to them to return ice as wasted that has really been

And the coupons will be received for

their face value in ice if not torn out of

The coupon system has been brought to a high state of perfection by the originators.1 It has been almost universally adopted in the United States, and is preferred by the customers as well as by the manufacturers. The front and back page of, and a sample sheet from, a 2000-lb. coupon book is shown in fig. 94.

It will be observed that the books are numbered in series on both covers and coupons. By the use of these numbers it is possible to tell the exact amount of ice each customer buys, how often he takes it, and on what days. The size of the book sold is a matter to be determined by the company; if 500-lb., 1000-lb., 2000-lb. books are issued, the 500-lb. books would be numbered from 1A upwards, the 1000-lb. books 1B upwards, and so on. In this way it is possible to tell from the detached coupons. what kind of book a customer has and how much he is paying for the ice. The name and address of the purchaser and the number of the book is recorded at the offices of the Ice Company when the book is sold, and no ice is delivered unless a coupon is obtained at the time of delivery. If the customer is absent, coupons should be left by the ice-safe for the amount of ice required.

The book illustrated above contains eight 25-lb. coupons, twenty-four 10-lb. coupons, and twelve 5-lb. coupons. Each value is printed on different coloured paper, so that it can be easily distinguished. As the coupons are collected, they are dropped by the driver into a small box secured by lock and key and attached to the waggon. At the end of the day the box is opened, the coupons counted, and the driver checked.

1 Messrs the Allison Coupon Company, Indianapolis, U.S. A.

CHAPTER XII.

COLD STORAGE.

General Remarks.-The selection of a suitable site for a cold storage warehouse is a matter requiring very careful attention. As in most things, no hard and fast rule can be laid down, and the position of the site depends very much on the class of business that it is intended to carry on. If a purely warehousing business is to be followed, then the store must be within easy reach of the merchants and markets from which it is intended to draw, and to which it is desired to deliver, the produce stored. If, on the other hand, a distributing business is contemplated, the store should adjoin a railway line. In most cases railway communication will prove a convenience for coal as well as traffic, and it may be accepted as an uncontrovertible fact that the less the goods have to be moved and handled as they pass from the producer to the consumer, or in this particular case from the merchant to the cold store and back again to the market, the better for them and for those who desire to make a profit out of their storage.

Other points also must be borne in mind. Refrigerating machinery requires water and plenty of it, and it is a point of paramount importance that, if possible, this water should not have to be bought. It is not always easy to obtain a natural supply from wells, and for this reason considerable

space has been devoted in Chapter VII. to the consideration of condensing water recoolers, by the use of which the same water can be used over and over again.

The suitability of the ground for receiving the foundations of the buildings and machinery is very important, and before a site is definitely selected trial holes should be sunk to ascertain the nature of the strata. A rocky foundation is, of course, best, but a subsoil of gravel or hard clay is very suitable. The ground should, if possible, be free from surface water; but if this, unfortunately, exists, it can be overcome by a damp-proof course in the concrete floor and in the walls below ground-level. Soft or unstable ground should be avoided, as piling is expensive, and concrete rafts, though a perfectly ordinary and successful method of construction, are better done without, if possible, on the score of cheapness. The question of cart space should also be considered, and it is desirable to allow draw-in space for the carts and waggons receiving or delivering goods, so that the traffic in the street or on the footpaths is not interfered with. This consideration also holds good in the case of an ice factory. It is always desirable, if possible, to purchase the freehold of the site, as leasehold properties usually mean increased expense in future years. Space should also be allowed for extension. This should be attended to at the outset and not left until afterwards, as, when extensions are in contemplation, adjoining property is apt to increase in value to a very remarkable degree.

BUILDINGS.

The best shape for a cold store, other things being equal, is that which will give the maximum cubic capacity for the minimum wall area. This is found in

1

a cube, and therefore the more nearly square a cold store can be built, and the smaller the wall space that has to be insulated, the smaller will be the demands likely to be made upon the refrigerating machinery.

Cold storage buildings are essentially of the warehouse. class. They should not be overburdened with architectural features, as these only increase the expense and add nothing to the revenue. The buildings consist usually of the engine and boiler-house and coal-store, the workshops and stores, the cold storage rooms and the offices. If ice is manufactured there is also the tank-room and the ice store. With the exception of the stores, in which the temperature has to be regulated, the buildings are quite of the ordinary type, consisting of stone or brick in mortar or cement. The cold storage rooms should be built with an outer wall of stone or brickwork, but with all the rest of the structure in timber.

If the foundations are on solid ground, ordinary footings on cement concrete are all that are necessary. If, however, the ground is shaky, piling has frequently to be resorted to. As an alternative to piling, buildings are sometimes erected on a raft composed of concrete having old railway rails buried in it. In this case the raft should have ample spread outside the outer tier of footings, or it will be apt to buckle down at the edges and crack the walls.

The engine and boiler-house should be entirely separate from the cold stores, and should have a separate entrance, not only for the hands, but for the coal and stores. The offices, as a rule, are situated on the street front, and should be so placed that the people and goods entering or leaving the premises can be observed from the windows. All

1 See note, page 294.