Styles of Engraving in General Use in Advertising 118 
 
 Half-tone . „. 118 
 
 Zinc Etching 118-119 
 
 Electrotypes H 9 
 
 Stereotypes H 9 
 
 fiVit of Engraving 119 
 
 t'Qim of Page for Catalogue and Booklets 120 
 
 Book Papers 120 
 
 How to Determine the Finish ui .'.'/ye* •«#•*•*•-« I 20 
 
BUSINESS SHORT CUTS 157 
 
 Terms For Special Position of Advertisements 121 
 
 Measurement of Advertising Space 122 
 
 Standard Column Width 122 
 
 Sizes of Posters 122 
 
 Sizes of Street Car Cards 122 
 
 Checking Returns on Form Letters 124 
 
 To Calculate the Weight of Paper 122-123 
 
 Form Letters and Form Paragraphs 124-126 
 
 Indexing Form Letters and Form Paragraphs 126 
 
 Keying Advertisements 127-128 
 
 Up-to-Date Method for Recording Purchases. (Illustrated) 128-130 
 
 Invaluable System for Indexing Clippings, Data, etc 130-131 
 
 System for Recording Advertising Returns. (Illustrated) 131-134 
 
 Some Correspondence Time Savers 134 
 
 Getting Letters Ready to Answer 134 
 
 A Novel Way to Emphasize in Typewritten Letters 134 
 
 Getting Correspondence Data 135 
 
 Dictating by Numbers 135 
 
 Making Corrections 136 
 
 To Save Postage 136 
 
 Sorting Mail for Filing (Illustrated) 137 
 
 Copies of Replies Attached to Originals. 137 
 
 Distributing Mail 139 
 
 Method of Taking Care of Cash Receipts of a Mail Order Busi- 
 ness 139 
 
 A Perpetual Inventory Systejm (Illustrated) 140147 
 
 A Scheme for the Solicitor. (Illustrated) 147 
 
 A Card System for the Credit and Collection Desk. (Illustrated) .149 153 
 The Office Man's Time 154 
 
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