Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-07-23
FACTORY CASUALTIES.


/ trouble and the deductions therefrom
have been questioned. This 1ustihes
a repetition and amplitication of the
main facts and principles cited In the
! former paper.
Because 1t is officially recorded and
| accepted as evidence OF weakness In
! organizations on which the great ma
tions expect to rest the defense OF
their national life, We take 1t for
| granted that the statement that the
| shoe is the source OF general disa-
| bility from foot excavations In the
| shoe wearing armies Of the world
| amounting to at least 80 per cent VIII
be accepted as approximately correct.
Soldiers wear shoes chosen more Tor
| the purpose OF protection and comfort
! than for any consideration or appear
| ance. The civilian, on the other hano'
! especially II young and Inexperienced
| considers style and what others may
| think of his fOot-gear above every
/ thing else. Now, If selected physical
| specimens Of hardy, trained men using
! their best efforts to secure comfort
and efficiency experience 80 per cent
| disability from shoes so chosen. II Is
| not unreasonable to assume that even
a higher rate prevails among CIVIL
ians; and this Is undoubtedly the
chief reason why so few persons nave
the walking habit these days-they
cannot walk because their shoes VIII
not permit them to do SO III comfort.
That too is why so many fabby mus
cled, pasty faced men and women are
seen on our streets Such stock Is
tlmid and cowardly, and is easily
thrown into panic or disease, and Is
therefore logical source Of origin for
many social and industrial Ills.
The margin of safety in many indus
tries is the matter Of fraction or an
inch, and anything, whether 1t be an
| ear-ache, a tooth-aChe or foot-acne
that diverts the mind from the work
in hand tends to reduce the alertness
and general muscular control, and the
loss of so much as that fraction OF an
inch means inevitable mutilation.
Statistics covering accidents in fac
tories in Illinois for period of one
year show that between the hours or
8 and o'clock in the morning there
were 120 accidents, and this number
steadily and progressively increased
until in the hour between IL and IL,
noon, 257 accidents were recorded
Then between / and o'clock, after
noon, III accidents occurred, and the
number again increased progressively
! hour after hour until, between and
! o'clock, the maximum of 260 accidents
was reached This shows total OF
SIT accidents in the fatigued state as
against 231 accidents when approx
mately fresh. And carefully note the
difference between the first morning
hours and the first afternoon hours.
The difference between the early
morning hour and the early afternoon
hour is comparatively slight, but 1t Is
highly significant in that 1t points to
personal negligence on the part OF the
| operator between the hours OF p. IN.
| and 8 a. m. 1t brings the subject or
social conditions in the home to the
front, opens up the matter Of personal
hygiene, of sleeping quarters, Of hab'
its of food, drink, smoking and every.
| thing that takes place outside the fac
tory.
The writer frankly confesses that.
as the result of observations made ia
some twelve or more states, II he were
manufacturer, a banker or mer-
chant he would not employ any person
with pinched and sore feet to operate
any power machine capable of inJur'
ing the operator or fellow employe,
or to handle or account for any mate
rial sums of money, or to transact any
business requiring eXactness and ex.
ecutive ability. For it Is demonstrated
beyond the shade OF doubt that no
mind can consciously entertain two
impressions at the same time, and
therefore keen and sustained alertness
Is impossible to any individual under
physical irritation.
In the unity of materials, machinery
! and men that constitutes the modern
factory organization, the most impor.
tant factor is the men. Every concern
of any size has it's purchasing agents,
its inspectors and laboratories to eX-
anime and test incoming and outgoing
materials: It's machinists and invent
ors to keep the mechanical part to
standard of efficiency; but little at.
tention has been given the most fun
! damental of all the factors-the men.
Efficiency depends on close attention,
Imagination and the ability for quick
adjustment. Unexpected and suddenly
occurring complications demand in
slant decision without time for reilec.
/ ton. and herein the man under irrita.
ton becomes a source of danger to
himself and to his fellow employees.
for he is in a state where the element
of danger results In an emotional
wave which may produce a temporary
motor paralysis or overthrow of rea.
son
Multitudes are working longer than
their present condition iustifies, and
therefore beyond their capacity; and
the need of the multitudes is the effort
! ~ thp individual Dersonally to usa hiS