A Million Old Ledgers.

Otago Witness, Issue 2179, 28 November 1895, Page 55

A Million Old Ledgers.

•' I believe that I am the largest buyer of old s ledgers and firms' account books generally in i the world, and I sometimes have nearly a t million at a time in my different warehouses," I said a middle-aged man, who looks like a prosperous merchant, and has a handsome counting house aed a staff of clerks. •' To give you some idea of the number of 3 ledgers and other books of account that big firms use up in this groat commercial country t you have only to remember that the Bauk of - Sngland exhausts the spmoe in nearly 60 ledgers d every day — but I may tell you that banks do B not uiually Bell their old books of account — and y all large firms use books in proportion. " When first I began this business, over 20 0 years ago, I used to go myself from one office to another with a handcart ; but now I employ

an army of men, hava agents in every commercial centre in the United Kingdom, and havo many thousands of contracts with big firms, whese old books I go for periodically, paying for the Siiue by the hundredweight for the most part. " Once thsse books are in my possession, not a partiols of them is there that is not utilised. PHpermakers get the bulk of the component parts, but the backs, the cla«ps, the wire, the parchment, and the interleaved blotting paper are all sold to advantage for further utilisation."