Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-13
OUTLINES PLAN
TO KEEP LABOR
Colonel E. Tyden Gives RecOmmen-
datiOns On Arsenal Situation
Before Leaving Service.

Colonel E. Tyden, who came to
Rock Island arsenal as factory man
ager at the time the late Colonel
/. T. Hillman was appointed COM
mandant, has been mustered out of
service and has returned to his
home at Chicago. Colonel Tyden,
former Moliner, was q prominent
man of Chicago before entering the
service. In early days ne was en-
ployed in the old Johannes Peter
son organ plant, Seventh street and
Fourth avenue, where he rose to be
foreman before leaving this field.
Before retiring from the service
Colonel Tyden recommended that
immediate steps be taken to make
such changes in the arsenal plant
as will enable the authorities to
take care OF surplus labor.
The reason 1 suggest that this
work be taken up immediately is on
account Of the surplus labor that
should be used at least this win
ter" said Colonel Tyden.
Il believe the government is duty
bound to make this provision, mas
much as it is expecting commercial
concerns to do the same thing.
thing.
III my understanding is correct,
this arsenal is to be made exclusive
y an artillery center, therefore
preparations should be started i'm
medlately to carr out whatever
program is contemplated.
las l have suggested before, in
81
tor 155 howitzer, Al and 77-mm.
American, more room is necessary
than is now available in the ma
chine shops | would, therefore,
recommend that all sheet metal
work be moved over to the equip
ment shop from the old machine
shop, as with the harness shop
moving away a considerable part
of the equipment shop items will
cease to be manufactured. Prepar-
ations should then be made in shop
I, where the sheet metal work has
been, for the installation of machin-
cry. which, l understand, is going
to be shipped here from outside
plants for the manufacture of the
155 howitzer carriage.
4 would further recommend that
all material and machinery should
be moved out of the harness shop
as soon as possible and make that
ready for light recuperators such
as the puteaux. 77-mm.. 1916 model
and other small works which the
construction Of this building will
accommodate.
THE new field and siege build
fvr Oh Nj In
to. handle 155 hoWitzer. tank and
tractor works, which require con-
siderable crane capacity, and in or
der to get full value Of the heavy
construction, heavier work should
be allotted to this building. By
adopting these plans a saving n ad-
ditiOnal buildings of over S2,0OC,O0O
would be accomplished.
The steel storage building,
which is now being completed, L
would use temporarily at least for
storing machine tools on account
of the crane facilities, which makes
it very handy to load and unload
heavy tools. | have, therefore, in
structed the receiving department
not to put any castings or other
material OF like nature in this
building until further instructions
from the commanding officer.
The recommendation of using
shop NJ for the tank and tractor
works is made in view of the fact
that it might be hard to get any
further appropriations for new
buildings, and this building is of
such size and construction that it
cau very readily he eouipDed for
this work"