The Iron Age 1920-03-25: Vol 105 Iss 13

SaaS ee CL’ New York, March 25, 1920 SSTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 105: No. 13 es eR a a Trains Executives in Its Own Plants Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., Which Has Conducted Its Own Schools Since 1900, Finds Plan of Benefit in Developing Men (MINCE 1900 the Westinghouse companies have been’ in the developing of men for the South Philadelphia SS training executives, engineers and salesmen for works of the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Go. The their various departments, selecting as students in growth of this plant, which is now being practically ts courses technical graduates from leading universi- doubled in size, necessitates the selection this year of es and colleges. The method has been so successful about 100 men. R. F. Carey, supervisor of education at hat it becomes of particular importance at the moment’ the South Philadelphia works, leaves this month on a 2 * 3 ? . j ; . ' x ma 2 y . i x C 400 Graduates of Technical Schools Will Be Selected This Year to Enter the Training Courses of the Westinghouse c & Mfg. Co After a year’s work in acquiring knowledge of Westinghouse products and methods they will be given various departments. A considerable proportion of the company’s executives, engineers and salesmen have been trained in this manner since the courses were first established 20 years ago a7 . 869 “g 870 tour to thirty universities and colleges in the Eastern section of the country to interview the men who have made application to enter the Westinghouse training courses. Other representatives from the East Pitts- burgh works will visit sixty technical schools. A total of 450 men will be selected for the courses. The educational work is divided into two parts, that conducted by the works at East Pittsburgh, where gen- erators, motors, transformers, etc., are manufactured, and that of the South Philadelphia works, where tur- bines, reduction gears, condensers, ete., are manufac- tured. The South Philadelphia works were built during the war to manufacture propelling equipment for the ships of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, and it will become the main works of the Westinghouse company. New buildings are being built and all of the manufac- turing activities in this line at East Pittsburgh will be transferred this year to South Philadelphia. In visiting the technical schools Mr. Carey addresses a meeting of the graduating class, giving an illustrated lecture to get the men interested in the work. Those who make application to enter the Westinghouse train- ing school are then interviewed; their qualifications are weighed and when the list of prospective students is completed those considered as having the greatest prom- ise are selected. The technical apprenticeship course covers one year, during which time the apprentice is transferred from one department to another, acquiring a detailed and comprehensive knowledge of the business, its products, its methods and its organization. Not only is the ap- prentice placed in the several technical departments, the erecting and testing departments, the drafting rooms and the engineering offices, but he is also trained in the non-technical departments, the underlying idea being to develop those who are so inclined into salésmen and accountants. In fact, the student apprentices are en- couraged to select the branch of work for which they believe they are best fitted and will most enjoy. Some elect salesmanship; others pursue the study of works management, engineering, service or production. Not all of the men who have completed the course remain with the company. Some go with other companies, where a familiarity with Westinghouse products is an asset to the Westinghouse company. The students come not only from all parts of the United States, but also from all parts of the world— from China, Japan, South America, Central America, West Indies, Philippines and Europe. For example, in the present class there is a foreign student who, when his course is completed, will probably be appointed res- ident representative of the company in his home terri- tory. Among those who have taken the course in past years are three vice-presidents of the company, one assistant to the president, one assistant to the vice-pres- ident, one chief engineer, one consulting engineer, one general superintendent, one general accountant and seven managers. In addition to these there are a large number of superintendents, assistant superintendents, assistant managers, division engineers, supervisors, salesmen, departmental engineers, erecting engineers, assistant engineers, etc. For twenty years the company has recruited most of its executives from among the graduates of the training school, 50 to 65 per cent of its leading men having come up through the graduate student course. Among some of these are the follow- ing: Cc. B. AvBL, director standards, processes and materials. R. F. Carpy, supervisor of education, South Philadelphia works. ¢. S. CoLger, manager educational department, East Pitts- burgh. J. M. CurRTIN, manager industrial sales department. H. P. Davis, vice-president in charge of the works and engi- neering at East Pittsburgh. W. K. DUNLAP, assistant to vice-president. R. S. Feicut, manager of engineering. J. J. GIBSON, manager supply sales department. E. D. KILBURN, manager New York sales office. B. G. LAmMmMgs, chief engineer. D. W. R. MorGAN, engineer condenser division. L. A. OSBORNB, vice-president, Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co. and president of Westinghouse Electric International Co. THE IRON AGE March 25, 1924 A. F. SCHULTZ, superintendent tool design and mainten South Philadelphia works. Cc. F. Scortr, consulting engineer. H. H. SBABROOK, manager Philadelphia sales office. H. D. Suute, vice-president in charge of sales. CALVERT TOWNLEY, assistant to the president and presid of the American Institute Electrical Engineers. K. E. VAN KURAN, manager Los Angeles sales office. R. M. WILDER, general accountant, south Philadelphia work, R. L. WILSON, general superintendent. Methods of Instruction When the technical graduate arrives at the training school he is permitted to