The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-01

De6A reached and there Is nee0 Tor mai
authoritative action, the desired changes
are submitted to the second vice-presi-
dent for final approval. This adopts
and incorporates lie In0didca tons due
to the special work into the regular de-
partments affected by these modifca-
tions.
Records of pay-rolls, engine repairs.
engine mileage. engine failures, engine
tonnage, engine fuel consumption, en-
CINE supplies, tool and machinery re-
pairs, and car detentions and repairs.
are sent regularly to Mr.. Emerson's Of
fee and there tabulated and graphed 50
as to show properly and in the plain
est manner the general tendency over
the whole system, enabling a compre-
hensive bird's-eye view of maintenance,
shop, engine, car, fuel and supply con-
ditiOns of the system, as well as of each
individual point, to be gained almost at
a glance. The method as a whole has
been to collect facts, to investigate and
to evolve remedies, and to adopt them
in cor ference with regular officers, en-
trusting the application of remedies to
these officers. occasionally, and then only
temporarily, lending q hand. The regu-
lar graphed records permit of keeping in
constant touch with what is going on
When vacancies have occurred and pro-
motion was being considered, the graph
ical records of individual performance
have been carefully considered
Three Of the four mechanical super
intendents have been promoted to
their present positions since January,
1906, and in each case the promotion
was made on records previously tab
ulated in graphical form The records,
had, in fact, selected these men for
promotion before vacancies occurred.
The Introduction Of the betterment
work had, Of course, to be taken up
gradually and locally, it not being pos
sible to take up any branch of the
work over the entire system at once
During the first fiscal year (June 80,
1904-5) and, in fact, until October,
1905, it was confined almost entirely
to Topeka shops, and consisted in gen.
eral betterment of shop conditions,
etc, in concentration of the manufac-
ture of material and of tools at To-
peka, and in starting and establishing
the individual effort reward system.
The work was then extended as fol-
lows:
To oil burning. March. 1905.
TO general tool account of system.
August 1905.
TO Topeka roundhouse. September,
1905.
To Albuquerque shops. November.
1905.
To Ration and winslow shops. jan
uary. 1906.
TO shopton (Illinois Division shops)
January. 1906.
To San Bernardino ships (Coast
lines) February, 1905.
To general roundhouse work, April
1906
To Cleburne shops (Gulf lines) May.
1906.
TO car work on system. August,
1906.
AS examples of the gradual and 10
cal Introduction of the work, the eff
forts on tool account, prior to its ex-
tension to the system in August, 1905,
were at first confined to Topeka, AL
buquerque and San Bernardino, and
later were extended to The Needles,
A riz.; no work on oil burning on the
Gulf lines was begun until May, 1905,
and car work was first undertaken at
Cleburne and San Bernardino, stimuli
taneously. in May. 1906. In what fol-
lows the work will be taken up in de-
far as possible. and viii therefore need
to begin with the work at Topeka
The Work at tho Topeka Shops.
The character of the work done at
the Topeka shops has already been
outlined, consisting of three principal
branches: (1) getting shop conditions,
methods and equipment in shape for
ton here of manufacture Of material
and tools for system, and (S) starting
and establishing the individual effort
reward system.
Betterment of methods, equipment,
method followed was to de-
al Investigations in conjunction with
he regular shop officials, the best way
IF doing work, the Investigations in
Guiding man, machine, method and
material. 1t will not be possible to
.ake up here in detail the methods |
pursued and what was accomplished. |
The efforts were directed to develop /
ng all weak places in the operation as
o equipment, power, line shafting, /
0elting cutting tools, patterns, blue /
o~iT re rfT1ea ifxy of q a in
waiting for material, etc; innumer- |
lble jigs and special devices for doing /
work quicker and better and more &C. !
onomically were designed; in short, |
everything possible was done by skill |
ID specialists to better every shop con-
lition making for improved efficiency
When the betterment forces took
lold, the monthly cost of belt main
enance was $1,000 and the number of
ailures 900 A rate of $3.50 a month |
vas set at that time as the ideal to |
which to work. Tho actual expense /
las now been brought down to an av-
rage of S275 a month, all averages
,eing for the 2 months preceding.
Failures have fallen from 900 to SIS.
t should be mentioned that at the
'Utset the figures on cost were for ma
erial only, as the labor cost was I'M
1nown, no record having been. kept
The records now include labor and
Material. These results were secured
" using the best quality of material,
nd putting its installation and main
enance in the hands of a specialist
With instructions to prevent failures,
lot remedy them. A book of rules
nd instructions for belt REPAYMENT
van prepared by Mr.. Emerson and
distributed on the system: also rigid
ct of specifications for betting was
lrawn up.
Manufacture of material and tools
or system.-The Topeka shops are by
ar the largest shop plant on the sys-
en- The manufa cture of large
mounts of stock material for the 9TH
r shops and repair points on all San
a Fa lines, as well as all firebox and
leavy machine work for the Atchison
roper, were done here prior to begin
ing the betterment work With the
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