Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-08-22
RUSHING WORK DOESN'T PAY.
Manufacturers Discover That an Eaui-
Ebrium Must Be Maintained.

We all know that there is a limit z,
the number of men that can be worked
to advantage on any job. Put NOR.
men on the work. and they are in ONT
anOther's way. Take some men off. and
the fixed expenses begin to eat up profits.
There is always a happy medium that
the contractor seeks to maintain, but
the happiest medium is not always the
one selected by the contractor.
The contractor of experience has
learned that it does not pay 10 invest a
great deal of money in plant suitable
only for special work, unless he is as
sured of great amount of that work.
lie knows that paper profits often vanish
when such plant is finally disposed
of; for usually it must be sold at a sacri-
flee. Or, if il is not sold. he is liable TO
even greater loss in having a large part
of his working capital tied up.
For these reasons when the average
contractor is awarded piece of work
for which he really should have a larger
plant than he possesses, his inclination
is TO carry the work through by hook
or by crook without buying more tools
In & word, he decides to drag the work
along somehow, and trust to luck that
the penalty clause for non-eompletioE
within the time limit will not be en-
forced. Is this a good business policy?
Run over i'll your mind the contracting
firms that are always well spoken of by
engineers and ask yourself what is the
chief characteristic of the work done by
those firms. Almost without exception
you will find their most noticeable policy
is the policy of rushing work to a finisa
1t Is true that it costs them greater
sum per cubic yard to get their work
done. but it will be observed that some
how they always get more work to do
Those contractors have been students of
human nature, rs well rs Of costs. and
they have early learned that in the eyes
Of nine engineers out of ten almost any
thing is pardonable but slowness.
Now there is usually Il very good rea-
son why the engineer is eager to have
work rushed, for he in turn is bein +:
pounded ON the back" If he is in
charge of sewer work or street pawn;
he hears one continuous howl about
torn-up streets. If he is in charge Of
railway work the directors of the road
are demanding instant completion so
that earnings will be available to pay
interest on bonds. There is in fact
scarcely any class of engineering work,
public or private. where some one of
influence is not urging the engineer to
hurry it along"
In view of these conditions it is not at
all surprising that the reputation of a
contractor depends more upon his en-
ergy in the execution of work than upon
all else.
If looked upon in broad way il will
be seen that, in the end, the energetic
contractor is the gamer in more ways
than this one of good reputation. 1t is
not alone the profit that is made upon
each year of work that determines sue
cess, for that profit must be multiplied
by the number of yards handled each
working season. Where work is rushed
the actual profit on each yard may be
small, but due to the great number of
yards handled, the total profit will be
large. An old and successful contractor
said: II never bite off more than / can
chew. but l chew what l bite off fast"
Engineering News.