New-York tribune., 1919-09-04
The Employees Letter

The letter addressed to the Secretary Of
War by R. L. Cornick and James L. Nc
1ort, employees representatives on the ar
enal orders branch, follows:
Office of the Chief of Ordnance
Washington, Aug. q, 1919
Hon. Newton D. Baker, Secretary of War.
Sir: We, who are now in Washington
with the arsenal orders branch, repre-
senting the employees of the manufact-
uring arsenals of the ordnance depart
ment, have taken the liberty of preparing
this letter in the hope that we may ade-
quately convey to you and your asso-
ciates of the War Department interested
in the arsenals our sincere appreciation
of the opportunity for cooperation and
service in the highest sense Of the terms
which you have made possible We con-
slider that your liberal attitude toward
us in our endeavor to inaugurate a policy
which sought to further by worthy
means the interests Of the military estab-
Gshments, the government and the public
jointly with that of the employees has
rapidly borne most wholesome fruit.
Thus briefly, therefore, we take pleasure
in submitting to you the following evil
dence of the new spirit which is coming
into existence at the arsenals
Primarily the employees feel that your
self and General c. c. Williams are in
terest:ng yourselves in them in vital.
significant way, that is, concerning the
stability of their positions, rather than
IN paternalistic ways such as have been
tried with questionable results in SO
many instances during the past. They
realize that their status is now in the
process of change. They no longer feel
like mere employees, simply bent on hold
ing down job, quite apart from their
conception CT life, for no other purpose
than the earning of wages, the only crude
means available to them for securing the
necessarles and perhaps a little of the
better things CT life. They are beginning
to see that they ere on their way toward
becoming partners in q large enterprise:
that is, manufacturing useful things for
their government
1t has been very gratifying to US to note,
many times, that the necessity on the part
OF the men for economical production is
well understood. For instance, at Water
vliet Arsenal recently during the noon
day rallies which were being held the
appeals of the speakers, who were from
the workers. were for efficiency. At Water
town some of the men stated that, in the
interest OF the workers, their abilities were
limited when it came to funct;oning on
employees committees, handling grievances.
etc, for they said that that was not their
forte They did not feel able to confront
the management in sufficiently forceful
ways while prosecuting cases of such
nature But, they said, they clearly saw
their opportunity in the chances which
now existed for functionng on production
committees. Their abilities, they felt, Law in
that direction, and they most enthusiastic
cally welcomed the circumstances which
promised them these new opportunities for
selt-expresslon. At Frankford and Rock
Island instances have occurred where the
employees have got after" individuals who
have not been doing as we'll as they MIGHT
strlKihg instance of the splendid spirit
OF cooperation which automatically deyel
ops when the employees are given an in
centlve and chance for self-express;on
recently occurred at the Frankford Arsenal.
Ihe Postofficc Department was in the mar
Ket Tor large order of dials for registered
mail locks, for which it had previously paid
$40 a thousand. Frankford Arsenal sub
mitted an estimate Of s3s thousand, so
"hen the committee on estimates informed
the employees that they had figured very
closely in order that this work could be So