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![Baltimore, MD. For every Social Security Account Number issued an "emploee master card" is made in the Social Security Board Records Office. Identifying data, given on the application blank , Form SC-5[?], is transferred to this master card in the form of up-ended quadrangular holes, punched by key punch machines, which have a key card like a typewriter. Each key struck by an operator causes a [...] to be punched into the card. The position of a hole determines the letter or number other machines will reproduce from the master card. From this master card is made an acturial card, to be used later in statistical purposes. The master card also is used in other machines which sort them numerically, according to account numbers alphabetically according to the name code, translate the holes into numbers and letters, and print the data on individual ledger sheets, indexes, registry of accounts, and other uses. It is kept as a permanent record. The photograph above shows at work a part of the key machine section, where master cards are punched.](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn4/L3Bob3RvLzE5MzcvMDEvMDEvYmFsdGltb3JlLW1kLWZvci1ldmVyeS1zb2NpYWwtc2VjdXJpdHktYWNjb3VudC1udW1iZXItaXNzdWVkLWFuLWVtcGxvZWUtbWFzdGVyLTY0MC5qcGc%3D/40/31/webp "Baltimore, MD. For every Social Security Account Number issued an \"emploee master card\" is made in the Social Security Board Records Office. Identifying data, given on the application blank , Form SC-5[?], is transferred to this master card in the form of up-ended quadrangular holes, punched by key punch machines, which have a key card like a typewriter. Each key struck by an operator causes a [...] to be punched into the card. The position of a hole determines the letter or number other machines will reproduce from the master card. From this master card is made an acturial card, to be used later in statistical purposes. The master card also is used in other machines which sort them numerically, according to account numbers alphabetically according to the name code, translate the holes into numbers and letters, and print the data on individual ledger sheets, indexes, registry of accounts, and other uses. It is kept as a permanent record. The photograph above shows at work a part of the key machine section, where master cards are punched.")
Baltimore, MD. In handling millions of records two things are of great importance: accuracy and speed. Social Security Account numbers are divided according to the area in which the account number was issued, the group within the area, and the serial, or individual number. There are 9,999 individual or serial numbers in each group, and 100 groups in each area. To eliminate chance of human error, and to speed up the work, the area number and the group number of each account is punched on the employee master card by a "gang punch" machine. Only those serial numbers belonging to the same area and group are put into the gang punch machine at one time. Thus the machine need be set only once to punch the correct area and group number on hundreds of cards faster and more accurately than a human being could. The photograph above shows master card being punched with holes representing area and group numbers in the gang punch machine
Summary
A black and white photo of a man working in a factory, Library of Congress Harris and Ewing collection
Title from unverified caption data received with the Harris & Ewing Collection.
Date based on date of negatives in same range.
Gift; Harris & Ewing, Inc. 1955.
General information about the Harris & Ewing Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.hec
Temp. note: Batch four.
The Harris & Ewing, Inc. Collection of photographic negatives includes glass and film negatives taken by Harris & Ewing, Inc., which provide excellent coverage of Washington people, events, and architecture, during the period 1905-1945. Harris & Ewing, Inc., gave its collection of negatives to the Library in 1955. The Library retained about 50,000 news photographs and 20,000 studio portraits of notable people. Approximately 28,000 negatives have been processed and are available online. (About 42,000 negatives still need to be indexed.)
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