HOW TO TEACH BOOK-KEEPING.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 2945, 1 March 1884, Page 3

HOW TO TEACH BOOK-KEEPING.

" A Schoolmaster '' gives m the Lon don Daily Tdegraph the following inter CiStinir account of his method of teaching hook-keeping : — The letters which have latoly appeared m the Daily Telegrapl on the subject, " What shall we do witl; our boys," have elicited from many oi the writers a demand for a more practical education than is at present given m many of our schools. I have for some time endeavored to make the subject! taught m my own school of ac practical a nature as possible, and have succeeded far beyond my expectations m the very necessary subject of book-keeping. As a perusal of my method may awaken an interest m 3. much-neglected Bubject, I give the following brief sketch of it. The boys engaged m carrying on the system must be fair writers and arithmeticians ; and aftor being coached through three months' carefully lithographed examples, enter business, or as they themselves term it, "go on 'Change," and become veritable shopkeepers for the time being. Our materials consist of five books, cheques, receipt stamps, bills of exchange, billheads, order forma, blank invoices, letter-books, a copying press, and a large supply of wholesale and retail price-lists. Tho stamps are gummed and perforated ; the chequijs are correct m form, banker's name being of course fictitious ; the bills bear the stamp which m itself specifies the amount for which the bill maj' be drawn and also the cost of the stamp ; our invoices are headed with the names of such firms as Hanson, Son, Evison, and Barter ; Morley and Grey, Huntley and Palmer, Pink and Son 3, and about twenty more. Of all these houses and of the general public I am the representative. On behalf of tho former I give receipts to those who pay their accounts, and itsue bills for acceptance to others, and on behalf of the latter I pay accounts, either by cheque or imaginary cash, and occasionally demand discount at the customary rates. lam enabled to carry on this portion of our work by lists of assets and liabilities which are furnished by the boys at the clo3B of each of their month's work. We go "nn 'Change " three times per wejk, taking two or more days at ench sitting. The first sitting isdevoted to business v.-itb thegeneral public ; the second to poating and invoicing; the third to business between ourselves. This last entry m every day's transactions is the amount of ready money supposed to have been taken during the day. We tiike note of early closing on Wednesdays, market days, postages ; the payment of rent, taxes, wages, &c. All orders and invoices are examined before the transfer to the letter book is made. I allow every boy to choose his trade within cortain limits, and also his address. We h.ivu chiefly grocers, and grocers and drapers ; we also have drapers and undertakers ; hatten; and clothiers ; grocers, corn, and coal merchants ; wine merchants ; upholsterers and cabinetmakers, and ironmongers. The novelty having worn off, it is surprising what earnestness the boys give to their work. They buy cjrefully, and examine their invoices as carefully as, if the goods were to be paid for m hard cash. The result of all this mimic trading is that the boys on entering their apprenticeship we not staggered when told to mako out or receipt bills ; they can confidently make their calculations ; eighths and sixteenths do not bewilder the young drapers, nor odd ounces the young grocers. As an instance of tho practical nature of our work, take the following : — I took an imaginary houso near Asliford, and wrote to a lad requesting him to send m an estimate for furnishing it for a school. He supplied it, and it occupied five pages of foolscap and amounted to £870 3s Ocl. It comprised hall, dining-room, library, drawing-room, kitchen, refectory, schoolroom, housekeeper's room, three best bedrooms, two bedrooms, fourservants' rooms, and six donritories. The amount for ef.ch was distinctly shown, as well as the price for each article. The whole was clearly written with copying-ink, neatly hoaded, transferred ta the letter-book, enclosed m an official blue envelops and handed to me, and it has been much admired. The lad was but thirteen yoars of age. Again, A professes to be a wholesale grocer at Maidstone; B, a draper and grocer at, Ashford. B wishing to buy goods cf A, takes his form and price list, and writing his order m copying-ink, transfers it to his letter-book, and sends it to A, who, (m receipt of it, enters the itemH m his book with prices a9 per list, makes out his invoice with copying-ink, transfers it to hisletterbook, andsendsit to to B. Bexamines, it, and, if correct, enters it. If to be paid at once the entry of payment is made, then the cheque is made out and Bent off. A first enters the transaction, then receipts the invoice and returns it. Notice the entry takes precedence of the transaction, and so mistakes m ontry are avoided. Some lads pick up the system much more readily than others but all seem to like it, and look forward toj" Book-keeping day" with considerable pleasure.