Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-14
ENDORSEMENT BY
U. S. WILL HELP
Big Manufacturers Seek Aid in
Forcing Taylor System
Upon Employees
SAYS TAVENNER IN DEBATE
Extract From Records Shows Debate
Over the Matter Before Con-
grescionaI Committee.

] tive Clyde II. Tayenner is endeavOring
to have the bill prohibiting the use in
! government arsenals of the stop watch
and other Objectionable features of the
Taylor system of scientific shop man
agement" passed by the present con
gress.
The first necessary step to this end
is to have the bill reported to the
house from the committee on labor,
which was done July 10. General
Crozier, chief of ordinance of the war
department, is averse to the passage
of such a bill, and appeared before
the labor committee three times in
opposition to it.
Tavenner's argument before the
committee as to why the bill should
be reported was as follows:
Mr.. Tavenner. Mr.. Chairman, l hope
this committee will see it's way to re-
port this bill, because / fear that if it
is not enacted into law the Taylor sys-
tenn will eventually be installed in
the arsenal at Rock Island, Ill, which
is in the district l represent.
Now, as to the point raised by Mr..
Smith as to the necessity for introduc-
ing this system, l wish to say that
there is not any necessity whatever,
for the reason that the men at the
Rock Island arsenal and in all the
rest of the government arsenals are
now efficient, as shown by the fact
that they are producing ammunition
and other supplies used by the war
department all the way from 20 to 60
per cent below the lowest prices
charged by the private manufacturers.
Mr.. Smith. Why was it introduced;
for what purpose?
Sees the Inspiration.
Mr. Tavenner: l have been study
ing this thing and working on it for
a year or more. l think the inspir-
alton behind the Introduction oe this
system in the government arsenals is
that the big manufacturers want this
system in the government arsenals so
that when their employees protest
against the installation of the system
in their plants they will be in the
strategic position of being able to say
that this system is Endorsed by the
United States government and if it
was an inhuman and bad system, if
it was not all right, Uncle Sam would
not put his official stamp of approval
on it by introducing it in the govern
ment arsenals.
This system was first installed in
two of the concerns which do most
of the manufacturing for the United
States government-the Midvale Steel
company and the Bethlehem Steel
company. To show the difference in
cost, the men working in the govern
- oil
for s175 for which the private con-
tractors are charging the government
S3O6.
The Chairman. Have you any in
formation that will show the labor
cost element in both those prices or
the hours-of-labor element?
Mr. Tavenner. No: / have not that
right here, but l believe
The Chairman Gnterposing). Is |
there any information by which the |
work done by the government en-
pl Dyes in the arsenals can be compared |
to the work done by the employees in |
a private plant? Is there a unit by |
which the comparison may be made?
Mr. Tavenner. Since the Taylor
system is in use in both places, think
you could obtain statistics. l know
General Crozier has statistics showing
every element of cost in the manufac-
ure of these things in the arsenal,
here the Taylor system is in use,
md as the Taylor system is in use at
he Midvale Steel company's works,
think they might be able to give
-ou their figures
Mr.. Nolan. Which they would not
,e likely to give to the government.
Pays Handsome Profit.
Mr. Tayenner. / do not presume
hey would. We are manufacturing in
he government arsenals a 3.S-inch
COMMON shrapnel, without fuses, for
'794. for which we pay private manu-
acturers $3.50. This is not an excep-
ION, but the general rule. For in
tance, on a contract
The Chairman (interposing). Does
hat represent, Mr.. Taven-er, proper
llowance for factory expense and over
ead charge?
Mr.. Tavenner Yes.
The Chairman. Those figures rep
esent the total cost?
Mr.. Tavenner. They allow Is per
ent to cover interest on the invest {
lthb, utpl CSldtiOAis pdy VA OillCCIS, anu
IL other overhead charges. |,
Mr.. Nolan. What are you reading =,
rom?
Mr.. Tavenner / am reading from a I
able prepared by Colonel Montgomery, |
Z the frankfort arsenal at Philadel- q
hia. On an order of approximately t
., 900, 900 worth of ammunition manu- I
acturcd by the government itself at {
rankford arsenal. the government I
aved approximately s1.0O0.0O0; that c
J. s1,000,0o0 on a $2.000.000 order. |
his comparison is based upon the low a
st prices that the private concerns I
yer did the work for l do not think
lere is any necessity whatever of e
taking the men in the arsenals work 4
ill faster than they are now working. d
Mr. Nolan. Will you let US know g
her that report was filed?
Mr.. Tavenner. Within the last year. Il
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