The Washington herald., 1911-09-08

Machinists in the Navy Yard, who
may be affected by the adoption of the
Taylor piecework system in the meth
DDS of manufacture of big guns, de-
cided at a meeting of Columbia Lodge
of Machinists last night to combine
with machinists in all the navy yards
and arsenals throughout the country
and with the metal trades of the Fed
Grafton of Labor in voicing a protest
against the installation of the system or
any phase of it in government estab-
lishments.
CONFER WITH WINTHROP.
This action by the Columbia Lodge Of
Machinists resulted from the conference
held by its committee yesterday after
noon with Assistant Secretary OF the
Navy Winthrop. While the attitude OF
the Assistant Secretary was one OF con-
Citation. II was plain to the committee
that the Taylor system will soon find
place in the methods OF the navy yard
William H. Johnston, chairman OF the
committee, said last night that the sys-
TEN would work a hardship on the men
and will certainly break down the ef-
fciency which has always been the pride
Of the navy yard.
ITO put a stop watch on workmen and
to erect a standard Of wages based on
the amount OF work turned out may
do all right in the manufacture Of house
hold utensils, but in the making Of
guns, when speed Is made the test Of
satisfactory work, It is a serious thing.
When the lives OF the men who are to
fire the guns are considered, care, at
tention, and efficiency count for much
more than speed. Safety OF the lives OF
sailors counts for much more than
saving OF wages OF a few gunmakerS-
Poorer Work and Higher Cost.
What Will apply as a business maxim
to a watch factory will hardly prove sat-
isfactory in the manufacture Of guns to
Withstand the effect of explosives If
the Taylor piecework system Is put IN,
the men would no doubt conform to
whatever standards are erected. But
we maintain that the result would be
that skilled machinists would be put on
the same footing as the unskilled- Eff
cheney OF workmanship, pafnstaking care,
and thoroughness OF execution cannot be
measured by a stop watch Poor work
is certain to result from such methods,
and as a body We deprecate the adoption
OF any system that will impair the quail
ity OF the work OF a department Of the
national defense
The great defect Of the system. Mr..
Johnston maintains. is that from an
economic point of view the plan will fail
because the overhead charges are so
great that the cost Of production will
not be reduced while the efficiency Of the
workmen will be seriously impaired.
Matter Before Congress.
The matter is before a committee Of
Congress appointed at the last session
to inquire into the plan and the prac-
ticability of its application. One of the
members of the committee OF Columbia
Lodge declared last night that It can be
shown that a 1+inch gun can be manu-
factured in the navy yard here for $4,000
less than one can be made by any prt.
vate firm on the outside which manufac-
lures guns for the government.
This decreased cost OF production,
which carries with II, the men say, greater
excellence Of workmanship. goes long
way in the minds OF all of the men to
show that the navy yard does not need
the installation OF any system to reduce
cost Of production, especially with the
sacrifice OF the good work and fine spirit
for yvI1{ch fba iS famous