The blocks for the various States are numbered according to the rank of each State at the first year shown at the left. The rise or fall in rank of each State at each census can be seen at once by following the lines joining the numbered blocks. The actual numerical rank at each census is seen by reading horizontally to the rank number at the right-hand margin or to the numbers in the left-hand column of blocks.

Sales managers publishing a house organ may find the method of Fig. 63 of great advantage in showing the status of each branch selling-house or the rank of each salesman. If every member of the selling organization is given a confidential number, the rank of each can be shown in the house organ sent out each month. Branch houses can be encouraged to compete with each other if their relative rank month after month is indicated on the chart. In the case of salesmen, if the numbers are kept confidential no one salesman can tell from the chart anything about any other salesman. He could, however, see very clearly that his own position in the sales force was getting better or worse, according to whether his relative-rank line pointed upward or downward. This comparison of selling units on a rank basis is in many respects fairer than any curve based on the value of sales. Good business conditions or bad business conditions afi^ecting all alike do not show up in charts like Fig. 63. What is shown is the real progress or lack of progress made by every man or branch selling house as compared with all the others.