The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-26
REMINGTON co.
 BEGINS PROCESS
 OF ELIMINATION
Efficiency Experts Go Over Plant and Cut Unnecessary
 Departments.

A large corps of efficiency engineers
 is now busy in the Remington Arms
 U. M. c. factories in this city seek
 ing to produce an increased output of
 finished arms and ammunition with
 minimum expense.
 The first step to be taken in the
 retrenchment policy is said to have
 been the abolition of the large pri- vately paid fire fighting force which heretofore has operated as a dis tinct body like the municipal fire de- partments. Hereafter a volunteer corps will man the up-to-date engine equipment when needed. It is esu-
 mated that the change in policy will
 save about $32, ,50O per year.
 It is probable that within the week
 the large number of uniformed guards will be reduced materially, and many other departments, including the pub icity department, headed by John M. French, will pass out of existence. "Retrenchment" however is here after to be the slogan of the big fac tories not alone. from a financial sav- ing objective but that production may
 not be hampered by -top-heavy build ing operations and labor units.
 It has been found that in propor- ton to the output of arms and ann munition the number of men em- ployed is abnormal. In many depart
 ments weeks of schooling has shown that certain of the men employed are
 not capable of performing the specific
 duties for which they were employed with that degree of accuracy which would enable their work to pass the foreign government inspectors. This situation added to the necessity for larger shipments of finished arms and
 ammunition has led to a most careful inquiry directed by Marcellus Hartley Dodge in person.
 The result of this investigation be- came apparent last week when the Pary Construction Co.,, in charge of building operations factory build | ings, were notified to discontinue the work temporarily.
 High in the executive staffs of the two factories here the usefulness of certain departments and positions subsidiary to the executive heads was
 scrutinized. At the suggestion of
 John M. French, publicity manager, his department was eliminated and MT. French resigned from active work 1 in Bridgeport, his resignation to take effect July 1. His services probably will be retained in the New York of fees. The number of assistant superinten- dents in the Arms factory is said to l have been reduced materially, as was l the big staff of foremen. In the em- ployment, more good men are sought than ever before but it is unlikely that mere assertion Of capabtl1ty will 1 be accepted. Tests will be given the | men seeking employment, that the 1 long waits in confirming recommends tions may be done away with. It is said that hereafter the great majority of work to be turned out l in the factories will be upon a piece work basis with no limit to produc- tion and payment in accordance with
 superior ability. The main thought | in future is to be retrenchment of
 numbers until the departments now
 in operation may be judiciously ex- | tended, and the employment of the
 most expert help that can be procured 1 throughout this and other countries. 1 When production to capacity of the present plant is assured, the contem- | plated additions will be continued. l Along these lines the company is 1 storing hundreds of carloads of ma chinery in the old Handy & Harman 1 factory on John street, which will
 not be installed until full capacity of | present machinery is reached
 Upon good authority it is asserted i that the large army of uniformed guards will be materially reduced. It 1 is estimated that the present cost of | maintaining the uniformed guard is
 more than $6.0o0 per week or $316,- 900 annually, approximately one l third of a million dollars.
 1 In the, search for the most able i intuition experts in the country,
 Louis Hall has been elevated in posi- ton, and Jarvis Williams has been
 made works production manager of l inc M c nlanf