Evening star., 1921-06-03
industrial Waste
| LAID TO MANAGERS
Hoover Committee Points
Out Many Startling Results
of Exhaustive Probe.
By the Associated Press.

ny the Associated ffeSS.
ST. LOUIS, June 3.-Responsibility
for more than SO per cent of the waste
in industrial processes, which Is caus-
| ing enormous annual losses to the ma
tion, can be placed at the door Of the
management and less than IS per cent
at the door of labor, declared a report
Of the American Engineering Coun-
ellis committee on elimination Of
| waste in industry, made public at
meeting of the councils executive
board. The committee was appointed
| by Herbert Hoover. Secretary of Com
| merce, when he was head of the coun-
Gil.
The report showed that the margin
| of unemployment amounted to more
than a million men: that billions of
dollars were tied up in idle equip
ment; that high labor turnover was a
| rough index Of one of the commonest
wastes and that waste of time and
energy and money through duplica-
tions and estimates and bids in build
ing trades ran into millions annually.
Blame for Existing Abuses.
Both employer and employees restrict
output. it was said. Both capital and
labor are blamed for existing abuses.
but the annual losses through waste
by conflicts between them Is much
less than popularity supposed.
From four to five million workers
were idle during January and Febru-
dollars will be lost in wages in the
building trades. it was said.
The waste inquiry was In charge Of
committee of sixteen. headed by j.
chairman and L. w. Wallace Of Wash
ington, executive secretary of the
American Engineering Council of the
Federated American Engineering So
cieties, as vice chairman.
The committee outlined the follow
ing proposed program of govern
mental assistance to eliminate waste:
Ways to Stop Waste.
"a national Industrial. information
service should be established to fur
nish more timely. regular and COM
pletes information covering current
production and consumption and
stocks of commodity: national
lished covering employment require
ments; national policy regarding
public health should be fostered and
encouraged; the national program for
industrial rehabilitation should be en-
| couraged and should offer opportuni-
ties for education and placement to
! THOSE having physical defects as we'll
as those handicapped because of in
dustrial accidents: nationwide pro-
gram of industrial Standardization
NC encouraged III
with industrial interests; the govern
ment should recognize the necessity
for a revision of such federal laws as
interfering with the stabilization of
industry; a body of principles should
be accepted which could be developed
for the adjustment and settlement Of
labor disputes"
The chambers of commerce. the re-
port said, should inaugurate anti
waste campaigns and collective pur-
chasing agents should educate the
public in better methods of buying.
Help Of Labor Urged.
After emphasizing the need of re-
agement and administrative policies,
the report urged the cooperation of
labor.
"Organized labor should develop q
policy for increasing output" it was
stated. The attitude of opposition
or indifference to proper standards
for production should be changed to
a frank and aggressive insistence on
such standards: there should be a
scientific examination of the basis
for wages; certain union rules should
be modified in regard to machine
operation, apprentices and craft
workers. distinctions which result
in restriction of output; individual
workers should realize their re-
sponsibilities for waste resulting
from i'll health. and disregard of
safety measures"
Declaring that the annual economic
loss in the country through prevent
able diseases and death amounted to
SO. 100000. the report urged a