select one of the followin, courses: Engineering (Mechanical (a) Application (b) Design (c) Research Commercial (a) Domestic (b) International Works Management Service and Electrical) Special courses are provided for men who antic) pate entering operating work or the teaching field. Prior to the specialized training for whatever de partment the candidate is to enter, there is, in all of the courses, a general period of training, requiring from three to five months, during which time the stu- dent is transferred according to a prescribed schedule from one manufacturing section to another, usually spending. a month in each of the major sections. The construction features of apparatus are studied during the first phase of the course in the manufactur- ing sections. In the second phase, or on the test floor, the operating characteristics are under observation The length of time spent on the test floor varies within rather wide limits. For the application or designing engineer it is usually four to six months; for the com- mercial engineer, three to five months, while for the operator or service man it is considerably longer. The engineer entering the service department spends a larger proportion of his period of training on the test floor. During three months of the course the young men who enter the engineering department engages in an intensive study of mechanical and electrical engineering principles as applied to Westinghouse products. From among the engineering students who have completed the engineering school a few who have shown special apti tude for highly specialized design work are selected and given six months individual instruction in the solu tion of special ‘problems. If a student elects to enter the sales department his training depends upon the particular branch of sales work that he decides to take up. In addition, all com mercial representatives are given a thirty-day intensive course in Westinghouse organization, salesmanship, commercial law, advertising, business English, applied psychology and related subjects. The export course includes also intensive study of foreign languages, in ternational law, economics, exchange and foreign bank ing. For positions in works management a somewhat dif ferent course of study is prescribed. Those entering this work are given thorough training in production methods, rate setting, works accounting, shop organiza tion and related subjects. Machinist Apprentices Also Trained The South Philadelphia works of the Westinghouse company is considering expanding the scope of its work in training machinist apprentices, as the enlarge ment of the plant will call for many hundreds of trained mechanics and machine operators. This apprentice course covers a period of four years, during which time the boys are given a thoroughly comprehensive training in practical work, and there are two study periods a week of two hours each in which they are given in- struction in shop mathematics, reading of blue prints and other such subjects. Any boy 16 years of age who has had a grammar school education is eligible for entrance in the appren ticeship course. The success which has been achieved in March 25, 1920 practical s type of training is explained in an article by eter A. Sensenig in the employees’ paper, Westing- ise Machine News, which is published by the com- ny: The boy must sacrifice, at the present date, high wages ered for unskilled work. One promising boy gave up a iying double the wage rate for a first-year appren order to get the training, a training so thorough that ur years he will be an all-around mechanic He will be able to intelligently operate a lathe, planer, shaper! ng machine, boring mill, gear hobbing machine in of the many kinds of machinery in our shops ’ Che boy does practical shop work, actually helps to build nery for our plant or commercial apparatus, and this plemented by classroom work Here he is taught shop utics, mechanical drawing and the theoretical part work first two years of the apprenticeship course is de- to an intensive training in shop work The second years the boy spends his time in studying and working e ial lines for which he has shown himself especially t mporary sacrifices made by the Westinghouse e in the nature of expenses and investments, th salaries of efficient, practical and skilled me- yh ive been elected for their ability to impart ge to others the maintenance of classrooms for i study the nvestment of thousands of dollars hinery and other first-class equipment which the boys the direction of instructors boys have a “shoy of their own which is equipped he highest grade f machinery ind here he works at ichine unt he s thoroughly familiar with it and rn out accurate worl Accuracy is insisted upon, even 1 it may take him a day to do an hour’s work; he all upon his instructor for assistance, but the job must urate, it must be first-class. The instructor makes report of the boy's progress. ywhen the boys develops speed and accuracy on a cer- THE IRON AGE 871 derable Success Has Attended the Efforts of the Westinghouse Companies to Train Machinists. Boys who are 16 of age or older and who have completed a grammar school education are given a four-year training course, with shop work tain machine he is placed in one of the big shops, where he must hustle to make good, because it isn’t play work nor model work His work will be inspected and will be used as a part of a machine or equipment. As he gains in experience and proves his ability, after a little while, he is taken off the job, taken back into the training department to learn how to operate another machine ind goes through that process, always under the direction of an instructor, and thus learns all of the ins and outs of the machines and shops That the boys love the work is indicated by the barome- ters, keen interest, industry and records. One boy, with the company only 16 months, holds the record for machin- ing a certain piece on a lathe; another is running a 19-foot boring mill; one is helping on the gear hobbing machine; unother is an all-around helper in the physical ‘test labora- tory nother is operating a vertical turret lathe and ma- chining pieces that must be right to one thousamdth of an inch: several others have