The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-11-14
Is a Matter That is Exercis-
ing the Attention of the
Government Officials
at Washington.
SHOULD STICK TO JOBS
If They Would Do So the Call for Add
tional Help In the Manufacture Of
War Materials Would Be
Greatly Lessened.

According to Regional Advisor Aug
ust HI. Vogel, Of Region No. IL, War
Resources Committee, Milwaukee, one
Of the big problems confronting gov
eminent officials at Washington at the
present time, says Conrad Shearer sec
rotary of the Kenosha Manufacturers
association, is the immense turnover
Of labor in war industry plants. There
is no question but what it is proving a
big factor in the delay of war mate
rails and is the chief reason for the
transfer of labor from one section of
the country to another. If workers
would stick to their jobs the call for
additional help would be considerably
diminished.
Chairman B. M. Barpch, Of the War
Industries Board, in a recent letter
stated:
8The inauguration of the United
States Employment Service, as a
branch of the Labor Department, does
not relieve the employer Of the re-
sponsibility of keeping his own house
in order. IF the government assists in
finding men, it lies with the employer
to do his part in putting his employ
ment on scientific basis. 1t will Ger
tainly be no recommendation for an
employer in the eyes of the local en-
ployment board, if he admits that he
still continues the Anticipated hiring
and-fring process, or that he has high
partment charged with the response
bility for maintaining proper working
Conditions. Industrial experience
proves that employment problems can
best be solved by having separate
organization in factory prepared and
equipped to deal with questions of per-
sonnet by themselves. The prompt dis
Hcovery and analysis of unfavorable
working conditions can only be made
by a central employment bureau
To aid in remedying the evil, the
employment management section Of the
War Industries Board is operating
training courses, to which any concern
doing war work directly or Indirectly
can send its employment manager for
a review of the whole subject, and have
him returned to them much more com
petent to handle the situation. The
chairman of this section is Mr.. James
Inglis, Of the War Industries Board.
The management of the courses is In
the hands of Captain Boyd Fisher, III
Thirteenth street, N. W., Washington,
ID. G. Any communication in regard to
the subject should be addressed to
Captain. Fisher A number of corpora
tions who have introduced this system
have met with very gratifying success,
reducing their yearly turnover from
over 200 per cent to as low as SO per
cent
It has been suggested that shop com
mittees be appointed to cooperate with
the employment manager, such commit
tee to assume the entire responsibility
for shop conditions.
Locally the matter has been put up
to the chairman and secretary of sub
section No. 10 of the War Resources
Committee by Chairman Vogel. Sec
retary Conrad Shearer has addressed
a strong letter on the subject to all
war industry plants in the city and is
receiving very satisfactory responses.
One Of the leading manufacturers in
letter to the secretary says: No
factory is any better off by encourag-
ING the shiftlessness of the large mum
Der of men who are continuously NOV
ing from one plant to another. We
are no better off in the end so far as
the aggregate number of employees
working for US is concerned. On the.
other hand, we are very much worse
off, because we are up against the prop
osition of these men continuously shift
ing from one occupation to another,
and every manufacturer knows that a
new employee is not worth his salt for
the first two or three weeks.
Some of the local plants have de-
voted considerable attention to the
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