The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-11-25

For the first time since February Of
1915 the big plant of the Nash Motors
company closed down on Saturday
night and between two thousand and
twenty-five hundred people who have
been employed at the company were
laid off. The announcement of the
company was that the period Of un-
employment for the men would be in
the neighborhood of two weeks while
the annual inventory of the company
is taken and while plans are carried
out for changing over the power with
which the plant is operated. 1t is not
expected that all Of the people who
have been employed at the plant will
return to work A large number of
them, people who do not make their
home in Kenosha, are reported to have
left Kenosha on Saturday night and
Sunday and it was understood that these
people were informed that it would be
the policy of the company on the re-
sumption of operations to give prefer
ence to Kenosha home people in making
up the list of employees of the company.
First Inventory in Two Years.
This is the first inventory to be
made by the company in two years
and it was said that two weeks would
be required for the large work of tax
ing stock. For months the work on
changing over the power plant of the
company has been going forward and
with view of making the term of UNI
employment as short as possible the
officials of the company decided that
the final connecting up Of the new
power should be completed during the
inventory period so that when opera
tions are resumed there will not be
the necessity of another shut down of
all portions of the factory. Only
few men in few departments remain
ed at work. These departments were
behind in their work and it is ex-
pected that they will get through with
the necessary work within the next
few days and they will be laid off
along with the men and women who
went out on Saturday night.
See No Cause for Alarm.
While admitting that the autuomo-
bile business is not overly brisk at
this time, officials of the company who
were interviewed on Sunday, declared
that they saw no cause for alarm and
that it was certain that the plant
would start up again in very short
time with a very large force of work
ers, but it was admitted that the force
might be slightly reduced when oper
tions are resumed again. In 1918 the
plant shut down in February for one
week and this was the only period of
employment for the Nash force
since the day that the company took
over the Jeffery plant and began to
build it larger.
Take Back All Men Possible.
"The factory shut down for inven-
tory on Saturday night declared w.
H. Afford, vice president of the com
pany Everybody with the exception
of a few men in few departments
where the work was behind, were laid
off. We are going to take back all the
people we can, but we felt that that
we did not want the men to lose two
weeks of work if they could find it at
some other place, either in Kenosha or
omewhere else. Our idea now is that
we will take back practically all of
the people who were laid off, but it is
admitted that the automobile business
is not very rushing at the present
time and of course we must limit en-
pigment to the demands of the BUSH
ness. The work of changing over our
power plant and the bringing in of
new high tension wires, has reached