made intricate parts, such as the cross compound slides for the 160-inch engine lathe; many have worked on steam turbines The boys read the blue- prints and lay out their own work, thus learning to handle various measuring tools and instruments. The remarkable part of it all is that the boys are learning to do first-« work in a very short time. The percentage of work scrapped is very small and accidents te the ma- hines or to the boys are very rare and only-ef-a minor nature This is due to protected machinery and the per- sonal supervision of an instructor who explains the reasons why of everythihg pertaining to the machine and work This system of training was adopted about seven years igo in the machine works at East Pittsburgh, where it was nstituted } W. D. Forsyth and R. F. Carey, and upon the ompletior of the South Philadelphia works it was simi- larly developed here by Mr. Carey and his assistant, J. W. Barritt upervisor of apprentices. The efficiency of the new system is more readily under- stood when compared with the older system previously used A boy, under the old apprenticeship, spent the first six or twelve months of his course in running er- by our company sg teasgiit Tes - © EI RE os leks rn ame ate ig al gph. Mareh 25. 872 THE IRON AGE 192 rands, sweeping floors, wiping machines and when he had many of our foremen, but it left many men capabl nothing else to do, getting into mischief. Later, he would be operating only one machine. assigned to an obsolete machine and the material upon which The new system—‘“broad training and educati he worked was usually taken from the scrap pile If he later specialization’’ is the theory of this course of spoiled the machine and the work, very little harm was done sive training and classroom work The specific duty He was left to his own devices. If he became efficient on any skilled instructors is to see that no dela'ys occur in the one machine, he was kept there Some time in his career progress The boy. if -he sees the course through may have had a foreman who took an Interest in him sured of a permanent position with our company, as he ind eradually earned by experience the machinist’s be able to operate any machine—an accomplishment oft race sibly only two per cent of all mechanics in the count The old = syste howevel was better than none Its ind the broad training and experience prepares him for eory } Viva of the fittest and produced limited opportunities Refractory Properties of Bauxite Bricks French Investigation of Bauxite, Corind- ite and Carborundum—Bauxite Superior BY E. C. BUCK A SHORT account of 44 and carborundum was given in a paper delivered before the Paris Académie de Sciences by Prof. de Cha- telier and B. Bogitsch. The analyses some tests on bauxite, corindite were as follows: Pure } 1X Carbo Brich be | indum ALLO Nt 61.4 Fe.) 7 6.1 SiO 4 10 12.9 sic q 9 ree Carbo ‘ 1.8 Titanium -. 1X Not estimates The corindite and the carborundum, when coarsely crushed, left the following residues on the screen: Corindite Carborundum Re due ftrom S0O meshes to the sq. cn 24 oO Between 80 and 200 meshes per sq. en 7 1) Between 200 and 5000 meshes per sq. en i Following pass through the sere 000 mesh The sampies investigated were: Pure bauxite brick, manufactured industrially, molded nder pressure and baked at 1300 deg. C na large kiln Corindite agglomerate containing 10 per cent of crude IX1té Corindite geglomerate ont p { me } ) aol t ( ! ijt peic i Vitl } t oft vrups ( tio! sodium illicate Corindite agglomerate wit 6..0 per cent of rup) odiun ilicate solution t Carborundum agglomerate with 10 per cent of kaolin The mixture for obtaining the blocks contained the quantity of pure water necessary to give a_ plastic paste; they were then molded by hand and baked for ( shing Strength of Refract s 0 dew, ( L000 deg. C l 9S44. 00 ‘760.14 H11 4 i82,2¢ j r AD ‘ ; rH4 three hours at 1200 deg. C. (in and 1400 deg. C. crushing corindite) (in the case of carborundum). The strengths in the hot state were measured in apparatus which had previously been used for similar tests. The rate at which the load was applied was 0.5 kg. (1.1023 lb. per sec.). The accompanying table gives the crushing strength n pounds per square inch. the case of a special per Sec. The values in parentheses refer to material which had become plastic and conse- quently had no further crushing strength. given thus show The figures the load reached at the moment when the sample had been crushed to one-third of its height for the speed of stressing of 0.5 ke. ( 1.1023 lb.) per sec, All these products, therefore, became plastic at tem- peratures ranging between 1200 and 1500 deg. C. For this reason they cannot be used in the construction of open-hearth furnace arches, the temperature of which Carborundum and alumina, which exceeds 1600 deg. C. ory are perfectly intact at these temperatures, swim ir molten magma, which allows the grains to slide on another. There is no longer any cohesion in the mas At the same temperatures silica, although much mo fusible, resists perfectly because the crystallization the tridymite gives rise to a network in the cente) which the molten mass lodges without, however, mod fying the continuity of the network. Alumina, there fore, behaves like magnesia; in spite of its infusibilit) it gives bricks which easily give under pressure wher they are hot. It will also be seen that agglomeratio: with sodium silicate is less advantageous than agglon eration or briquetting with kaolin. Sodium silicate may, however, be used for laboratory furnaces, where the temperature does not exceed 1400 deg. C. the walls have no stress to withstand. The authors were able, by experimenting, to ob tain aluminous products which showed a much greater degree of strength when hot than the preceding ones, by taking pure alumina and adding the strict quantity of agglomerant necessary to harden them by kiln-firing. Alumina calcined industrially was used, the following being the final figures: because Per Cent Per Cent Alumina SO ( White bauxite 20 Kaolir } 10 100 100 These mixtures. each contained 95 per cent alumina. When first baked they contracted consider- ably and split in every direction. The material is first caleined at 1700 deg. C.; it is then