Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-01

4
Tbs sounds like a sentimental notion,
but is NJ When the var broke out,
men and women Of all kinds snd condi-
tions fockcd 10 Washington % get
into war work. Many Of them lOst
| money on the chaDpe and they knew
| they would But they had a sense ~
being part u the big machine, Of having
2 share 10 tho blk achievement. That
| Is something VIC al crave
There Was a factory manager m Ver-
mont Inst winter he has NOW gone n,
| Canada concern who recognized this
| huin8D craving for share in what II
| going forward, and saw how he could
use " 10 hi8 advantage he said too
that there are two things man wants
| # responsibility, and chance To ex-
| ereise his creative faculties. These tvD
| things, be says, the average workman
is stypidly denied. A foreman stands
over bin To see that be does big work
| Or else hc Is paid by the piece.
ihu5 no responsibility ~ placed upon
hifn for tho amount Of work that Il
done 10 the factory. And likewise
the way the thing is done Is planned by
the brains higher up" Engineers have
worked out everything ~ the last detail,
and the workman IS asked for no sBgges-
tlons. In most factories II would be con-
sidered ridiculous or an impertinence for
him 10 offer any suggestions.
PIT UP TO MgH,
This observing factory ma na7er
changed these things. Tie put II Up % the
men themselves how much they should do.
he showed them his cost sheets and his
production charts, and explained 70
them his problem ~ prJ6t-naking. m
then divided HE working force into groups
| and lct them compete with each other in
production
IN this way he substituted responsible
/ ty for lrrceponslbilify
iIc also encouraged What he called
the creative mind of man re pit 3
/ premium on uIggestious Any man WIN
/ had an idea AZ - how : process 0r y
/ machine might b. improved, could get
| hearing and z try-gut for his idea
This manager claimed that his MOTIVE
/ IN running hrs factory On fhcsc lines was e
/ purely rnercenary one. IFc sad that II
/ the men were given = share n the re-
/ sponsibility for the work. and IN ihc
| creative part of Il, they were willing w.
! work for less money, and work better.
| II Is not q matter of record that he actuallv
! reduced wages much, but II Is q msttcr III
record that he got more work done for
the money he spent than other factor
managers and that he practically elinninst-
ed tho factor 0f labor unrest
Then, too he claims 10 have discovered
among his w0rkmen tot II brains that
might nave otherwise remained undis-
covered Here again, orr man Lorranger
s Illuminating He invented sornething
that was needed and that no engineer
had ever thought Of lnventing.
4 dolly-bar, you must know. s The
| heavy solid iron bar that is held against
one end Of 4 rlvet while the stearn-hanner
hits the other end Il is held in place bv "A
workman, who must have great strength
and endurance, for every blow II the
hammer qulvers up and down the muscles
Of bis arm until toward the end Of the dav
he can scarcely bear to hold that heavy,
! unyieding iron bar against the cease
less punishment Of the trip hammer.
Occasionally the bar slips and then =
rivet must be bored out and driven over.
4 dolly bar extra haskln. Roberts cc
Naturally, the man who held the dolly
bar would he the one to appreciate the
need Of something better than that solid
mass 81 iron. An engineer would scaroesv
think ol il.
BELD THE noLLT-RARs.
Joe LorTanger had held dollv-oars.
And having some little time ana energy
70 spare at the South Boston supply Base
be went 70 work and made a shock
absorbing dOlly-bar. 1t ls n hollow sleeve
IN which there works phInger backed BY
springs. In tbs way he converted the
dollY-bar from heavy, inert mass Of
metal to thing OF almost living responsive
nesa-a thing that would absorb the
shock Of the blows and at the same time
automatically hold It's position against
the rivet
I.orranger made two Of these things
with MS own hands, and they are 50
successful that the workmen 6ght as TO
who shall use them.
How many other work men might invent
things il they had the chance-the time
aud the encouragement? 1t is hard 70 say.
Bus no one knows machine ike a man
who works over It.
This idea OF giving the workman more
OF 4 share IN his wors-more responsi-
bIl.ty and more say lis cropping up in
q good many progressive factories, ac-
cordng to the men VINO travel around Tor
the Labor Department.
This docsn mean that the working
man + gong to be offered some such IN
tangible thing as d share IN the work in
place of money. He can eat responsl-
6ilty, nor yet creat.veness. But the iliea
seems 10 be that this new method, as dem
0nstrated IN lew cases, actually make
she man worth rnOre--lncreases his pro-
CuetIvenesS and a. the same time breeds "a
better understanding between the shop and
the Office The Labor Department expects
these factors 70 help a lot IN the coming
readIuStment.