File:The Street railway journal (1905) (14574653148).jpg

Identifier: streetrailwayj251905newy (find matches)
Title: The Street railway journal
Year: 1884 (1880s)
Authors:
Subjects: Street-railroads Electric railroads Transportation
Publisher: New York : McGraw Pub. Co.
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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the standard sys-tem of accounting is required. Mimeograph copies of each of these estimates of operatingexpenses are placed in the hands of each head of department,as in the case of the construction budgets. This practice hasproved invaluable as an incentive to the high maintenance ofefficiency of the different departments; for instance, if themaster mechanic sees that he is going ahead of his estimateduring any month, he will be apt to economize and turn backinto the stock room material which had been charged againsthim, so as to get credit for it, or hunt up scrap for sale. If thesuperintendent sees that a man can be cut out he goes to thegeneral manager and recommends that the force be reduced inthis way. As a rule, it is often difficult to get the foremen inthe different departments to take an interest in petty economies,but with this incentive constantly before them and with theknowledge that each item of expense is being watched and go2 STREET RAILWAY JOURNAL. (Vol. XXV. No. 20
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POWER-STATJON LOG USED IN CAMDEN May 20, 1905.) STREET RAILWAY JOURNAL. 903 charged up to his department, each foreman not only takes aninterest in looking out for small details, but prepares the plansfor reducing expenses. One objection often raised against a budget is that it is tooslavishly followed—that is, that if the cost of operation in anydepartment proves to be less than the original estimate, thehead of the department will make no great attempt to reducethem, and that he is more interested in proving that his calcula-tions as recorded in the budget are correct than in giving goodservice. Another objection often raised against too elaboratea budget is that if the final figures do prove materially differentfrom those estimated, the head of the department feels calledupon to spend a considerable time explaining the reasons there-for. These objections might be raised in case too great ad-herence was given to the correctness of the estimates, but therecan be no doubt that the p

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