The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-26
WATT 4. PICKER
FROM ARMY RANKS
Or Personnel Bureau Can Supply
Anybody From Diver to Dog



Anybody From Diver TO Dog
Man
tFrom the Stars and Stripes.)
Request names" read the new
man in the personnel office of the Gem
trial Records ONCE, request names OF
Ave men each with qualifications for
the following occupations: pickler-
good grief, what's a picker din
ing car conductor-holy mackerel!-
pigeon fancier-great sacred cats.--
detective. mucker, inside troubleMan,
outside troubleman. motion picture
scene builder, epi-epi- epidemiolgist-
wot the"
Say" he accosted TIE sergeant-ma-
jor. there's a general. or somebody.
ltryin' to kid us. Look at all these
phoney Jobs he wants US to Nil. What
does he think we are, anyhow, sup
ply station for a side show"
The sergeant major over the list.
| why. there nothing unusual about
this. A pickler's a man who cleans
metals by acid. They want the din
ing car conductor to take care of the
eats somewhere. The pigeon fancicr
is to train carrier pigeonA The
detectives probably for NJ. P. duty.
A mucker is for mining or quarry
4 ing. These troublemen that are wor-
rying you are telephone repair men.
They want the motion picture scene
builders for camounage work An
epidemiologist is medical man ex-
perienced in infectious diseases. Sure.
/ guess we can supply all those all
right"
In the government index OF occu-
pations which are necessary for the
| smooth operation OF the army are
listed 7o4 occupations, while interpre-
/ he NV ~
Der Of tongues spoken by the human
race. The American melting pot has
served not only to absorb all races.
/ but, att the. same time has absorbed
i practically every known occupation
to such an extent that it has been
possible to balance the army machine
Thoroughly in every department. and
this fact has contributed greatly TO
the efficient method. shown through
out Americas part in the war.
The oiden days when the small town
blacksmith played the part of the
! company barber and the man who
worked with pick and shovel was APP
pointed tailor for the outfit are now
but memories. through the scientific
methods which are adopted while the
A, EFF. was still in its childhood. When
American first came into the war
game it mustered most of its avail
able men to the colors, as France
and Great Britain had done before.
regardless of the need which was
sure to come later for distribution of
man power according to the occupa-
tons which had been followed by the
men In civil life and which cores
, pond to some extent with a like need
, in the army.
1 When 1t found, as had France and
Great Britain, a need for greater man
power in the more technical parts
OF the army machine II promptly or
ganized itself vocationally in scien-
tif1c and business-like manner. To
achieve this result. the personnel bu-
reau, attached to the Central Records
once was organized on May 20, 1918.
and later confirmed in G. O. 100. June
co. 1918.
The duties Of this new department
were enumerated so as to include
everything which might be Of use in
determining the value of soldier
! 10 the service, including family his
tory from the date Of birth until the
time when the soldier Joined the army
This record, necessarily. includes
everything regarding the past voca-
tional history of the soldier. showing
, the work a which he was best fitted.
as we'll as secondary and tertiary oc-
/ equations. and even occupations,
| which, although not obviously neces-
sary to the army. might at some time
prove valuable for the service
Following the organization of the
personnel bureau, the entire A. f. f.
was secured for availible material for
specialized work. This resulted in
the finding OF mass OF material such
as had never been suspected and
thousands OF men. who otherwise
would have remained buried in or.
, CARNATIONS in which they would have
been unable to put their expert quail
f1cations a the service Of the govern
ment. were found and placed where
they could realize 100 per cent EN-
: cheney. Most organizations Of the A.
f. F.. have used the system to such
advantage that the~ now resemble well
built watches, with the work OF the
personnel bureau as the balance
wheel
Whereas, in the past. armies have
been considered as 80 many lighting
and supply uuits, the individual ID now
taken and weighed and his true worth
is learned through the vocational work
OF the department organized for this
| purpose. This has been demonstrated
time after time when soldiers were
, taken from the front or from s. q. s.
ing nothing more than comes to the
common lot of a soldier, and given .
chance. not only to keep in touch with
their pre-war training, but also to give
their greatest efforts toward the sue
cessful termination Of the war. In
many cases the individual has made
good to such an extent that he has
been recognized ~ exceptional ma
terial and commissioned. q promotion
I mi -
probable under the old system.
! Here, for instance. are a few re-
. quests which have been received in
a few days by the personnel bureau
| and which are typical:
4 Send names Of twenty men with
experience AZ cashier or treasurer Of
industrial or banking institutions"
i "One hundred men whose special
occupation in the records As athletic
! director playground director, or ath-
n