crushed into coars« sand, and afterward rebriquetted with one-quarter 0! Vaterials Lb pe Sq In 200 deg. C 1300 deg. C 1400 deg. C, 1500 deg. C 1600 deg oS.2S H83.58 256.01 (170.67) (14 i1.12 (28.45) a ste ta 34 128.00 (28.45) 6.89) R524) ‘ 70.24 (11 Ss) (99.56) (85.34) its own weight of the same crude mixture. It is the! rammed into blocks under pressure and baked at 1700 deg. C. In this way blocks are obtained which do no! commence to soften at even 1600 deg. C. At this tem perature their crushing strength is 20 to 40 kg. p: sq. cm., or 284 to 568 Ib. per sq. in. r kK. W. Montgomery, Inc., Boston, has taken out Massachusetts charter. The new company, which capitalized for $12,500, consisting of 250 shares, pa! $50, all of which have been issued, takes over the going business of F. W. Montgomery, 44 Wareham Street Boston, its charter allowing for the manufacture, bu} ing, selling at wholesale and on commission, shee‘ metal, etc. Nathan K. Gallinger, 1269 Commonwealth Avenue,’ Boston, is president and treasurer. He a! F. W. Montgomery, Melrose, and A. Thaxter Parsons Roslindale, constitute the board of directors. A New Abrasive of Aluminous Material Grinding Wheels for High Speed and Case Hardened Steel Cutting BY OTIS such a highly specialized work that abrasive man- ufacturers have found it necessary to carry on tant experimental and development work, always th the idea of perfecting abrasive materials and mak- grinding wheels that will definitely meet the exact- needs of the grinding conditions of industry. For some time the Carborundum Co. has felt that istry needed an abrasive which could be bonded into a Prien day grinding operations have become Fig, 1 Photomicrograph of an Aluminous Abra- ve of the Ordinary Type Containing About 94 Per Cent Alumina. Magnification 17 diameters eel having extraordinary sharpness, fast, cool cutting ity, uniformity and long life—a wheel that would ot only possess these qualities, but at the same time vould be what might be termed an open “brittle” wheel far as its structure was concerned. Such a combi- tion of grinding virtue it has been found was ex- emely necessary in the grinding wheels that are prin- pally used in the grinding of high speed and case irdened steel and for the work of surface grinding. \fter a long period of research the Carborundum has perfected a new abrasive material having char- eristics which appear to be ideal for the grinding reamers, cutters, hob-mills and for other small tool work, and in addition the new abrasive is found adapted for certain cylindrical grinding opera- such as the grinding of the shanks of high speed the rollers for roller bearings and for grinding les of washers for thrust bearings. Still another in which this new abrasive is destined to show <ed efficiency is in the surface grinding of broad faces on vertical grinders, particularly where a large unt of stock is to be removed in a short. time. This abrasive material is to be known to industry as te AA. [he bulk of the aluminous abrasive now used in ling operations contains from 92 to 96 per cent nina, 2.50 to 4 per cent titanium oxide, 0.50 to 1 cent each of iron oxide and silica and lesser amounts me and magnesia. Most of the alumina is present the crystallized state, while the other impurities bined with a small portion of the alumina form a 18s which functions as a matrix or cement holding gether the crystals of alumina. These crystals are nposed of practically pure alumina and have all the + Possessing Unusual Properties — Microscopic Cool Characteristics Sharpness and HUTCHINS characteristic hardness of the natural jewels, the ruby and sapphire. The shape and size of these alumina crystals and the amount of matrix present have an important bear ing upon the characteristics of the abrasive, and a study of the internal structure of the abrasive is of great importance. The method now generally used for this investigation is by means of thin sections cut from a massive lump of the abrasive. A microscopic study of these thin sections shows the size and shape of the alumina crystals and their arrangement. Fig. 1 is a photomicrograph of an aluminous abra- sive of the ordinary type containing about 94 per cent of alumina. The white areas represent crystals of alumina while the black patches surrounding the white areas represent the matrix holding together the crys- tals. Fig. 2 is a photomicrograph of an aluminous abrasive of the ordinary type containing about 96 per cent alumina. This was taken by means of polarized light to better bring out the size and shape of the crys- tals. The average diameter of the alumina crystals is about 7 mm. (0.0027 in.). The types of abrasives repre- sented by Figs. 1 and 2 are admirably suited for general grinding and are used in large quantities. Fig. 3 is a photomicrograph taken with polarized light of a thin section of Aloxite AA The areas of the same color in the photograph rep- resent the same crystal growth and show the alumina crystals to be of very large size. In some cases these crystals have a diameter of 12.0 mm. (0.50 in.) or more. The amount of impurity present is about 1.50 per cent or very much less than is found in the ordi- nary type of aluminous abrasive. This decreased amount of impurity has an important bearing on the characteristics of the abrasive grain and the wheel made from it.’ The cutting power is increased, due to the greater amount of crystallized alumina present. There is less fluxing between the bond and the grain, Fig. 2.