Morris tribune., 1901-02-23
-4d UegRIy Storyatttte.r-


s ~ ~ ~ ~ m ~ s y
] same thing months before, and he was
not pleased with the suggestion. He
gave the workman little encourage
ment.
eff you'd work harder and spend
less time thinking about why we dc
things the way we do, you'd get along
better he said.
| AT the same time he cherished the
| suggestion, and he went to work and
| figured out that If it was adopted the
company would save at least $4,000
year. He even went so far as to
have a few pieces stamped with the
notches in them and tried them in
an engine. Nobody knew the differ.
ence, and the machine worked as well
as the rest. 1 - '',.tso ,1.' @
at happened that we had new
uperintendent at the time. Naturally
he was anxious to make good show
ing. The smart foreman went to him
with the suggestion he had stolen from
the workman on the fling job. He had
his figures and models all ready.
Here's little idea Of NINE the
foreman said as he laid his plan be
fore the superintende which / hope
you'll appreciate. If you adopt It, and
don't see how you can fail to adopt
it. it will save the company not less
than $1,000 year. I'll trust to you to
see that it doesn't knock me out Of a
job. We use 4O5 Of these pieces every
day. At present the three little notches
on each piece are fled by hand. Nine
men do nothing else. We can just as
well have the notches cut by the punch
press at the same time that it cuts out
the piece. Do it that way, and you can
lay off nine f1lers for good. It'll save
the company $1,000 year anyway
1T happened that the salary Of the
new superintendent was just $1,000
year. It struck him that it would be
an extremely happy hit to save the
amount Of his yearly salary in a single
stroke within less than two months of
the time he went to work. At the same
time he didn't like the foreman Of the
file job. That gentleman impressed
him as being tricky, which shows that
the superintendent was good judge
Of human nature. Besides being a
young and new man he didn't like
anything which might seem to indicate
that anybody could tell him anything
about the business. So he gave the
foreman little apparent attention. He
took care, however, to gather up all the
foreman's models and figures and dis
missed him with the statement that he
would look the matter over when he
got time.
Gle took time that evening to go over
the thing carefully. Next day he went
out into the shop and called down the
foremala of the filing job for allowing
his room to get so dirty. He also care
fully looked over the punch presses, |
and as hefwas a good mechanic he had |
no trouble in seeing that the suggestion |
was perfectly feasible. He had tempo
rary fixture made for the punch press
and turned out a number Of the pieces
all complete, which were successfully |
tried in engines which were sold and
sent out in the regular way. A month
later, when it was certain that the plan
was perfectly feasible, he came to me.
By that time, suppose, the workman
who originally made the suggestion
had entirely forgotten it. Perhaps it
had even slipped the memory of the
foreman who tried to steal 1t in the
first place.
'tOf course was pleased with the
dea. 1 ordered the superintendent to
adopt it"at once ana congratulated my
self on the possession Of prize at the
head of my factory. I went around
md Dragged about it to my friends.
old them that our new superintendent
had saved his salary for a year in less
han 80 days after he went to work
Naturally / was tickled to death.
lidn't know about it at the time, but It'll
appears that the first thing the new SUI
oerintendent did was to fire the fore
nan Of the fling job. That was before
here was any idea prevalent that the
men on the job were to go too. But in
he discharge Of that foreman the SUI
unknowingly laid the
oundation Of his own undoing and my
"a couple of weeks later, after the
lew fixtures for the punch press were
the nine flers, including the
nan who originally made the sugges-
ion, were laid off. Then the trouble
commenced.
zone night after dinner the former
brennan Of the filing job came to my
louse. l had talk with him. He
that the superintendent |
lad stolen his suggestion and fired him
q order to cover the theft. didn't
Ike the mans looks, SO took long
nance with him.
But you know I said, that sug-
estion was not original with you Ell
her.
"'Well,' he answered before he
bought, he's fired Jack Burns too
" so Burns, then / answered, is
ho man who rooJ1v docorvoc orodi+2