The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-06-29

Will having leu duIOCIdCy duu
dominated the board for some
years. Many of us may not agree
with Mr.. Brewer in all things but
he's a man who can deliver the
goods without noise or Mysteries.
But back to this habit of Du-
luth's Big Men Of taking to their
arms some plausible stranger and
overlooking some modest, capable,
efficient, worthy man who has iv-
ed here for years and made good.
Let me mention the case of a
young mechanical and electrical
engineer who came out here from
Boston a few years ago. He had
self esteem and even gall enough
to supply half a dozen men. He
read papers before the engineer
ing organizations and even the
Commercial Club. He put up such
a front that the engineers made
him president of their association.
One day he told all Of us how
Duluth was letting 100000 a
year 60 up in smoke, through ig-
norance in burning coal economi-
cally and efficiently. He limited
that we western engineers. did not
know much about fuel combus-
ton and all the collateral prob.
lens.
It so happens that Duluth has
some very able engineers, even in
the matter of utilizing fuel and
making steam to advantage. Some
of them plucked up courage to ask
this phenomenal boy engineer
what his remedy was for the
woful waste of steam fuel in Du-
luth.
The importation from Boston,
who was employed by the North
ern Power Co., then began to
wobble, gasp for air and to reply
in glittering generalities. He said
that there were many appliances
and systems for fuel saving, some
better than others and some more
expensive than others.
Local engineers at last were
shown the clay feet Of their brazen
idol and, with quiet smiles, they
dropped him and went about
their business in their own mod
est, efficient way.
1t was not long before the boy
phenomenon began to "skid' and
he eventually skidded out of the
employ for the Northern Power
Co. He eventually refrigerated to
Park Point, with other Has-beens
and Alsorans. He was there only
a few months when he skidded out
of that humble position and
sneaked back to Boston, where
beans stand higher in public esti-
nation than brains.
I have no desire to hamper the
importation from Minneapolis in
his work as business manager Of
the board of education. So long
as he has been hired, we should
get every pound Of service out Of
him that we possibly can. But
any sensible man knows that he
will get a good training and then,
probably, have. a call to a bigger
and better field.
For one, I believe that Charles
A. Bronson and a committee from
the school board could and should
have been given a chance to DELHI
erately and carefully work out a
system for a better administration
of the boards business. 1t was a
matter too important to spring
suddenly, practically without the
knowledge Of some Of the direc-
tors, and then to bulldoze it
through at one meeting.
If these methods prevail with
the school board, what incentive
is there for faithful and compe-
tent employe to make good?
While Mr.. Bronson was not the
only man in Duluth able and will
ing to take the new position, he
will be called on to educate and
make efficient the man from Min
neapolis. A stranger is brought
here quite hastily and put into a
responsible position, with no
knowledge Of local system and
conditions, at a salary higher than
that Of a man who has efficiently
and faithfully served the board for
about twenty years and who rare
ly, if ever, has made an error. In
addition to that, he knows the sys-
TEN and conditions in all their
ramifications and details. In my
humble opinion, too, there are
other men who live here. own