—Photomicrograph of an Aluminous Abra- sive of the Ordinary Type Containing About 96 Per Cent Alumina Photographed with polarized light to bring out the size and shape of crystals Magnification 17 diameters which results in a brittle wheel so necessary for rapid cutting. It also makes possible, due to the high purity of the grain, the production of wheels of very soft grade. The small amount of impurities allowed to remain in the abrasive is not objectionable, but on the other 873 — <a GEM 2 aul Bb RE tice aie |e Se ait een erie. jondtee 4 ae sdtawtier sy)” ie Sle RL 2 Seite ht ee ele er - 5 {A ee spe - a ee ee ee ———————————————eeererrrm ee x74 hand is extremely beneficial. the formation of skeletal crystals and prevents the more or less and porous structure which is ob- tained when molten pure alumina is allowed to solidify. The resulting abrasive consequently exhibits a greater toughness and imparts a longer life to the wheel. The large size of the alumina crystals in Aloxite AA have an important bearing on the cutting power of the abrasive. As the grits commonly used are 20 and finer, almost every individual grit will consist of a fragment This impurity prevents open Fig Photomicrograph of Aloxite AA, Photo- graphed with Polarized Light Magnification 17 diameters. Note the large size of the crystals broken from a larger crystal of alumina and-due to this fact possesses exceptional sharpness. During the process of grinding there is a breaking down of the abrasive grains in a wheel and the character of the new grains formed depends largely upon the size of the alumina crystals in the original abrasive. When the alumina crystals in the abrasive are small a rupture of the grain may mean a tearing away of a few small crystals without fracture. However, when the crystals are large and a rupture occurs in an abrasive grain it means that a crystal of alumina has been actually frac- tured and that new sharp cutting points and edges have been produced. In summing up briefly it may be said that Aloxite AA is composed of nearly pure alumina with just enough impurity present to produce a desirable tough- ness and furnish an abrasive which will have a long life when used in an abrasive wheel. It has great hard- ness and its sharpness is due to the large size of the crystals of alumina in the abrasive. It is possible to manufacture this high purity grain a_ bonded wheel of brittle nature and of soft grade. Aloxite AA wheels are uniform in grade and of open structure and are believed to be the fastest and coolest cutting wheels which can be produced. from Half-Year Report of American Locomotive Co. The date for the ending of the fiscal year of the American Locomotive Co. has been changed from June 30 to Dec. 31. Therefore, the financial report for the last “fiscal year” of the company includes only the six months ended Dec. 31, 1919. The plants averaged for this peftiod but 29.2 per cent tonnage production of their rated capacity and for November but 12.5 per cent. Gross earnings for the period amounted to $20, 630,083, contrasted to $49,443,498 of the preceding half year; available profits were $2,577,170 and $6,917, 098 for the two periods respectively; surplus, $952,170 and $5,417,098, respectively. In the Presi lent Andrew Fletcher: “The unfilled orders on Dec. 31, 1919, amounted to $7,862,157, of which about 27 per cent was domestic business and 73 per cent was foreign business, as com- pared ‘with unfilled orders on June 30, 1919, of $16,- 034,678, of which about 50 per cent was domestic busi- words of THE IRON AGE March 25, 1929 ness and 50 per cent foreign business. Since Dec. 1919, approximately $12,800,000 of new business h been obtained, of which about 84 per cent is for d mestic roads and 16 per cent is for foreign trade. “We have been receiving a fair amount of busine from the Far East and the Pan-American countries believe they will continue to order. “A large share of our inquiries are from Europea countries undergoing reconstruction because of the w: and whose present financial resources are such as necessitate deferred credit payments. In some cases the inquiries have been based on an exchange ar barter basis. Until those governments and _ their finances have become more stabilized the business a cepted from them, absorbing, as it would, considerable of our working capital, should be restricted to conser vative financial risks, for in all probability a very large proportion of our working capital will be required i: the near future for our domestic business. A much greater proportion of working capital to unit produc tion of locomotives, we have found, is absolutely neces sary now in comparison with the requirements existing before the world war, because of the great increase in costs of labor and materials and in fact everything pertaining to the operation of our plants. “The prospects for immediate domestic business are being assured by recent orders received and inquiries for prices. The unquestioned shortage and lack of effective motive power of some of the railroads of the country have been known for months, and while some of the rumored requirements are no doubt exaggerated, we are optimistic at least for a fair volume of orders for new locomotives and for the reconditioning of old ones for the year 1920. “The return of the railroads to corporate control and operation, the adjustment of their financial affairs and the competition for business, will no doubt stimulate the efficiency and progressiveness of this country’s railroad executives and operators, and in the refining of operating costs we anticipate there will be a greater demand for well-built, effective and economical operat- ing locomotives.” Report of Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Co. The annual report of the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Co., New Glasgow, N. S., shows combined profits from operations for the year of $2,193,304, as compared with $3,535,527 for the previous year. The volume of busi- ness reached $6,889,941, as compared with $11,525,779 in 1918, and $12,359,113 in 1917. The demand for steel, which was very limited for the first ten months of the year, improved at the close until at present the tonnage of unfilled orders on the company’s books is larger than at any time since the armistice. Mining operations were car- ried on throughout the year and 213,410 tons of ore raised, as compared with 76,767 tons in 1918. Iron ore to the extent of 51,460 tons was shipped to North Sydney. Blast furnaces and open hearth plants were operated only about five months of the year, and while the rolling mills were totally shut down but for a short time, the average monthly production of steel was very much curtailed. Total shipments of finished steel forgings, etc., from New Glasgow were 44,051 tons, as compared with 93,343 in 1918 and 101,609 tons in 1917. The Eastern Car Co., a subsidiary, constructed and delivered 1800 cars during the year. These orders were completed early in July, and the