10. Conz,plete and simple system.—The J. L. Mott Company's tool-room system is complete and simple. Each man is given twelve checks which have the same number and are specially made from a reversed steel die bearing the firm's initials so they will not be dup licated. Each tool in the department is represented by a 3 x 5 filing card. VVhen there is more than one tool of a kind there is a corresponding ntunber of cards. A two-drawer card-index cabinet is used.
In drawer No. 1 the guide cards represent the shelv ing, bins, drawers, etc., of the tool room. Behind these the tool cards are placed. In drawer No. 2 there is a guide card for each man, numbered to corre spond with his checks. When a man presents his check for a tool at the window, the check is hung on the checkboard and the tool card is taken from its regular place, drawer No. 1, and placed back of the workman's guide card in drawer No. 2. When the tool is returned the man receives his check and the tool card is put back in its proper place in drawer No. 1. If a tool is broken or lost the card is taken out of drawer No. 1, and after being marked "broken" or "lost" is placed behind a guide marked "broken or lost" in drawer No. 2. Thus the checkboard shows at a glance how many tools a man has and the total num ber of tools out. Drawer No. 2 shows what tools are in the shop and thus the need of referring to the shelves is obviated.
11. Single and double check system.—The simplest method of issuing tools is to give each workman a sup ply of brass checks, say ten. When the man gets a tool he hands in a check which is substituted for the tool. This is the single-check system.
In the double-check system, which is in common use, each man is represented by two adjacent hooks on the tool-room checkboard. Ten round checks are issued to the man when he starts work, and ten square checks bearing the same number are hung on one of his hooks. When he calls for a tool he presents one of his round checks. This is then placed on the hook from which the round checks were taken. At the same time one of the square checks is taken off and placed in the tool rack, case or drawer from which the tool is taken. When he returns the tool he is given back his round check, and the square check is taken from the rack, case or drawer in which it had been placed as a substi tute for the tool. This system enables the tool-room foreman to tell by the number of round checks hang ing on any man's hook just how many tools he has out, but it does not show what tools they are, as does the Mott Company's system.
12. Responsibility for remainder on hand.—In or der that the stockkeeper may be held responsible for the stock and tools on hand he must have complete authority. The stock room must be under lock and key and no one except the storekeeper should be al lowed access. This is essential. Unless he is thus protected, the storekeeper cannot justly be held ac countable for the stores. If two men have j oint charge, each can blame the other and it is never pos sible to place the responsibility absolutely. Thus, we see separate cash registers in large stores. Each clerk has a cash drawer of his own and so is responsible for any shortage in his own drawer.
13. Stock room protects goods.—The stock room must also protect goods from depreciation. Only heavy goods of little value should be stored out of doors, and these should be protected from the weather by sheds or tarpaulins. Finished surfaces should be greased to prevent rust even if they are kept under cover. The Robert Gair Company, paper goods manufacturers, state that one of the advantages of their new concrete building is that it annually saves fully $5,000 which it formerly lost thru damage done by vermin.
Fire is, however, the main cause of loss, and special precautions should be taken, especially with respect to goods of value and all records. Thus in Armour and Company's office building and in other modern build ings there is a built-in fire-proof vault for office rec ords. In the American Bridge Company's drafting room there is a fire-proof vault for drawings. Such practice is becoming universal. VVhere records and drawings are not thus protected a duplicate set should be kept somewhere outside the office building, as an in surance measure.
To prevent goods from being kept too long the Watertown arsenal introduced the so-called two-bin system. Two bins, A and B, are provided for each article. While the goods in A are being used, all new goods received are put in B.' When A is empty, B is started and new goods are put in A. Thus the ma terial is used in the order of its receipt instead of its being possible for old material to collect at the bottom of the bin, as is the case when new material is dumped in on top of the old. The two-bin system is especially applicable to the handling of stationery, which yel lows with age, so that often under the old system the bottom of a pile has to be thrown out.