The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-05

asked how . 70 about Il.
Re smiled patiently and said
with = sympathetic shake Of the
head.
"Aw. not = chance. They lust
want young fellows for shipfitters
You're out of luck. But II YOU
want 10. 20 shesd and ask the
foreman. Hell tel YOU"
ALL PART or GAME
Other yard workers have told
me Of similar disccuraging re-
Bluffs. They're AL part of the
game. A guy who can't take EN-
and keep on trying Is AL washed
Up from the start.
talked 10 another mechanic
He said: "Phooey" Tor words 10
that effect) That guy doesn't
know any more about II than
do-and that's precisely nothing.
Co ahead and hit the foreman. he
amt such a terrible guy"
I did. and he wasn't Two days
later I was transferred 10 an as
sembly slab. helping a filter.
II took me five more months
to get rating as shipfitter. That's
longer than IL takes the average
new shipworker 10 make the grade.
but few Of 'em know as little TO
start with as I did about using
my hands and feet.
90 DAYS STANDARD
Altogether, l spent four and
half months going 10 semi-weekly
classes. Most trainees. unless they
happen 10 attend one Of the public
schools for war workers before or
after they start work at some
yard, arrive at shiphtter status
with considerably less schooling
than that For quite a while
trainees were being rated up after
90 days in school. provided they
could pass the filters test. Nov
90 days is the standard.
II or when the supply Of ship
yard labor ever becomes stabilized,
you can expect to see the training
period heightened. perhaps even
doubled. Much as ] beefed at the
time over spending so many after
moons looking at shipbuilding NOV
les. battling blueprints and under
going quizzes on the language.
methods and knacks OF shipfitting,
I've got to admit l needed every
minute of IT.
READY TO LEARN MORE
In fact, after a little breather,
I'll be ready to take on another
course in shipfitting II it's avail
able. because I've learned just
enough to have some idea Of how
much I don't know about the
thousand-and-one angles of this
business of building ships. Every
nights work and every new blue
print I can scan presents some
fresh problem that lies clear out
side my limited knowledge and
training. To veteran shipworkers
these little matters that complete
ly stop me are old hats.
And there you have another rea-
son why so many shipworkers
must proceed so carefully and
cautiously, why they must often
take time to consider the next
step, or to ask an instructor or
lead man for advice.
TEACHERS ARE F0REMEN
We shipyard trainees have been
very lucky in having for class
teachers regular lead men and
foremen right in the same plant.
They know, as no outsider could,
the particular work. methods, IA
cilities and equipment of the yard.
So they can. and do, shape their
instruction 10 the work that's go
ing on daily In the shops and on
the bulls and shipways. Just as
football coach bears down during
skull practice on the style Of play
that will be most effective IN
handling the teams next oppon-
ents. trainees are taught the
knacks that will make tomorrow's
work faster and easier TO knock
out. as well as given a grounding
in the general principles and COM
mon practices Of shipbuilding.
Government movies demonstrat-
ing various phases Of ship con-
struction and shipbuilding skills,
issued jointly by the Federal Of
flee Of Education and the Nation
al Manpower Mobilization agency,
play an important part in the edu-
cation of trainees. We see each
film in the series not once but sew
n