The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-05-05
OPPOSED TO
NEW SYSTEM
SCHEME EVOLVED TO DRIVE WORK
MEN WITHOUT REGARD TO PLY
SICAL ENDURANCE.

WASHINGTON, May 5.--For several
days a delegation from the United States
arsenal at Rock Island, ILL.,, has been in
Washington making an effort to have
eliminated the Taylor system now being
installed at the government works. As
a result resolution has been intro
duced in congress for an investigation
and referred to the labor committee.
This committee held its first hearing on
this matter Friday, April 2S. This sys-
TEN is brutal in its application. Work
is divided, subdivided and resubdivided
for the purpose of alloting to a work
man single operation. In the subdivis-
ion work Is so arranged that a workman
only completes small percent of the
whole operation. So far this may be
termed section work, and is in vogue
in numerous industries. But after the
subdivision and allotment has taken
place the Taylor system introduces a
new feature to drive workmen at full
speed. A workman selected for a Ger
tain operation or section of work must
measure up to high standard as re
CARDS physical energy, deftness and me-
chanical skill. He is then assigned Il
certain task, an inspector is placed over
him fortified with a stop watch. A turn
of the head, looking up, false motions,
an instant relaxation, splitting or any
movement not in accord with exactness
required is instantly caught by the stop
watch and recorded against the work.
man. The highest speed attainable,
after experimenting with the most skill
full and highest speed workmen, becomes
the standard of efficiency for every man
to be employed on that particular oper
alton. No consideration is to be given
the average workman, no matter how
proficient he may be, as the system def
nitely calls for a very severe process of
elimination, and any system that cannot
reach the high standard set is to be
thrown out
The object of the system is to trans
form every factory and workshop into
an industrial speedway. The Santa Fe
installed a similar plan called the Emer-
son system, but it has proven failure.
The government has commenced the in
stallation of the Taylor idea at some of
its works aside from the arsenal at Rock
Island. The Overhead" charge is greatly
increased. The overhead" charge re-
fers to the necessary machinery to keep
the plan in operation. Elaborate plans
are first prepared, inspectors galore are
necessary and when the full cost of the
product is computed the overhead"
charges stand out so conspicuous that,
even though the workmen are driven at
headlong speed, no saving has been eff
fected. Apart from this, workmen, Ia
boring under such high pressure, soon
succumb to the high tension and volun-
tarily leave their employment. Then
their places must be filled, and in this
effort a constant try out is in operation
at all times, with the result that work
men are constantly harassed and feel
ing is engendered that as each is nothing
more than an automaton the feeling of
interest in the work assigned to the
various workmen is entirely eliminated
Mr.. Taylor acknowledges that out of
eight men only one reaches the mark of
proficiency under his system. The
workmen are influenced to reach the
limit of their speed and endurance by
promised increases in pay. But under
this plan the skilled workmen are to be
almost entirely eliminated. The work
being so minutely subdivided unskilled
workmen or laborers are substituted for
the skilled mechanic after system is in
augurated. The increases allowed to the
unskilled workmen sometimes run from
80 to 100 percent, yet does not reach the
wage paid to the skilled mechanic. 1t
is only another plan to destroy unions,
for workmen are absolutely to be dealt
with individually, the representation b.
committees to be done away with.