New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-18
Thinks IL Will Renovate Business

perintendent. division engineer, Ualfiiid'
ter. master mechanic. chief dispatcher ana
So on Each of these men is a specialist
The baron of a fief. and is only incidental
~ Interested or concerned i'm the work oil
the rest There is a group of oincers' II Is
true. but they have not been cemented INTO
"A harmonious and workable stan. Chahs
ing the figure. each is the attorney 1or
himself
Going further into the details OF coop
erative control by present methods iet us
follow the division superintendent out upon
the road. His private car is attached 10 a
train. That he has gone is known AT heah-
quarters and mp and down the me. 'uS'
the same. orders from the Office hearing
his name continue Ia circulate nv tcie-
graph and mail. The chief clerk, you see,
is running the business and corporal.
going 10 the army for an analogous sltua-
ton. IS instructing colonies and brigadier
generals and belitting his seniors
Nov the name of man when written
at the bottom of check or promissofy
note has certain protection in law. IL
ought To have the same safeguards. rights
and immunites when signed To a letter or
a telegram If | forge your name on a
check | 60 TO Jail IT, however, | am your
chief clerk or private secretary ! am IL
censed by the loose custom of business to
attach your name To any paper not calling
for money. and even for money, | suppose.
in some instances, where the habit of FOR
gerry has become an hourly crime against
sound principles.
The American people are eminent as in
ventorS, but they are lacking in capacity
as executors They are bound up in red
tape and are not economical in applying
their obsolete methods. Moreover, over
specialization dwarfs the individual. The
head of a department is ready enough TO
tell what cannot he done, so lie becomes a
negative man.
But" Major Hine went on to say. you
asked me about the unit system in cor
porations 1t is all that the other system
is not. Briefly. it is a simpiiication OF
ways and means 1t does away with delay
i'm the useless mechanics Of administration,
abolishes the waste OF lost motion and
makes business direct and humanity inter
estng. Carrying my illustration again to
the railroad. the unit system transforms
the division engineer, the master mechanic,
the trainmaster and the head dispatcher
into assistant superintendent. with a
senior assistant. or chief Of staff in charge
of the office when the superintendent is
absent. The idea is borrowed from the
German army
Next. all of the assistant superintend-
ents are brought to the main office. The
master mechanic leaves his shop. but his
foreman remains behind. Thus. when the
superintendent finds 1t necessary TO com
municate with that official. he does so by
word of mouth | believe In the personal
touch. Also. ! believe In getting the at
mosphere of a whole railroad or factory
under one roof BY the old way the SUI
perintendent would have called stenog
rapher and dictated a letter TO the master
mechanic. The next day the master me-
chanic would have called a stenographer
and dictated an answer To the super
tendent Both letters would have been cop
led and later would have gone into the
files of each ofiiCe-a waste or time, energy
and stationery. The number of letters pass
ing back and forth between the men on the
Hartman lines has been reduced half "A
million annually.
81 am not opposed To records. becaus,
they are history. We can learn "A great
deal from history If we have time for read
| ing and for reflection ON previous events.
| The files Of "A business office usually are
ancient history. one Is not so much con
ccrned with the past as he is with the
present and the future. A lot of time
and energy are thrown away on records
and the valueless refnements and technl-
caities OF accounting. The details OF an
organization often become 90 ridiculous
and burdensome In fact that the purpose
| Of the organization almost vanlshes In the