The Powers Tabulating System
The Accounting and Tabulating
Corporation of Great Britain,
Contractors to H.M. Government.
57-58, CHANCERY LANELONDON, W.C.2.
Hazell, Watson &
Viney, Ld., Printers, London and Aylesbuy. 12716-20.
(Brochure is ca. 1913)
The "Powers" Tabulating System
By THE "
POWERS " system stereotyped, clerical work is very largely reduced or
abolished and more accurate results are obtained in a shorter time.
Employers receive valuable data and
information hitherto considered unattainable on account of the enormous
amount of clerical labour and expense involved.
The information which has been furnished
to employers in the past has often only represented the opinion of
someone. "POWERS" machines have no opinions: they
register the actual facts, and can only supply results that are shown by
THE "POWERS" system of
mechanical accounting and tabulating is used by Government Departments,
Railways, Banks, Insurance Companies, Manufacturers, and other business
companies in connection with accounts of all kinds, statistical work,
costs and sales analysis, pay roll calculations and other similar work.
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The" POWERS " system
consists of the following :
(1.) The Automatic Punching Machine (Figs.
2 and 3), which is used to produce records on specially designed cards.
The cards (Fig. 1) contain 45 columns and are divided into fields, with
headings corresponding to the facts which it is desired to record. In each
of such fields holes are punched, by means of a
key-board, to indicate department, article, quantity, value or other
description of facts.
THE PUNCHING MACHINE is so constructed
that the cards are fed into the machine and ejected automatically, and the
Operator's attention is simply confined to translating the original record
on to the cards. The punching of the cards replaces the entering of the
same facts in books or cards by hand, and can be carried out more
rapidly-just as the typewriter is quicker than the pen. Identical
information (for the whole or part of the card) can be repeated
automatically on any number of cards without resetting the keys of the
punching machine. Owing to this feature a speed of over 1,000 cards per
hour has been attained on Insurance Company work.
The type of punch to be selected will
depend on the class of work to be performed. The key-punch (Fig. 3) is
specially applicable where the original information is entered on the
cards and holes are punched on the same card for analytical and
(2.) The Automatic Sorting Machine (Fig.
4) sorts the cards at the rate of 18,000 per hour.
The sorter enables the information to be grouped and re-grouped in any
form desired. A counting device can be attached to
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this machine, consisting of 12
individual counters corresponding to the 12 possible holes in a column, a
sub-total counter and a grand total counter. By the " POWERS "
system incorrect sorting is eliminated as a perfect check
is afforded. By holding the cards to the light it can at once be seen that
the same holes have been punched in every card in the sorted group.
(3.) The Tabulator Printer (Fig.
5) translates the holes in the card back into ordinary writing, and at the
same time adds those fields representing weights, values, wages, premiums,
etc., the totals being printed at the foot of each tabulation. Where
totals only of groups of cards
are required, without the tabulated
details, a button eliminates the listing feature, and one total after
another is recorded automatically without stopping the machine. The
designation of each group is also printed against its corresponding total
(see tabulated sheet).
Carbon copies can be obtained, thus
ensuring the correctness of each copy if more than
one should be necessary.
The speed of operation of these machines
is 3,500 cards per hour, with a fully printed permanent record of each
card and as many totals as required.
The adaptability of the
"POWERS" system to all forms of accounting and statistical work
and particularly to work necessitating intricate analysis will at once be
recognised. The opportunity is offered for securing increased efficiency
and economy by the substitution of automatic, mechanical and printing
methods for hand written books and records. Each type of
"POWERS" machine is easily operated by
young girls or boys after a few hours' tuition. The machines ate installed
and maintained by the Corporation.
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The ACCOUNTING and TABULATING CORPORATION undertakes
all kinds of statistical work for firms whose business does not justify
the full use of a " POWERS" installation and also for users of
the machines who are faced with a temporary pressure of work. A staff of
skilled operators is employed under the supervision of experienced
statisticians, and, wherever possible, assistance will be given in
adapting the system to particular requirements,
For further particulars apply to the Offices of the
57 & 58, CHANCERY LANE,
Examples of Cards in use, illustrating
some of the most frequent applications of the "POWERS" System.
for each individual).
(0ne card for each item of every invoice).
|Debit or credit.
||Value (£ s. d.)
(One card for each item of labour and job No.).
||Rate per hour or piece,
||Drawing or Sketch No.
|Nominal Ledger Account.
GOVERNMENTAL COST ACCOUNTING.
||Ship or account.
These examples are merely illustrative. The card is
designed to suit each particular case. The machines are universal, and
most clients use many different cards on the same machines.
