The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-11-19

dies were the life blood Of the Automatic
General Manager
From each department in the factory Pres
ident Barker required a regular and detailed
monthly report showing IT'S efficiency under
half n dozen different heads, each worked out
in decimals on the scale of a hundred which
represented perfection.
He had also had prepared with great care.
= Table of Minimum Percentage Of Efficiency.
That table the brains of the Automatic
General Manager. II showed the lowest per
ccntage to which each department could drop
and still do its work without serious menace
TO the business.
Suppose now that It's private secretary is
about to fix up the Automatic General Man
ager for q new month. Beginning with the
advertising department, which stands at the
head of the first column to the left on the
Automatic General Manager, he figures out.
from its monthly, report its average percent
age Of efficiency for the preceding month.
Suppose that percentage to he 60 He then
refers to the Table Of Minimum Percentage of
Efficiency, which shows that the advertising
department must maintain percentage of 90
if 1T is to do its work satisfactorily,
Nothing remains then but TO slip bright
rcd paddle into the little pocket after The
name Of the advertising department in the
second column Of the Automatic General
Manager. Red is the color of fire. That is
what the Automatic General Manager wanted
done to the head of the advertising depart
ment. Nothing could be simpler
Suppose on the other hand, the figures
showed that the advertising department was
doing splendid work and that its head de
served a raise in salary. Then he slipped
bright yellow paddle into the pocket. Yellow
is tho color equally Of the rising sun and of
the rising salary, The thing as good
done.
IT. according to the percentages. things
were going fairly well in the advertising de-
partmcnt pure white paddlee told the whole
story. 4 black paddle indicated that the
department was in bad shape-in mourning.
so to speak. And on. There were paddles
of dozen different coors. Each indicated
different condition and ordered different ac-
tlon In the premises.
1t was Saturav afternoon when President
Barker got through fixing up the Automatic
General Manager for the first time aud turned
the carving out Of its orders over 90 Vice
President Brooks, At 6 clock that evening
Barker boarded train for New York Just as
Brooks left the factory for home, heavy with
the weight OF what was gong 10 happen on
the coming Monday.
Sunday morning the head ianitor started
big force of scrubwomen through the factory
TO give the plant its regular fortulghtly clean
ing There were as has been said, but two
KEYS TO the occupied by the Automatic
General Manager. but OF course, the head
iapitor had a pass KEY which opened every
thing i'm the building except the vaults.
Presently he unlocked tho door Of the room
which sheltered the Automatic General Man
ger and bade Mrs. 'Brien and Mrs. Olcson
go in aud scrub the floor and wash tho wood
work They went. armed with scrubbing
brushes and long handled mops. Mrs Olesou
swinging her mop vigorously, struck the Au-
tomato General Manager hard blow with
the free end Of It's handle and knocked the
hope Of future generations OF business men
from the nail which il hung. Down To the
floor on its head fell the Automatic General
Manager and every one of the many colored
paddles dropped out Of its pocket
Mrs Oleson screamed and Mrs. q Rrien
looked up from her knees with sniff Of
sfYou res clumsy as tbree-horse coaI
wagon Mrs oleson,'' said Mrs. o'Brien.