The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-01
RAILROAD ECONOMY.
what IN Eng issees ThinAs Of the 1ssk
Absut scseasifc Management

To rBE EDITOR OF TIE SuN-Sw: IL 10
no, without q certain amount OF cynicsi
doubt that experienced and practicsi engs-
neers read Mr.. Towne's testimony before
the Interstate Commerce Commission on the
subject OF the economies when can ne
Effected In the management OF rai,roaa
properties by rc-orting tn functional
mana cement" and other srientihc devices
Of which large manufacturing companies
have svsiled themselves.
Mr. Towne IL IN. head OF great establish
ment using largely. II not exclusively. auto
matte machinery. Automatic machinery
does duplicating work. and the operators.
very Justly called hands, must equally
be made into automatic machinery In
order to obtain the lowest possible cost
Of manufacture. But IL the manufacture
of locks and keys and similar small con-
trivances comparable with the work OF the
railroads. or even with the work Of the
machine shops OF the great carriers1 ! am
sure any experienced engineer will agree
with me kbat no similarity OF any conse-
asarnce Exists bet ween the two cases. Mr.,
Towne has In my humble opinion. fallen
into error. Having been successful him
self In a speciality peculiarly well adapted
TO manufacture on q large scale by means
Of automatic machinery, he generalizes inn
mestiately on the theory that what Mr.
Brancieis calls scientific management 10
the kind Of management which the rail-
roads should have.
The railroads Of this country are the
admiration Of the engineers and OF the
international travellers Of the world. ] am
q member OF the three great American
societies OF civil mechanical and electrical
engineers. and am also familiar with tho
railroads In other countries. The feats OF
civil engineering. the excellence OF the roll
ing stock, the efficiency applied to the enor-
mously varying traffic conditions OF the
roads constitute. in my opinion and In the
opinion Of broadminded men competent to
Judge one OF the greatest monuments TO
American genius and industry. in compari-
son with which the achievements OF Mr.
Brandeis's type Of scientific MANAGEMENT
dwindle into absolute insigniflcnnce.
While in certain industries complete dif-
fsrcntiation has been successful. this method
has been failure applied 20 the manufac-
tur~ OF large machinery. as IL kills individual
effort OF the thinking kind. while II stimu-
lates what has often been termed the slave
drivers work Here. elsewhere. IL IL
futile TO ina gine that matchmaking is
a panacsa for all industrial difficulties
but looking at the railroad problem from
another angle and admitting cheerfu.!y
that economies can he Elected IL IL not true
that 10 Is vastly more important to have the
hi CHEST efficiency OF service. the best and
safest traces. locomotives and cars. reliable
box systems and 80 forth. than padlocks
and KEYS OF high quality The latter IL very
important. but iIhnitesiunal in comparison
with the quality Of the railroad service
Now then. let us see What the manufac-
turer does II through competition he Ia
forced TO lower prices while also forced
10 pay more for materials entering into hts
products. a. well "a for hrs labor. Why
he simply tries 10 build q cheaper product.
Wher. he formerly used brass he now uses
iron where he used high grade s'eels he
uss- cheap drop forgings. and so on. sup
posing the railroads to do likewise. to stop
giving the highest degree Of safety what
we now have iS not good enough TO cut
down on the extension of safety appliances
and block svstams What will he the result ,
Simply this that the railroads would kill
and MAIN more peoplr than are even now
being regularly sacrificed To accidents
80 much for the engineering side. The
vast importance of railroad prosperity to
the country at large. which il dependen,
not on a parsimoniou- administration Of
vast and growing properties, bur on ius'
such large and wise expenditures ~ those
called into life by the late Mr.. Cas-att in the
heart Of New York city. should be evident
10 every thoughtful person. Every man
carrying life Insurance has an Investment
In railroad securities: the millions invested
by the life insurance and by the fire insur-
ance companies. upon which the entire
nation is dependent. all these matters Of
the utmost gravity are lightly waved aside
by an appeal TO scientific management
which wuaild revolutionize the railroads.
IL would indeed. The great properties
now fiourishing because oil It broadrnindsd
policy Of expansion would crumbi. into
dust Science will Justly ask TO be excused
from having her name used to designate
some mechanical method Of operation
worked out by ingenious cost clerks who
have never advanced the industries of this
country one small ioia.
Il A. BEBRESD
PfrrsBVRG. November ~