It is perfectly feasible to focus a whole business into records so simple that a trained- man could see, in half a day, all the important tendencies well enough to give an intelligent director's vote. This, too, without a spoken word of explanation from anyone. The records themselves could tell the complete story in every detail if placed in proper graphic form. It is the purpose of this chapter to show how such a thing may be done.

Fig. 217 shows a standard 4-by-6-inch filing case used to file curve cards and information cards. The right-hand drawer shows the 4-by- 6-inch cards filed with appropriate guide cards. In this particular case, the guides give the names of brandi houses by cities. The lefthand drawer shows the 4-by-12-inch cards filed according to the location of factories. As factory payrolls must be watched closely, weekly records of the payrolls were kept for this corporation, though monthly curves were found to be sufficient for the sales. There is no difficulty in filing the 4-by-12-inch cards in a standard 4-by-6-inch filing cabinet. The follow-up block in the drawer is placed 12 inches from the end of the drawer, then the cards are filed lengthwise with a sufficient quantity of blank cards at the back to keep all the cards in an upright position. Of course a special filing cabinet 12 inches wide can be made if desired.

290 GRAPHIC METHODS

but it is not really necessary. In a cabinet like that shown in Fig. 217, the original curve cards would ordinarily be filed behind the guide cards showing the factory or selling-house locations, or behind guide cards showing the names of departments in any large business. All the cards for succeeding years would be filed behind the proper guide cards, with the curve card for the earlier year at the front.