Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-27

refuse to settle on the basis Of the
facts.
1--WE don't claim to have done any
thing new in Acknowledgment. We
have only taken the old system of
operation and cut off It's obvious alb
surdities. Even the old system of
railroading, brought up to efficiency,
would be an immense change for this
country. We have simply cut off
the loafing of men, the loafing of
engines and the loafing of cars. The
result seems to have surprised many
people. But there Is no mystery or
magic about 1t. Anyone can do it.
If the introduction Of plain, every
day good management will create
such a change, what may we not
expect from really new ideas?
1.-THE bookkeeping of railroads Is
complicated far beyond all necessity.
I don't want to go into detail, but
the amount Of unnecessary work you
can find in the accounting system
of even a little railroad, the amount
Of duplication and red tape, Is al
most beyond belief. We have sim.
plified this department, reduced its
cost, and have transformed 1t into
an actual help to the railroad in
stead Of veXation and burden. How
did " do it? BY viewing the whole
proposition as service to the users
of railroads and making everything
fit into that. instead of having the
fear of stockholders and dividends
before our eyes. Our faith is that
service will pay. Finance does not
come first. Work comes first.
Ford Asserts Authority
when I acquired the Detroit, To-
ledo & Ironton, there were $500 peo-
pie on its payroll. We found al
most Immediately that by cutting
out the lost motion we could re-
duce that number to 1900. This
we did. In the interest of better
service we raised the wages Of all
those who remained on the payroll.
You can't expect men to work UNI
less they are paid But you can't
pay them unless you hitch up man
agerial ability with their work. Our
men earn more and do more, be.
cause the way has been cleared for
them to do more. And they like
it. No man really likes a job that
is half inefficiency and half loaf
ing.
cat four o'clock one morning l
came in from a trip that I had
made. to our iron mines up on the
northern peninsula Of Michigan. At
the station L noticed a wrecking
train standing on a side track with
steam up and went over to inquire
what was the matter. I was told
that there had been a wreck some
twenty miles down the track and
that the train was going out to clear
it up. asked if they were ready
to start, and they said they were
ready and had been for half an
hour. I was told that the track
was clear for the run.
ct asked why they did not go,
and they replied that they were
in authority. They could not start
out on the job until he gave that
word. In the meantime the track
was blocked and passenger train
was being held up. I said: Come
on and let's 60 We took the train
out and got to work.
There are too many bosses Of
varying rank on all these railroad
jobs and their elimination would
save a good deal Of money"
LIE pLAHloIy al SuItl0liI VI SOoH
critics." I suggested, ''is that your
position to divert Ford freight to
that line, and thus insure its prof
liable operation. What is your an
swer to this charger"
"How can that be true" asked
Mr.. Ford, when the road hauled
more tonnage the year before we
took it over than it has hauled since
we had it? The figures are all at
Washington Why doesn't some
one look them up? The great ma
jority of the freight which goes over
our road goes over other roads, too.
The Ford freight that the Detroit
Toledo & Ironton gets only leaves
Detroit by our road and is trans