Dec. 13.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3193

cone supported in the cover and forming substantially annular conduits from said chamber to the separating-compartment of the bowl. (7.) In a centrifugal separator, the combination with the bowl and the cover therefor, having a chamber, of a feed-cone supported by said cover and forming an annular conduit from said chamber to the separating-compartment in the bowl, said cone being closed at its upper end, and a tube having a liquid-tight connection through the closed end of said cone and passing through the top of said cover, substantially as described. (8.) In a cream-separator, the combination with the bowl and the liners located therein one within the other, and supported thereby both at bottom and top, of a cover adapted to be secured to said bowl independently of said liners, and a feed-cone having a plain surface, and spacing-blocks supporting said feed-cone in said cover and forming an annular passage between said parts, substantially as described.

(Specification, 6s.; drawing, 1s.)

No. 22084.—21st November, 1906.—GEORGE STACY, Journalist, and GEORGE ALFRED JULIUS, Engineer, both of Perth, Western Australia. An improved voting-machine.

Extract from Specification.—This voting-machine has been designed for effecting the recordance of either direct or preferential or multiple or variable value votes and in an accurate, secret, and reliable manner. The chief objects attained by my invention may be summarised as follows: That in its use it reduces human agency and therefore fraud and error to a minimum. That the vote recorded is unidentifiable, hence insuring absolute secrecy, as in its use no record exists that any individual elector has voted for any given candidate. That a voter is enabled to express a first, a second, and a third or further preference for any candidate, but the machine may be adapted to give a greater number of preferences by means of a multiple set of unit mechanisms without departing from the nature of the invention or altering its construction. That illiterate persons may record votes without assistance by means of coloured cards bearing the name of each candidate and placed over each pull-knob. That blind persons may vote by being informed by the Returning Officer as to the position of the pull-bars for each candidate. That the machine can be adjusted to allow of a voter voting for one or any number of vacancies, and can also be adjusted that unless a voter votes for the full number of vacancies such vote or votes will not be recorded—that is, are rendered “informal”—for which purpose the machine is provided with a separate counter for registering such informal votes. That by means of the total votes recorded for individual candidates, the total informal votes, and the total number of persons admitted to vote, all of which totals are automatically registered on independent counters, thereby obtaining an absolutely reliable check of the mechanism. The machine is so constructed that its main controlling-gear will control as many groups or units of mechanism as may be attached thereto, such attachment being effected by the continuation of five members of the machine. That in all cases but for votes of a variable value or multiple votes—as, say, in mayoral elections—it is impossible for either the Returning Officer to alter the voting value of the voter or the voter to alter the number of the vote to be exercised. That all movements are positive in their nature except two springs subject to shock, which can be replaced if required during the election and without opening the machine or in any way tampering with its setting. The machine provides for bell indicating-mechanism whereby the Returning Officer is notified that an informal vote has been made; also mechanism is provided to indicate by sight to the voter only the value of the vote when exercised, and such record being mechanically destroyed upon the voter leaving the booth, so insuring absolute secrecy.

[NOTE.—The above extract from the specification is inserted in place of the claims.]

(Specification, £2 8s. 9d.; drawing, 5s.)

No. 22085.—21st November, 1906.—NATIONAL CASH REGISTER COMPANY, a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States of America, with factories and general offices at Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States of America (assignees of Charles F. Kettering, of Dayton, aforesaid). Improvements in store service credit system apparatus.

Extract from Specification.—This invention relates to store systems for regulating the passing of goods to customers on credit, more especially where immediate delivery is to take place with but limited opportunity either for investigation to determine responsibility of purchaser or for surveillance to prevent collusion between sales person and purchaser. In the larger retail establishments such as department stores, the problem of attending to this credit matter with celerity and in a manner which will prevent losses is a very grave one. Numerous systems have been tried without giving entire satisfaction. The common complaints are, on the part of the customer, the slowness requiring long periods of waiting before goods can be carried away, and on the part of the proprietors financial losses by reason of goods being taken out on credit when credit should not be given. It is of course recognised that where credit is given there should be some identity of the purchaser as an individual whom the store recognises as responsible, but there should be some check upon the sales person who takes the orders and delivers the goods, and it has not been found satisfactory to rely upon such sales person’s judgment as to whether or not credit should be given. It is therefore customary to submit each credit sale to some person, commonly known as the “credit man,” whose duty it is to keep track of credit customers so as to be able to pass judgment advisedly upon the responsibility of each purchaser. The approval or O.K. of this credit person is therefore necessary before the goods will be delivered. It will be seen at once that considerable delay ensues when it is necessary to send a messenger to the credit man with a charge slip to be O.K’d and await the return of such messenger before goods will be delivered. This has in a measure been remedied by the use of telephones at the various bundle-wrapping stations through the medium of which the credit man can be consulted in much shorter time than where a messenger has to be sent with the charge slip. In such a telephone system, however, the sales person or bundle-wrapper has to be relied upon to mark the charge slip as instructed by the credit man to show that the delivery of goods on credit has been authorised. Thus the door is still open to the sales person to pass goods on credit practically on that person’s own responsibility. The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a system for the O.K’ing of the credit sales which will remove any objection on the score of slowness of operation and at the same time provide for the credit man himself doing the marking on the charge slips. To be more specific, it is proposed to utilise the telephone as a means of communication between the sales persons and bundle-wrappers and the credit-desk so that both the identity of the purchaser and the amount of purchase may instantly be made known to the credit man, and it is also proposed to have the marking or stamping device which is located at the bundle-counter operated from a distance by the credit man and incapable of manipulation at the place of its location. Calls go in from the various bundle-counters the same as in the usual telephone-exchange system, it being understood that this marking or stamping device is operated electrically through the medium of the telephone connections. It is further provided that the presence of the charge slip in the marking or stamping device shall be shown at the receiving-station or credit-desk so that no attempt will be made to operate the stamping-device in the absence of the charge slip. As a further safeguard, provision is made for automatically preventing any operation of the marking or stamping device when no charge slip is in position to be marked or stamped, notwithstanding the switch may be thrown at the credit-desk. If when the credit-desk is called from one of the bundle-stations and the name of the purchaser and the amount of the purchase spoken, but the credit man sees by the signal that the charge slip is not in place in the stamp, he will then call the bundle-station and direct attention to the absence of the slip, either by some understood signal or by telephonic communication. The latter will be resorted to also in cases where a credit is to be refused, and the credit man will instruct the sales person to send the customer to the desk.

[NOTE.—The above extract from the specification is inserted in place of the claims.]

(Specification, £1 8s. 3d.; drawings, 4s.)

No. 22087.—21st November, 1906.—FREDERICK HAMILTON JACKSON, of New Plymouth, New Zealand, Ironmonger. Improvements in gates.

Claims.—(1.) A gate-hinge made of round iron and having one end turned downwardly and its other end laterally, and a grip-bolt securing the hinge to the gate, a bolt passing through the gate-post having its end bent to receive the hinge, and a hole in the post into which the short end of the bolt enters, substantially as set forth. (2.) A combined brace and gate-hinge consisting of a rod of round iron having its upper end bent downward and its lower end bent laterally and entering the gate, grip-bolts securing the brace and hinge to the gate, a bolt passing through the gate-post and having its