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(I) Keyboard composed of 45 key
bars, each having 12 notches numbered "0" to "12."
These keys are in colours-white, black, red, and blue-arranged to
correspond with the vertical columns on the cards to be punched. For
example, if six columns represent a money field, white would be used for
the £'s' black for the shillings, and red for the pence.
The information is set up by the use of
both hands, the fingers being placed on the numbers desired and pulled
down to the top of the hand rest plate.
(2) Forty-five Correction Keys which,
when pressed, allow the key slide to return to the normal position. Any
wrong setting, therefore, can be corrected before punching as no
punching takes place until the whole of the numbers have been set on the
(3) Punching lever which when depressed
causes all the figures which have been set-and which are then seen .just
above the hand rest plate-to be punched into the card at one and the same
time, thus ensuring the perfect registration of the holes.
(4) Receiving box into which the card is
ejected immediately on being punched. At the same time as the card is
ejected an unperforated card is drawn into position from a similar
receptacle at the back of the machine.
(5) Forty'-five Gang Stops which can be
set in any position on the
Keyboard and thus prevent the key slide
from returning to the top of the machine. All information constant over a
series of cards can thus remain on the machine without further attention
from the operator. Similarly, all ciphers are automatically recorded; e.g.,
the setting of £5,000 involves the pulling down of one slide to the
figure " 5."
(6) Repeat Key which, when depressed,
retains the whole of the setting on the machine and thus enables cards to
be punched in duplicate, triplicate, &c.
(7) Small 1/8 H.P. Motor which operates
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KEY PUNCHES. Key
Punches are of two types
(a) Automatic feeding
(a) would be used if cards
were being punched from information provided on
schedules or in books, &c. ;
(b) would be
used when the original information is recorded on the card to be
perforated. This feature is one which will, undoubtedly, be developed to a
considerable extent in the future.
(1) Fourteen Keys, 12 of which are
numbered, the remaining two being (IA) the Skip Key, (1B) the Punching
Key. The information is set up by tapping the keys in the same way
as a typewriter is operated. The tapping of a wrong key is rectified by
tapping the right key.
(2) This carriage travels along column
by column after each figure has been set. As in the case of the Slide
Punch, no punching takes place until after the information has been set up
and the Punching Key has been depressed.
(3) These Skips, when used in conjunction with (IA),
allow the carriage to jump over any number of
(4) Adjustable Stop governing the commencing column for
(5) Forty-five Gang Stops which allow
information which is constant to a group of cards to remain set on the
machine. No repeat key is necessary on a Key Punch as the punches remain
set until the carriage is restored to the initial punching column.
(6) Small 1/8 H.P. Motor which operates
(a) Automatic Key Punch
(b) Visible Key Punch.
The "POWERS" KEY PUNCH.
(1) Card Feeding Box in which the
cards are continuously placed.
(2) Twelve Selector Pins under which
each card passes at a minimum speed of 250 per minute. The pin which
passes through the hole in the card selects the receiving box into which
the card falls.
(3) Receiving Boxes, one for each of the
twelve possible holes in the vertical column of a card.
(4) The thirteenth receiving box which
collects all cards which have no hole punched in the column that is being
(5) Counters can be attached, one to each box, to record
the number of eards falling into the same. Similarly,
grand total and Su1b-total counters can be attached
to show the total number of cards passing through the machine.
(6) Small 1/8 H.P. Motor operating the
machine and which automatically eases to run when the last card has been
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(1) Card plate on which the cards are
ejected one by one as they pass through the machine. A card feed box,
similar to that on the Sorter, is at the back of the
(2) Connection Box containing the wires
(arranged according to requirements), which are operated by the pins which
pass through the holes of each card.
(3) An assembly of 4, 5, 6 or 7 separate
adding machines, each consisting of nine banks, which are operated by the
(4) Schedule on which the printed
details are recorded. The schedule moves up one space after each card has
recorded its details. Four and five carbon copies of the results can be
obtained. A roll of paper can also be used.
(5) Stop attached to each adding unit
which allows it to be used for designating or totaling, according as the
stop is out or in.
(6) Stop which, when in, causes the
details of each card to be printed as well as the totals. When this stop
is out the machine prints totals only, at the same time recording the
designation of the group to which the totals refer
(7) One-quarter H.P. Motor driving
machine which automatically stops after last card has passed through.
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THE "POWERS" TABULATOR.
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Powers Sample Card
Sample Powers Tabulator printout in two sections as it
would not fit on the scanner.