plant was idle for the remainder of the year, with the exception of the manufacture of sonfe snow-plows for the Canadian National Railways. The firm name of the Hartford Contractors’ Sup ply Co., Hartford, Conn., has been changed to the K B. Noble Co., inasmuch as many people took it for granted the concern handled mason’s supplies, whereas it deals largely with mechanical interests, especia'ly industrial concerns. The company makes a specialty of coal handling machinery, elevating and conveying machinery for mill, factory and foundry, ete. No change in the personnel of the company has been made Employee Representation Indorsed President’s Second Industrial Conference Reports All Agree in Conclusions—Organization Must Begin Within the Plant— Tentative Plan Modified — Vice-Chairman Herbert Hoover Refers to Policies of Bethlehem Steel Co. and Judge Gary Some Concessions Made on Account of Criticisms of Organized Labor—Many Problems Discussed WASHINGTON, March 23.—The final report of the President’s second industrial conference contains impor- tant modifications from the plans proposed by its pre- liminary report. The tentative plan of machinery to adjust disputes in general industry has been modified so as to diminish the field of arbitration and enlarge the scope of voluntary settlement by agreement. The new plan makes machinery available for collective bar- gaining, with only incidental and limited arbitration. The plan has been extended to cover disputes affecting public utilities other than steam railroads, and to cover the services of public employees. The conference places emphasis upon a proposal for joint organization and management of employees as a means of preventing misunderstandings and of secur- ing co-operative effort. The plan of conciliation is founded upon the principle of shop councils of employ- ers and employees, which are now operating in many industries. Herbert Hoover, vice-chairman of the con- ference, in pointing conspicuous examples of successful operation of shop councils, cited the Bethlehem Steel Co., which is 45 per cent organized, and in which the union leaders sit in the council. The plan does not prohibit strikes or lockouts and does not provide for compulsory arbitration, any sug- gestion of which is vigorously opposed by organized labor. Many of the modifications of the original plan evidently are the result of the protests by Samuel Gom- pers and other labor leaders against the compulsory features of the tentative proposal. National and Regional Boards The final plan retains the provision for a National industrial board, composed of nine members, local re- gional conferences and boards of inquiry. The conference holds that the public has a primary nterest in the prevention of conflicts which cause sus- pension of production and service. It is the belief of members of the conference that when conflicts are threatened their properly chosen representatives can be brought together under conditions that make for a col- lective bargaining, but that such conferences must be entered into voluntarily on both sides. Conferences of this sort failing to result in agreement, it is intended that a board of investigation would quickly report to the public the rights and wrongs of the dispute. Besides recommending a detailed program, which t is desired should be enacted into legislation, the report f the conference discusses many problems, such as wages, hours, employment of women and children, the establishment of national employment clearing houses nder the direction of joint committees of employers nd employees, the relationship of public employees, the t of living, and the relationship of agriculture to lustry. It is the belief of members of the conference that the in probably will not meet with the approval of the «xtremists on either side, but they say that it has been ‘pproved in its broad lines by many hundreds of em- ployers and many prominent labor leaders. MacKenzie 875 King, former Minister of Labor for Canada, who has been largely responsible for the origin and administra- tion of the Canadian industrial procedure, is quoted as considering the plan put forward by the conference as a constructive improvement on all others hitherto pro- posed. Mr. Hoover contends that the compulsory arbi- tration as provided in the New Zealand and Australian plans has been a failure, and that the Canadian act has not been successful. The departure of the new plan from those of the other countries is to invoke for set- tlements the power of public opinion. Judge Gary’s Position Commenting on the proposed plan in its practical application to such a dispute as arose at the time of the steel strike, Mr. Hoover said that E. H. Gary’s conten- tion that the union leaders should not represent the steel workers would have been met by vote of the employees to select their representative on the proposed arbitration. They would have been at liberty to select the union chiefs or others. Members of the commission, all of whom signed the report submitted to President Wilson, are Secretary of Labor William B. Wilson, chairman; Herbert Hoover, vice-chairman; Martin H. Glynn, Thomas W. Gregory, Richard Hooker, Stanley King, Samuel W. McCall, Henry M. Robinson, Julius Rosenwald, George T. Slade, Oscar Straus, Henry C. Stuart, William O. Thompson, Frank W. Taussig, George W. Wickersham and Owen D. Young. The Plan of Settlement The plan of settlement of industrial disputes is in brief as follows: (1) Parties to a dispute may voluntarily submit their differences to a board known as the Regional Adjust- ment Conference, consisting of two representatives from each side, parties to the dispute, and two repre- sentatives to be selected by each side from the panels provided for. (2) Failure of the regional conference to agree unanimously will pave the way for an agreement to submit the dispute to the National Industrial Board, unless the parties prefer the decision of an umpire selected by them. (3) An agreement by both parties that there shall be no interference with production pending the proc- esses of adjustment is part of the plan involving sub- mission to a regional adjustment conference. (4) Refusa! of either of the parties to submit the dispute to an adjustment