Hmm looks almost exactly like the
modern production one I have. Yeah the US Federal Pacific breakers were notorious for issues with making proper contact to the bus bar and sometimes failing to trip. Apparently the Canadian ones, sold under the Federal Pioneer name have somewhat fixed that issue. They stopped making the Canadian breakers around 2015 so you might still be able to find some.
Anyway I think these were used in places like sheds and garages when you might want more than one circuit but don't want to run multiple lengths of wire out. The panel also provided a convenient means to disconnect.