THE CASH RAILWAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 15

THE CASH RAILWAY.

! Another American invention, the cash railwayi has been introduced to the colony, and the D.1.0. Company has been the first, to adopt it, having had a 10-station cash railway fitted up in their warehouse in High street. The object of the invention is to save time, trouble, noise, and confusion. Instead of cash boys being employed, a species of light aerial tramway js adopted, andi small Iwooden cash boxes are propelled along it to and from the counters and the cashier's desk. The niotive power is given by means, of • indiarubber 'springs. Slender steel wires radiate from the cashier's desk to the sales 'stations, all coming in overhead. The oars pass .along theße wires iuntil they reach their .destination at either end, where, they automatically interlock with a fixed spring motor and come silently to rest. By a simple turn or 1 the hand to right or left I ' of about, half an inch, the cash box is 1 instantly detached from the car and emptied of, its conte'ntsj An easy downward pull of a. few .inches 'upon a cord pendant from the machine puts the spring in operation and automatically releases the ear, which glides swiftly iorward as, if impelled by a magical force. The , speed of the car, SB well as, the distance to be traversed by it, are regulated- by simply adjusting a button ' upon, the cord, , and a speed' of 100 ft in from 3sec to-4sec is 'easily attainable. 'Nearly. 4000, of these cash railways are now in use-^-chiefly in America—and no less than 28 of the principal shops in Melbonrne, Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane have adopted tbis method of sendipg cash from salesmen to cashiers. Messrs Poy and .Gibson,, of OoUingwood, have an apparatus in their establishment with no less than 64 stations, and the cash ran through this— chiefly in small snms— during three days of one of their fairs amounted to $10,000. .The; apparatus in the D.LCi's. premises has , been fitted up by Mr E. G. Emery, who has introduced the cash railway to this colony on behalf of> 'tyt B. G. Rowlands, of Melbourne/ the sole proprietor ,of the invention for the Australasian colonies. The machine works very satisfactorily, and will no doubt be found to be of great' advantage to a firm that does so large a oashltrade. MrG. S. Brodrick,'tbe manager of the Dunedin Loan and Finance Company, has been appointed agent for this colony.