body causes the regional chairman to form a regional board of inquiry, com- posed of two employers and two employees from the industry and not parties to the dispute. This board has the right under proper safeguards, to subpoena witnesses and make records, and the duty to publish its findings as a guide to public opinion. (5) The National Industrial Board in Washington has general oversight over the working of the plan. (6) In the case of public utilities the Government agencies having power to regulate has two representa- tives in the adjustment conference. (7) Machinery is provided for a prompt and fair adjustment of wages and working conditions of Gov- ayy +a Reber A ne es ON Og nee es a ears 1 % S76 should not be ernment employees, who, it is permitted to strike. (8) No penalties other than those imposed by pub- lic opinion are provided. The plan does not contemplate the submission to arbitration of the policy of the closed or open shop. In its foreword to the discussion of the detailed plan the conference, in its report, says: stated, Guiding Thought of the Conference “The guiding thought of the conference has been that the right relationship between employer and em- ployee can be best promoted by the deliberate organi- zation of that relationship. That organization should begin within the plant itself. Its object should be to organize unity of interest and thus to diminish the area of conflict, and supply by organized co-operation between employers and employees the advantages of that human relationship that existed between them when industries were smaller. Such organization should provide for the joint action of managers and employees in dealing with their common interests. It should emphasize the responsibility of managers to know men at least as intimately as they know mate- rials, and the right and duty of employees to have a knowledge of the industry, its processes and policies. Employees need to understand their relation to the joint endeavor so that they may once more have a crea- tive interest in their work. “Industrial problems vary not only with each in- dustry but in each establishment. Therefore, the strategic place to begin battle with misunderstanding is within the industrial plant itself. Primarily the settlement must from the bottom, not from the top come Employee Representation “The conference finds that joint organization of management and employees where undertaken with sin- cerity and good will has a record of success. The gen- eral principles governing such organization are stated at length under the title ‘Employee Representation.’ It is not a field for legislation, because the form which employee representation should take may vary in every plant. The conference, therefore, does not direct this recommendation to legislators but to managers and employees. “If the joint organization of management and em- ployees in the plant or industry fails to reach a col- lective agreement, or if without such joint organization, disputes arise which are not settled by existing agen- cies, then the conference proposes a system of settle- ment at hand and under Governmental encour- agement, and a minimum of regulation. The entrance of the Government into these problems should be to stimulate further co-operation.” close Prevention of Disputes Discussing the prevention of disputes, the report Says: “Prevention of disputes is worth more than cure. The conference feels that a new basis of industrial peace may be found in the further development of the democratic organization of the relations of employers and employees, now widely in progress through the country. “Modern industry, as conducted in large plants, has caused a loss of personal contact between employers and employees. It has also caused, through high spe- cialization and repetitive mechanical processes, a loss of creative interest. But it makes possible a greater production of the material things which contribute to the common resources of the people. Upon these re- sources an advancing civilization, with a higher com- mon standard of living, must depend. “Direct personal contact in the old manner cannot be restored. It is necessary, therefore to find the best possible substitute through democratic representation. Employees need an established channel of expression and an opportunity for responsible consultation on matters which affect them in their relations with their employers and their work. There must be diffused among them a better knowledge of the industry as a THE IRON AGE March 25, 1920 whole and of their own relation to its success. Ff; ployee representation will not only enable ‘them bett, to advance their own interests, but will make the more definitely conscious of their own contribution, a: their own responsibilities. “Employee representation has been discussed und different names and forms, such as shop committe shop councils, works councils, representative gover ment in industry and others. But representation is definite principle rather than a form. The conference therefore prefers the generic term ‘employee rep) sentation.” In using this term the conference has mind the successful application of the principle to va) ous activities outside, as well as within, the industrial field. “From both employers and employees the confe ence has received thoughtful and helpful suggestio: as to the possibilities, under proper conditions, of em ployee representation. These suggestions clearly pr ceed from a genuine desire that this movement may spread in accordance with sound principles and be kept from perversions which would threaten its lasting us: fulness by making it an agency of attack rather tha a means to peace. “Employee representation organizes the relations of employer and employee so that they regularly con: together to deal with their common interests. It operating successfully under union agreements in o1 ganized shops. It is operating in non-union shops, and it is operating in shops where union and non-unio men work side by side. In plants working under union agreement it adds to collective bargaining an agency of co-operation within the plant. It is itself an agency of collective bargaining and co-operation where unio agreements do not obtain. “It is idle wholly to deny the