PAYING-IN MACHINE

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 189, 9 May 1934, Page 11

PAYING-IN MACHINE

Collecting Trani Conductors’ Takings HOW IT IS DONE With a small army of men entrusted with the task of collecting money from the public every day ami all day, special measures are taken lo safeguard tramway revenue without imposing any hardship on the men eoneerued. When about his business in the ordinary way a tramway conductor carries his cash ami book of tickets in his little leather bag. If lie lias occasion to handle paper money be usually stows it safely away in one o£ his pockets, as such money cannot be carried with' impunity in a bag which is opened out every m/nute of the day. Each conductor is also provided with a small tin box, originally painted black, but usually showing the grey of the original metal. This tin box is essential to every conductor’s equipment. Without it he cannot hand in his money and tickets in the manner prescribed by regulations. Just what does happen when a conductor goes off shift? In the first place he may finish up at Thorndon, Lambton. Newtown, or Kilbirnie South. ■Wherever it is he takes his little tin box under his arm, makes up his waybill (which accounts for his tickets), and enters upon it the cash taken for fares or concession tickets (which should balance with his issue of the same day). That assured, be tucks cash and way-bill into the tin box and proceeds to the nearest traffic office. There, opening off a passage-way or room, is a deep-set oblong hole in the wall. -'On manipulating a bell-pull a shutter opens, he pushes his box through, again uses the bell-pull, which sounds a loud gong—and goes on his way. That gong tells the conductor that his box has been safely received and is in safe keeping in a strongroom. That strong-room contains what is known as the pay-in machine, which is quite an ingenious contraption, in use in all centres save Christchurch. In Wellington there are two at Kilbirnie, one at Thorndon, one at Lambton, and one at Newtown. This machine, in appearance, resembles some of the implements of torture associated with political and religious fanaticism in the Middle Ages. A central shaft (vertical) is surrounded by nests of pigeon holes (90 in all), arranged iu panels of eight, ehch one _ just big enough to receive a conductor’s “attache case,” while . close to the floor and also attached to the central shaft, is a huge wheel. This wheel carries a belt attachment, so that whenever a conductor manipulates the bell-pull after depositing his box, the whole machine revolves about six inches, so that when the next conductor arrives there is an empty pigeon-hole ready for his box opposite the little sliding door.

There is no holding on to a box. Every conductor must pay-ln after going off duty. That ensures that his takings are in “cold store,” otherwise a departmental strong-room, for each one has stout walls of concrete and a Chnbbs’ door of layered steel. The machines are cleared, by two tramway officers and a representative of the Tramways Union each day, the boxes being stacked in large baskets and conveyed by special car to the central counting-house, where way-bills, cash and tickets are checked over carefully by a competent staff. The figures of eaeh conductor are entered upon a big sheet, with the aid of a Burroughs machine, by which system a balance is struck every day. That is to say, Monday’s revenue and ticket return have to be balanced by Wednesday morning. The cash returns are, of course, banked in tlie usual way every day, except Sunday.