The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-06
S peedup VIII Cut Out Jobs EUen
If Output Is Increased in Detroit
Ford Worker Exposes
Emptiness of Auto
Magnate's Promise
By an Auto Worker Correspondent

By an Auto Worker Correspondent
DETROIT, Mich.-''The depres-
son is killed" announces Henry
Ford through the capitalist press
Henry says that he intends to turn
out million or more cars in 1885
Ford offers these statements and
plans at a time when the auto in
duStry in Detroit has badly sagged
when thousands of auto workers
have been idle from three to six
months, when the organizers of the
Community Fund in Detroit say
mot even in the worst period of the
depression were restitution, NAL
nutrition, homeless men, women
and children so prominent and in
need of help as they are just now
The present publicity of the 1885
Ford plan is another of his depres-
sion advertising stunts. The s1g-
gestion in its appearance was to
try again to reSurrect the myth of
Henry Ford as public benefactor.
Roosevelt and the New Deal had
failed to kill the depression, but
just let Henry alone, he'll do it! He
will put more men back to work.
No More Men To Be Hired
Any Ford worker could tell you
that the Ford plant as it stood in
August, 1884, with only between
$4,000 and 10000 workers turned
out about $4,000 automobiles. With
another increase of speed in the
line, and the workers being en-
ployed more than four days a week.
the output of 100000 cars could be
gotten without any increase in the
number on the Ford payroll.
The speed-up in the assembly de-
partmentS in 1884 was bad. The
working day was not 8 hours but
912 to ten hours a day. The work
erS were on their jobs half to
three quarters of an hour before
starting time, getting their bolts
and uuts, screws, car fittings, and
all the other parts ready in place
to go when the whistle blew. 1t
took them just about the same
time at the end of the day. Henry
got each day 11a to 2 hours of the
workers time for nothing.
The conditions and speed-up
being what we have stated, one
naturally asks, rs it then possible
that the Ford worker could be
driven harder?" I can only answer
that this will depend on the Ford
workers. Henry Ford says, "Yes!"
More Slavery for 1885
This is the Ford plan Tor 1885.
Ford has been hiring hundreds of
tool and die makers since June to
make his own body dies and and
parts. He is going to make in the
Ford plant all his own bodies.
Briggs and Murray's plant will not
be needed. The new body assembly
line has been laid down on the
second floor in B building. Spray
booths, drying booths, acid booths,
and sanding floors are laid out so
that the completion of the body
will follow with mathematical pre-
cision. A high wage will be SIS a
day, a strict following of the line,
workers packed together, rushed by
bullying bosses and study men.
Low wages, more intensive APP
plication to the line, and million
or more cars says Henry, Lets
go!"
He has also installed quite a
number of automatic machines for
production which do not require as
many workers. Perfection to Henry
is the automatic machine that will
not require any attention This has
been nearly accomplished in the
FOUNDRY Machine Shop. In this
shop, department All, an automatic
machine has been installed for the
valve inserting ring job. This ma
chine will turn out $4,000 rings in