The Topeka state journal., 1916-12-28
f. w. Thomas of Topeka Ex-
plains Santa Fe's Plan.
Head OF Local Apprentice
School Tells New York.
WORK IN The Topeka SHOPS
Keep Employees for the Rest O
Their Lives.
Army First Generated by
"LOrd" John Purcell Here.

An explanation of how the Santa Fe
manages to keep recruiting its forces
for the army OF 1000 men in the shops
at Topeka, was given in a recent ad-
dress by F. W. Thomas. supervisor of
apprentices at Topeka. before the New
York Railroad club. : system of
training has been instituted at the To-
peka shops, which makes expert, COM
petent mechanics, of boys who have
finished grammar or high school. and
fits them for highly paid positions
A feature of the system is the fact
that the Santa Fe plans, when il ad-
mits a boy to apprenticeship in its
shops, to keep him as an employe for
the remainder of his life, and to offer
him a field of advancement limited
only by his ability and qualifications.
The Shoplnen are not permitted to
import outside experts for their work
and their positions of responsibility.
The leaders in the shop work are pro-
NOTED from the ranks of the men who
have served their apprenticeship, and
have become members of the Santa Fe
ia mily.
Every day at a desk in the motive
power building adjoining the shops,
one or more young and unframed men
appear, to sign their indenture papers
and enter the services of company
which hopes to keep them as long as
they live, and which, thru it's sick
benefit, hospital association, insurance
and pension schemes, becomes their
guardian.
Thomas's Address.
Mr.. Thomas told the New York rail-
road men. in part: THE training of
young men for positions of response
bility involves two considerations; the
foundation upon which to build and
the material with which you are to
build. The solution of both of these
by the Santa Fe railway -equires
little explanation of the preparation
of the raw material from which we
may seIect the stones for the building.
Our apprentice system was organ
lied nine years ago and developed
along the lines promulgated by G. M
Basford, a prominent engineer. We
do not claim the credit of having orig
mated the scheme. We do, however
claim the honor OF having put his
scheme into practical effect, ste d.
ing by the scheme and backing it up
a sufficient length of time until the
infant could stand alone. and today We
are reaping some interesting results,
some invaluable results, some results
you cannot measure in dollars and
cents.
Purcell Started It.
! "Our present apprentice syst m was
really given its birth about Is years
ago by John Purcell then located at
Fort Madison, Ia, in the capacity of
master mechanic. Denied the oppor-
tunity of higher education in his
youth and feeling the necessity of me-
ohanics in the shop l-aving a working
knowledge of mechanical and free
hand drawing, from his own pocket he
provided for an instructor and fur
nished drawing instruments, station
cry and other equipment free to the
apprentices in the shops at Fort
Madison. And years afterward. when
the question of establishing an ad-
vanced system of training and in
structing apprentices was being con-
sidered, he Immediately approved the
scheme and devoted a great deal of
his time and his wonderful organizing
ability to furthering the project.
Briefly. our scheme for training
young boys for our shops is as fol-
! lows: We take a boy who has COM
pleted grammar school or better, ex-
anime him as to his mental makeup.
A series of simple arithmetica1 prob
t lens. coupled with the manner of fill
ing out his formal application blank
and a personal interview give us some
idea of the boys accuracy, industry
and alertness He then goes out in the
shop to run the gauntlet of our shop
instructors. They find out why he
wants to be a machinist instead of q
lawyer. or boi1ermaker instead of
an editor or preacher: IL some
friend or parent simply sent him to us
on account of the good wages paid
mechanics. or il he is making appli-
cation simply because his father was
a machinist. We want to find out as
much as possible about the boy from
the boy himself. We do not ask or
demand any letters of reference.
Medical Examination.
I'VE do, however, strongly endeavor
to get boys of good, honest parent
age. If he passes the shop instructors
he next goes to our surgeons and pass
es an examination similar to what
one must pass in applying for life in
surance- We are taking these young
fellows into our service for life, and
with our hospital system, our pension