ARSENAL BOOK-KEEPING. 39 



as by fire, the responsibility for material never ceases ; it may 

 change its name, as by fabrication, but it still deserves to be 

 accounted for under its new name. How this is, the following ex- 

 amples will show: 



Suppose that the material is first received as lead; in due 

 course of manufacture it becomes bullets; the bullets lose their 

 identity in becoming cartridges ; these may be fired, converting 

 the bullets into scrap lead ; and finally, this being melted together 

 with that resulting from the operations of manufacture, it becomes 

 once more pig lead. 



So with oil and whiting, which with labor added becomes putty ; 

 then with lumber, screws, nails and paint added, pass into the 

 condition of boxes, and finally disappear as packed ammunition. 

 The same is true of lead and oil passing into the condition of 

 paint, and so on. 



To make our accounts good they must take note of every one 

 of these changes, for it may be cheaper for us to buy our putty, 

 boxes, etc., as such, instead of making them in the shops ; if 

 so, we should be able to know it. The growing specialization 

 of small industries makes just such questions more important 

 every day. The first remark of the traveling salesman is, "We 

 can sell you those things at a profit, for less than it costs you to 

 make them." 



We now see what is meant by the continuing responsibility 

 imposed by the possession of material. It is a load which may be 

 shifted under different names, but from which one can never be 

 wholly relieved until it is consumed as by fire or is transferred 

 to another's keeping. 



As a further illustration of the difference in the treatment of 

 charges for labor and material, it is easy to see that labor is 

 always a charge, while material may be either a charge or a credit 

 to some account. Thus the components of a fabrication are 

 proper charges to it, but if diverted to another product must be 

 credited to balance the account. 



Furthermore, material should, if possible, be procured by 

 timely contracts, so as to gain the advantage following the com- 



