The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-07-16
but labor is elusive and cannot be de-
pended upon day after day to do the

oue ioOoA 10 OAuolSO ouu CduuOJ U0 uc-
pended upon day after day to do the
same amount of work in the same
amount of time. 4 thousand and one
things tend to raise and lower the cost
of labor. A circus parade passing
factory where many are employed may
make difference OF 500 in the cost of
the days output. Again, pay day has
a demoralizing effect, especially when
it comes but once a month, and the
day before and theday after this i'm
portant event aEe likely to be days of
minimum producstia.
Then there is tslhenost elusive factor
of all, that of ind siyiual effort. 1t is
safe to say thatS 10 two men will
turn out exactly the same amount
of work in the saEe manner. Go
into factory and pick out, say,
twenty men at random and divide
them into two SQUADS giving each
squad the same task and perhaps there
will be little actual difference in the
amount of work turned out; but were
you possessed of second sight you
might pick out ten men from the
twenty who could do the work in less
time, with greater neatness and less
loss of material, and effect saving of
$40 or SIS day over the work of the
other ten. On the surface it might
look as if all the men were equal, but
such is not the case. The star worker,
the man who turns out more work than
any other in the factory, may be the
most expensive in the end. He may
waste material or he may not stop a
minute to save cent, considering his
time too valuable; whereas he is paid
So a day or ene-third of cent min
ute and he might save his employer
two-thirds of a cent by .Masting" thA
minute and effecting the saving. If
each individual were to systemize his
work as his employer does his business,
the output of our factories would
greatly increase and wages would be
correspondingly higher.
Three years ago New Jersey rubber
manufacturer said to the writer: "If
1 could gather about me 500 men of
only ordinary ability who would give
me the best there is in them for seven
hours day, who would put their whole
mind and strength on their work and
would practice rigid economy, saving
every possible cent in material and
manner of working. would pay these
men for ten-hour day at the rate of
25 per cent more than am now paying,
giving them three hours to themselves
and would at the same time become
rich myself"
This shows the importance of indi-
vidual effort, and while the American
workmen have the reputation of Civ
ing the best days work for the money
in the world, there is still room for i'm
provement, and, as it must be done
along individual lines, each one of us
ought to adopt a system of our own.
Work with our heads as well as our
hands, and by raising the quality and
lessening the cost of our days output,
tend to keep our country where it is as
the leader in commercial lines, and in
cidently raise wages. Much can be
learned by workmen in regard to econ
omy if they will adopt system. Go
into any factory in the country and
you will find the workmen laughing at
what to them seems the petty economy
of their employer. "He would stop to
pick up pin" eff he finds a stray
iron hoop he will carry it to the scrap
heap" "He wastes nothing" These
are frequent criticisms. but If the
workmen stopped to think they would
see that this economy in small things
is part of mighty system which has
made him an employer of men. If
each man figured out the cost of his
time per minute and ascertained how
long it would take to do something
that has been left undone sfor lack of
time," he might find out that it would
have been more profitable to have at
tended to neglected matters. SO if it
is our ambition to better ourselves, let
us follow the lead of the successful
men and adopt system that will each
day show US "where we are at" and it
is safe to say that the man with a sys-
tenn will not be overlooked when pro-
motions and rewards are in order.
w. 3. G.