The Washington herald., 1912-09-29
Director Ralph Increases
Efficiency of His Bureau
Bureau of Engraving and Printing Has
ACCOMPLISHED Wonders

Joseph E. Ralph. director of the Bu-
reau of Engraving and Printing. is the
subject of an interesting personal
sketch by John Reed in the October
number of the American Magazine. The
article in part follows:
Every working day in the year four
thousand employees in the red brick
building OF the Government Bureau of
Engraving and Printing make millions
of dollars worth of paper money,
stamps, notes. AMI bonds. It is the
most interesting department in Wash
ington, and one Of the most highly or
ganized plants in the world. Not a
postage stamp is ever lost; not dol
lar bill misplaced. There are also made
all the commissions, certificates, and
the thousands of official engravings used
by the government. 1t is tremendous
and difficult Job. But there IS no branch
of the government that works with such
enthusiasm and team play, or shows
such perfect efficiency.
''All this is mainly because Joseph
z. Ralph is director of the Bureau In
three years OF occupancy he has increas-
ed the efficiency of each employee, has
reduced the cost Of production by a
greater amount than six preceding years
had been able to do, has reduced his
working force in spite of the increase
them love him and filed them with his
own pride in the Bureau. Every man
in the shops is an active partisan.
We've got the best department in WASH
ington, you hear them say.
Starts in Rolling Mill.
This big, clear-headed, warm-heart-
ed director learned how to do things in
a hard school. At twelve years of age
ne went to work in q rolling mill in
Joliet, Ill. He says Of those days: The
days labor consisted Of twelve solid
hours of physical torture, at the rate
of one horsepower per minute When
the mills shut down. Ralph used tol
swing OIL box-car and go vagabonding
getting odd jobs on the railroad until
the steel plant opened again. When hel
was nineteen, he met a young lady at
a st. Patrick's Day ball in Joliet and
married her the next day. Later hel
became secretary of the Tarif Commits
sion, managed a newspaper. and finally
drifted into Washington as post-offlcel
clerk in the Capitol
There he took advantage Of his spare
time to go through a business school
After that he was connected with gov
eminent work in New York Harbor, and
at the age of twenty-six. in 1885, came
into the Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing as a humble plate wiper.
Young halpn manifested q great Gu
riosity about all the departments of the
bureau. asking questions and studying
like fury after hours. One OF his su-
periors said: Why are you so darned
curious about all these things that
aren't any of your business?
~: Well said Ralph, I may be boss
of this show some day And he Is.
Director Ralph's genius for organiza- |
ton is astonishing. Long ago he discov- |
cred BENJAMIN r. Sickney, then a me
chanic in charge OF certain machines,
and now mechanical expert and designer |
for the bureau, an inventor Of several |
revolutionary machines. and Mr.. Ralph's |
Highland man. For assistant director |
he picked Mr.. Ferguson from the audit |
ing ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS the best man IN |
the position that the bureau has ever |
had He instituted voluntary talks with |
his employees on the saving of energy /
and the value Of perfection that gave |
them an artists pride in their work.