Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1918-06-14
STACKING" IN
PACIFIC SH|PYARDS

SlNtu put INV ioiio" iiiS ''"'N'4N - \
relative to the allegation that ship
building workmen are falling down
on the job
My. attention has been called to
speeches alleged to have been made
by Captain w. H. Stayton. L. S. N.
retired. representing the Navy league
at various meetings of commercial
bodies, in which he is quoted as say
ing that a man could drive four thou
sand rivets day, but labor unions
fix IS as a days work, and further
that If these men cannot be per-
suaded to do better or be forced to
speed up through public sentiment
and other means, then they ought to
be stood up against wall and shot
l have also been informed that num-
bers of people throughout the coun-
try in public and private speech have
been asserting that on the Pacific
coast men capable of driving 500 to
500 rivets per day are prescribed by
labor bosses to 60 as days work;
that workmen by the same authority
are restricted to boring 60 holes per
day in wooden ships; and that cauik-
ers were limiting their work to 100
feet of caulking a day.
I'm view of the seriousness of
these allegations. directed an inves-
tigation to be made on the Pacific
coast, which is more completely
unionized than any other shipbuild-
ing section of the country, assigning
James l.. Hughes, formerly assistant
commissioner of immigration at Phil
adelphia and at present an assistant
in the employment service of the de-
partment, to make the survey. / am
in receipt of the Geographic reports
which would indicate that there is
no justification for the statements
that labor is falling down on the job.
These facts, gathered as result
of scientific investigation, demon
strate the patriotism and efficiency
of the men engaged in shipbuilding
operations and need no further COM
ment from me"
Along the same lines is a report
of Meyer Bloomfield. head of indus
trial service department, Emergency
Fleet Corporation:
AS l have already reported to Mr..
Hurley. the most inspiring fact on
the entire trip ia the spirit of labor
on the west coast. Nothing impressed
me more than the serious grip on the
war situation which officials of the
Shipyard trades show.
In every city on the west coast 1t
was my privilege to have a number
of conferences with these officials, in
body and individually. / wanted
to learn from them how things were,
what problems and conditions, what
situations which needed attention.;
wanted, in short, to get their sugges-
lions and criticisms. They feel deep
~ the tragic shortage of ships and
the supreme Importance of speeding
up the shipbuildfng program. At
yard and other meetings which I
happened to address, workmen told
me of sons and kin of theirs fighting
on the western front. With them.
there was blood-reason as wen as
a patriotic motive for their exertions.
Several items of interest may be
mentioned In yard after yard where
l examined the rfvet records, found
an Improvement in the number OF
rivets driven now as compared with
two or three months back. The ex-
PLANTATION is to be found in the fact
that the work of the shipping board
wage adjustment board has stabilize
wages; the work of local examiner
representing this board effects quit h
decisions of disputes without involv-
ing waste OF time; and the passing
of the weeks has brought about in
creasing proficiency on the part of
the many new workers who have had
to be engaged to man the enormous
ly expanded industry.
There is an improvement on the
part of the yards in the methods OF
hiring men. In the northwest, a
real labor exchange system is devel-
oping along the lines of the excellent
British system which has been SO
helpful in this war. Shipbuilders In
Seattle testify that the labor turn
over in the yards, that is, the coming
and going of men with all the waste
that this entails, not only for the
bread-winner, but for the production
program, has greatly been reduced
since the general use of the federal
employment Office for recruiting ship
yard labor. This war has taught us,
among other things. that the assets
which every worker represent must
be carefully husbanded. Nothing
can be worse at any time, and partic-
ularly at this time, than chaotic
system of employ ment. SO the CEN
Trailing Of employment, and the or
'ganization of the labor market. is
proceeding rapidly on the Pacific
coast
Why do the best managed yards
get the best men? Why are the most
skilled tradesmen attracted to the
best equipped yards? 1t is sometimes
remarked by careless people that
men are naturally lazy and seek soft
berths. Well. here is a striking fact
in the west coast yards, and it must
be true of other places and indus
rincs Nnnd man vyi11 NIT stow lon q