CASH BOOK
11. In this set we introduce a columnar cash book which also serves as a journal for cash transaction and is known as a cash journal. The principal advantage of a columnar book lies in the opportunity to introduce columns with special headings for accounts to which entries are frequent. Not only does this permit of carrying footings to the end of the month with one posting to the ledger account, but it provides a convenient classification of receipts and expenditures with a complete segregation of items of a given class.
In the form illustrated, columns are provided on the debit side for cash, purchase ledger (subdivided for discount and amount), bank deposits, and sundries; on the credit side, cash, sales ledger (subdivided for discount and amount), cash sales, bank withdrawals, and sundries. At first glance it might appear that this form is a departure from the regular form of cash book, but it should be remembered that the cash columns are the only ones having anything to do with the cash account. A cash receipt is entered in the cash debit column, but the amount is credited to its source through the proper credit column; thus a payment received on account is debited to cash and credited through the sales ledger column. A deposit is credited to cash and debited to bank deposits; the payment of a purchase ledger account by check is credited to bank withdrawals, and debited to purchase ledger account.
The discount columns are memorandum columns only, the net cash being entered in the amount columns under purchase and sales ledger. These columns are included that the total payment may be posted to personal accounts in purchase or sales ledger. The totals of these columns are to be posted to discount and interest columns at the end of the month.
The total amount to be posted to the debit of the purchase ledger account and to the credit of sales ledger account is made up of the totals of the discount and amount columns.
The sundries columns are provided for all entries for which there are no special columns and are used principally for transactions affecting general ledger accounts. These columns are sometimes used for ordinary journal entries not involving an exchange of cash, but their use for this purpose is strongly advised against. The cash book should be used exclusively for recording cash transactions. When columnar purchase, sales, and cash books are used, the journal is only needed for adjusting and closing entries, and for this purpose it is best to provide an ordinary two-column journal.