ABSTRACT
An editorial note by the editor of the NACA Bulletin, the monthly publication of what then was the National Association of Cost Accountants (now the NAA, National Association of Accountants), indicates that Willard was a specialist in the field of machine accounting. In this article Willard defines machine economy as a reduction in the unit cost of accounting information measured in relation to the quantity and quality of information. He briefly discusses the problem of determining the value of accounting information and describes the machine methods available in 1936 to accumulate information. His discussion of the factors applicable to making decisions as to whether to purchase a machine and as to what type of machine are as applicable today as when this article was written in the 1930s. If the principles enunciated in this article had been more carefully followed by companies in the acquisition of computers, many fewer costly mistakes would have been made in selecting computer equipment!
