Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-31
COLONEL BURR
EXPLAINS CARD
Says That There Is No Logical
Objection to Its install
lation.
MERELY AN Improvement
Does Not Affect Wage Earning Pow
ers of Arsenal Employee
Confers With Committee.

In view OF the mass meetings which
the arsenal employees have been hold
ing recently 10 consider a protest
against tae introduction of the Taylor
system OF shop management at the
arsenal, a representative of The Argus
called upon Colonel G. W. Burr, COM
mandant of the Rock Island arsenal,
o. his Office this morning and request
cd him 10 state concisely for the ben
eft OF the readers of The Argus just
what the management of the arsenal
was doing in this line.
NOT TO AFFECT EMPLOYEES.
I'VE are Introducing said Colonel
Burr, "a new system Of arsenal man
agement which the ordnance depart
ment has experimental with at one
or the other arsenals for the past
three years and has found to be to the
advantage of the government and OF
the employees. IL should be under
stood that this new system of man.
agement does not affect the employees
In any way. 1t relates solely to the
standardizing of machines, tools and
shop fixtures. and 70 the systemizing
o. Office, storehouse and shop meth
DDS. II does not now and will not in
the future reduce the amount of pay
any employe will receive for a days
work, or increase the amount of work
he will have 70 do for a days pay. II
relates almost entirely 10 the Office
and supervisory functions Of the man
agement"
FEAR FOR FUTURE.
IF II does not affect the men in any
way why are the men objecting?"
asked the reporter.
Their objections" replied Colonel
Burr. "as far as can learn are based
entirely upon apprehension or fear
that the system or methods which We
are now introducing will lead TO some
thing which will be injurious 10 them
In reply to such objections / can only
say that the history of the ordnance
department as an employer OF labor
rmphatcally negatives any such
claim. II has always been fair and
just TO It's employees, paying the pre-
vailing wage Of the vicinity for equal
or shorter hours of work, giving its
employees benefits of vacation and
holiday pay for which they do no
work, largely in excess of anything
given outside OF government employ
ment. allows them generous disability
pay for injuries received while at
work, and provides them with clean
shops, properly lighted, and heated
and ventilated. The present chief OF
ordnance, General Crozier, has man
aged the department for the past ter
years and under his administration
many Of these privileges and benefits
for employees have been secured. II
IS not conceivable that this wise and
benehcent policy of the department
is suddenly 10 be reversed and some
thing is TO be done which will injuri
ously affect the employee"
NEW CARD SYSTEM.
81 understand the colonel was
asked, that a COM nittee is TO visi
you today in reference to some caro-
system which IL is claimed is to b,
introduced"
THE card 10 which you refer" re
piled Colonel Burr, lis merely tn,
usual job or time card used in al
manufacturing establishments in keep
ing account of time and cost. II sc
cures 20 this arsenal the same infoI
nation which is now secured by othe
cards and methods. nothing more o
less. The new card is TO be gradual
introduced because IL is simpler an,
more convenient for our purpose
than the present card and will secur
more correct information than at pres
emit An idea is prevalent among tn
men that this card is to be used Il
some scheme of setting a time limi
E,ha Inc l.