By the Sweat of Thy Brow

It was a far cry from grandfather's roll top. But it was a desk, all right. There was even space where a man could do some work. But Gunn Furniture Co.'s desk-of-tomorrow (improved version) had other virtues; and visitors to the eighth annual office-equipment display in Chicago last week rightfully gaped at them.

On the "business" side, where the executive sits, there are (among other wonders): a radio, fluorescent lights, a Teletalk intercommunication unit (known commonly as a "squawk-box"), an electronic dictating machine, an electric razor with door mirror, an electric cigaret light' er, a telephone mounted on a pull-out slide with an automatic index, an extra electrical outlet convenient for fan, heater, Silex or therapeutic lamp.

When the executive got fed up with these contrivances, he could hop to the other, or "play" side, of the desk. There he would find an electric refrigerator with three ice trays, a cabinet for bottles, decanters and glasses, a personal combination-lock safe. Properly fortified, the executive could return to the "business" side and to the desk's most dazzling feature: a magnetized pen holder. The executive need only place his pen close to the holder, let go and the magnet would suck the pen into place in the holder.

To date, 52 such desks have been sold. Price: $7,000 each.

The office-furniture industry does not neglect the executive's helpers. On display at the same Chicago show last week was a new automatic typewriter--a gadget which makes up business letters from numerous combinations of recorded sentences (e.g., "yours of the tenth inst. rec'd."). The canned prose is recorded on a roll (something like grandfather's player piano), the roll is inserted in the machine, buttons are pressed for the desired combination, and the machine automatically types them into a letter. Price for this wonder: $1,650.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.