The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-11-23

questions and answers he had receive various plants throughout the countr program was furnished in the questi Bloomfield's address. Slips of paper ence on which the foremen wrote C
 O-What is the best way to ex plain to the men under him the present condition in regard to high cost of living and the cut of wages so as to keep the men satisfied.
 A-That is the big job of the inn mediate future. That implies the question, Do I believe wages are going to be cut everywhere?" ?" l have talked with great many nanufac- turers recently in industries pretty hard hit for example, the textile in dustry in Massachusetts. I have just come from the middle west. l ind no employer, unless he absolutely has to, is going to cut wages unless there is a sufficient drop in the cost of living to make it not too great hardship for his men. If he is faced With the blank alternative of reducing costs or shutting down, the men will have every industry will cut. First, they are going to squeeze out the lnefh- cient and take up the slack and see if men won't produce better.
 There is still the question of the cut the management can't get away from. My suggestion would be, 1t isn't up to the foreman. It is up to the management to make a most careful statement of policy and ex- planation for the cut, and give that in great detail to the foremen group and get it to the men. If the cards are on the table, there is no argu- ment. There is no argument about the present great losses that have taken place. Profits have been dwindling for a year and haf. In ventories have gone to pot. saw plants in Akron with nine months supply of ties. There has got to be a liquidation financial, physical and human.
 That question is up to the manage ment. It needs brains and frankness to put that across.
 Q-How ought a foreman advise on reducing working force at a time like this?
 A-Here again it is a question of necessity. If faced with curtail- ment YOU want to keep your best men, your steadiest men. Your home-owners and family men are here to stay. If they are making good, you are going to hold onto l these men. F'oremen can't adVlse | the management unless the foremen | Or his co-workers in the production department have a fair and trust worthy record of what each man ia capable of doing. A foreman Or any i executive who goes by impressions or prejudices or by lodge affiliations oI any reasons other than impartial rec | ords of a mans work is hurting the relationship of his organization. The l best way a foreman can advise in the | iayoff is to go to the records that | have cut out the personal equation and treat every man alike on hls merits based on good conduct" at | tendance and following orders intelli- gently and work turned out. cJ,a 111I I, he a n | foremen if very well paid and treat ed himself when required by his em- ployers to carry out policies that are shortsighted and unfair to the work men
 A-F'irst be sure he knows more than the management before he comes to that conclusion. It may be that the management is not so shortsight- l ed and unfair he thinks. It may l be also that the foreman being near CT is in a better position to judge that a certain line of conduct would Work unfairness and bad spirit. The first duty is not to judge the man | agement but to try to understa nd what the management is trying tC do Ask questions if he can. In 2 good organization the general super intendent has such sive-and-takt kt relationship with the foremen tha he can ask the foremen how about this that policy If I were presi dent of a company, I wouldn't eXpec my policies to be carried out effec lively unless I could sell my proposi ton to my own foremen.
 i Q-Should foremen train men un der them to help them get bette jobs, when it means he will have t' Gill the places with lower grade me: who will hurt showing of his depart Inent?
 A-If you have the reputation tha men develop under you, you will ge the cream of the labor market an | I,
 reputation that no man can groS under you and no man can be allow ed to use his brains under you; an that any man who is suspected 0 wanting to develop is suspected a the same time of trying to get tn foreman's job away from him, tha
 organization is going to get tn leavings and scraps of the labor mar ket.
 Q-What do you think of the valu of job analysis?
 A-That sounds highbrow Ther
 are a whole lot of things about a io , if you can get them down in blac : and white will save time. Job andy , ter and to instruct him more quick ly It is an X-day Or fingerprir
 of the job
 Q-How is it possible to keep pro . fanity at a minimum and yet be pcI
 fectly familiar with your men | Laughter).
 A-Profanity is a matter of hab
 and taste. It has gone out of styI
 but it comes in handy once in
 while. It is the only safety val'
 we have left. I believe every goo 3 man is entitled to so many damns
 year, only I wish we had some kIr
 of a coupon system so that if a ms
 has used his strip he is through wi
 that stuff for the year. The stror
 man doesn't have to exaggerate wh
 he has to say. The fewer the wor
 the shorter the road to convey wh
 you mean, the more emphatic yt
 are. The more loud and boistero
 and profane your language, u
 weaker you are.
 Q-Why do some foremen inva
 iably refuse any assistance from 1T
 mediate superiors?
 Al don't know, No man oug t@ rT,1.