existence of conflict ing interests between employers and employees. But there are wide areas of activity in which their interests coincide. It is the part of statesmanship to organize identity of interest where it exists in order to reduce the area of conflict. The representative principle is needed to make effective the employee’s interest in pro duction, as well as in wages and working conditions. It is likewise needed to make more effective the em ployer’s interest in the human element of industry. pure Sources of Opposition “The idea of employee representation has aroused opposition from two sources. On the one hand, in plants too large for direct personal contact, employers who still adhere. to the theory that labor is a con modity, hold off from any form of co-operation with employees. This view is steadily disappearing and will, it is hoped, wholly disappear. On the other hand a number of trade union leaders regard shop repre sentation as a subtle weapon directed against the union. This thought is apparently based on the fear that it may be used by some employers to undermine the unions. Conceived in that spirit no plan can be a last ing agency of industrial peace. “But occasional misuse of employee representation and the consequent hesitancy of organized labor to in dorse it officially are based on a misconception of the nossible and desirable relations between the union and the shop committee. This relation is a complementary) and not a mutually exclusive one. In many plants the trade union and the shop committee are both func- tioning harmoniously. In some establishments the men are unionized, and the shop committees are composed of union men. In others, some men belong to the trade union while all belong to the shop organization. “The union has had its greatest success in dealing with basic working conditions, and with the genera! level of wages in organized and partially organized industries and crafts. It has also indirectly exerted an influence on standards in unorganized trades. There is no reason to suppose that in the future this influeuce will not continue. “Local problems, however fall naturally within the province of shop committees. No organization cover- ing the whole trade and unfamiliar with special loca! conditions and the questions that come up from da) to day is by itself in a position to deal with these March 25, 1920 estions adequately, or to enlist the co-operation of nployer and employee in methods to improve produc- yn and to reduce strain. Except for trades in which union itself. has operated under a system of em- vee representation, as it does in shipbuilding and in manufacture of clothing and in other trades, these ternal factors are likely either to be neglected or to dealt with in a way which does not make for satis- tory co-operation. “The existence of employee representation in plants erating under union agreement does not necessarily duce the scope of the union representative’s work. ‘ut matters are more likely to come to him as questions the application of an agreement rather than as mere rievances. In other words he has greater oppor- inity for service in negotiation of an essentially con- iatory nature. The fortunate results of such de- ‘lopment have been evident in industries in which nployee representation and trade unions have for ne time been functioning harmoniously. The Problem of Production “Employee representation must not be considered lely as a device for settling grievances. It can find wecess only if it also embodies co-operation in the roblem of production. Whatever subjects the repre- ‘ntatives come to feel as having a relation to their irk, and their effectiveness as members of the plant, ay come within the field of committee consideration. s a thing to be undertaken if at all, in a thorough- jing way. Representatives must be selected by the mployees with absolute freedom. In order to prevent ispicion on any side, selection should be by secret allot. There must be equal freedom of expression hereafter. All employees must feel absolutely con- need that the management will not discriminate gainst them in any way because of any activities in mnection with shop committees. Meetings should be eld frequently and regularly, not merely when specific lisputes are threatened. Both sides must be prepared study the problems presented and must give them atient, serious and open-minded consideration. There should be made available those facilities and facts essential to the formation of soundly based conclusions. “Employee representation offers no royal road to industrial peace. No employer should suppose that erely by installing some system of shop representa- on he can be assured, without continued effort, of harmony and increased production. Doubtless there vill be failures where the plan is adopted as a fad or It is only a means whereby sincerity of irpose, frank dealing and the establishment of com- on interests may bring mutual advantage. panacea. Training of Past Generation “The development and maintenance of right rela- ns between employer and employee require more than ere organization. Intelligent and wise administra- tion is needed of all those problems of production that irectly touch the employee. Conditions affecting iman beings in industry were, during the last genera- ion, largely in charge of men whose special training nad been devoted to the mechanical side of production. ‘luch study was given to the machinery and processes pon which men worked. But the factors that con- ibute to the broader human development and satis- faction of the employee and that lead to increased pro- ictivity were too nearly neglected. The elimination human friction is, even from the point of view of creased production, at least no less important than e elimination of waste in materials, or in mechanical wer, “Establishments in which the ultimate manage- ent is of necessity widely removed from the em- ‘yees require provision. for specialized study of in- istrial relations. But the right concept of human elations in industry. which should be the primary im- ilse of management, is of full value only when it rmeates the entire administrative force. Far- ehted executives testify to the advantage gained from ‘\reful and painst