New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-18
His Method Is a "Simplification
of Ways and Means" and
He Acts as Its Professor
Among Employees.

| machinery of paper, ink. and tables OF flg-
ures We have closed one hundred offices
of records and are using the clerks else
where to better advantage. At the single
record office in Chicago we have the files
| hearing on enc hundred thousand men
scattered along eighteen thousand miles
OF track and handling $225,CoocO or traihc
a year
These things | say in passing and be-
fore | come to a fuller exposition of the
main feature of the unit system. which is,
as have remarked the creation of body
of active and skilled assistant superintend-
ents. The trainmaster and all the rest
my take turns in performing the duties
Of the superintendent There is always u
responsible man. however, at call. Fur
thermore. out on the line an assistant SUI
perintendent. having lost his identity as A
specialist, is clothed with complete author
ity over every branch OF the service. Inc
old division engineer is within the new
ethics of railroading when he rebukes
fagman for neglecting to go back far
enough with lis lantern.
The master mechanic who was can
properly charge the freight conductor with
loafing too long at switching or AT stations.
In theory we go so far as to suppose that
the SUPERINTENDENT or his chief OF stan
snail have complete knowledge or every
thing that occurs and of every detail OF
the business including the correspondence.
The chief of staff, temporarily. may be the
head dispatcher or some one other thah
the senior officer at headquarters. so au-
thorlty and information and management
are passed up and own the staff, and every
man can work at one desk as well as an
other.
Il go over a road on which | am en-
ployed. ecturing and teaching like col
lege professor No demands are made That
the new system be adopted. 1t is explained
and left TO the common sense OF the super
intendents. The scheme has not been writ
ten out. In that respect 1t is like the
constitution of Great Britain. | lay down
three fixed and primal requirements. FIRST
that no man shall sign the name or IN
itials of any one else Second, that all
communications from station agents, con-
ductors, foremen and other employees snail
be addressed impersonally to the superih-
tendent. Third, that an assistant superih-
tendent shall always be in the main once
We say to a conductor: Here are three
brakemen. Put them where you please
but never neglect 10 have fiagman on the
rear car to protect the train Pracucaiy
we use the same language to the superin-
tendents with respect to their assistants.
The superintendent and their stats are
expected TO do their own thinking. we
believe in human nature-everythlnS else
changes but it doesn't, except for tire bet
ter Most of the large questions of the day
are not Industrial but sociological. Inc
policy OF Ire and hire. stopping there ana
golnD no further Is antiquated. The trans
actions OF yesterday are interesting. but
the transactions of to-day are important
stop false motions Centuries ago military
experts discovered that marching troops
FOR hfty minutes and letting them rest for
ten minutes would carry them further than
Walking steadily or running. business
men can get many lessons In scientific
management from the army. where the
u'It' Otherwise the individual man, is dom
r'ahi III every scheme of organization
stars or specialists. cannot win baseball
ioo'oall game Victory waits for the
team mat plays all together"
copyright. ioli, by James - Morrow
M's bobblns-Is your husband going In
sirs. Johbins's funeral?
. Mns enthusiastically not. She never
l..uf