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Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Inc

U.S. Government Price List - 1958

courtesy LaFarr Stuart, his web site

LaFarr likes numbers and numeric "tricks". While in a college stint - studying to be a weather forcaster, he helped a Monroe salesman on sales calls. When a potential customer wanted to do something unusual, such as computing square roots on a machine not so specially equiped (a very expensive option on a competing machine), LaFarr was more than delighted to show how to do it on a Monroe calculator.

To aid LaFarr's Monroe knowledge, the salesman gave LaFarr a government oriented catalog.

An introduction to selling to the government, as dimly recalled from long ago and far away.

GSA Catalog
Sales to the U.S. government and associated armed services often involve Government services Administration (GSA). In spite of popular opinion and occasional evidence, "the government" tries to get a "good deal" when buying equipment. Frequently, part of the deal requires the proposed vendor to supply a "best prices" guaranteed to be lower than the price available to non-government buyers (with the possible exception of "Educational Discounts"?).

The vendors usually try to hide these (GSA) prices from non-government commercial prospects to discourage the prospect from trying to bargain this low.

To divide the 46 page tabbed catalog into more easily downloaded sizes, the following is offered:

and a section on how to more easily (or with less difficulty) take square roots on a calculator with out a square root option.
Square Root techniques 2.1 MB