Chapter C: U. CARPENTER, Works Manager, Dayton Recording & Computing (3)

One of the delicate situations confronting us at this time is the transferring of help from one department to another. We are appealing to their patriotism and have established a Disston Volunteer Transfer System—Industrial Soldiers Volunteering for Heavier Work, Filling Jobs Where Women Cannot. We are very much interested in this work and are making every endeavor to eliminate the labor turnover which we are all experiencing in these times. We have women operating milling machines, drill presses, emery grinding machines, file hardening, saw setting and filing machines, also power punching presses, all work never attempted by women in our factory before. The result has been more than satisfactory.

August 7, 1918.

(Signed) WM. D. DISSTON,
_Vice-President_.

THE GRATON & KNIGHT MANUFACTURING COMPANY

Worcester, Mass.

We do not maintain a regular separate school for training the employees on our business because of the fact that we have such a large variety of trades that it would not be practical for us. We do, however, maintain a training system for the employees in our various departments and have men assigned for such work in the departments.

When we have a large number of employees to train in some one line of work we establish a separate organization for them with a view to training them to carry on very efficiently and become skilled employees as soon as possible.

August 7, 1918.

(Signed) F. H. WILLARD,
_Assistant General Manager_.

THE SPARKS-WITHINGTON COMPANY

Jackson, Mich.

We are very glad to be able to state that we are operating a school especially for women to train them for toolmaking.

We have found that there is not a sufficient number of experienced toolmakers to meet the demand and the only way is to have the women help out, and we have a school for this purpose, also have been teaching them to operate production machines.

July 31, 1918.

(Signed) W. J. CORBETT,
_Assistant Manager_.

LOCOMOBILE COMPANY OF AMERICA

Bridgeport, Conn.

The writer was in Detroit a few weeks ago and was much interested in the work being done by Packard and Lincoln with women that were trained in their schools.

We are confident that much good will result from the co-operative plan that you have adopted in developing operators. We wish to be considered among those who approve of this plan and we will arrange for a Vestibule School or Training Room as soon as we can do so. We have been training young men and boys from our local high school as junior toolmakers, with excellent results.

July 10, 1918.

(Signed) H. H. EDGE,
_Factory Manager_.

THE TIMKEN ROLLER BEARING CO.

Canton, Ohio

We have established a Training School which has been in operation for the past two or three weeks.

We do not feel as yet that we want to make any extensive comments upon the results secured, but we believe the idea is fundamentally correct, and hope to have recorded sufficient data of interest in regard to the school so that we will be in a position to answer any questions that may be asked us.

(Signed) THE TIMKEN ROLLER BEARING CO.,
F. T. MACKAY, _Employment Manager_.

July 18, 1918.

CARLTON MACHINE TOOL COMPANY

Cincinnati, Ohio

For your information we wish to advise that we have started a training school for girls in our plant, and we find that it is working very satisfactorily and we expect to have in the future 50 to 75 per cent. of our work completed by girls. The writer has noted your talks and writings on this subject and is trying to follow out your ideas as near as possible.

August 9, 1918.

(Signed) JACK C. CARLTON.

THE WILLYS-MORROW COMPANY, INC.

Elmira, N. Y.

We have about twenty women learning how to run automatic screwing machines. These women have been grinding their own tools.

August 7, 1918.

(Signed) J. E. MORROW,
_Secretary and General Manager of Production_.

CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM WORKS

Worcester, Mass.

Our training school is working very satisfactorily, and we are only sorry that we did not start two years sooner.

July 13, 1918.

(Signed) H. L. ROBINSON,
_Employment Service Department_.

THE LODGE & SHIPLEY MACHINE TOOL CO.

Cincinnati, Ohio

In the Tool Room we are using men that are skilled _in one class_ of work on _one type_ of machine for the majority of our tool room work.

August 2, 1918.

(Signed) JOSEPH T. WRIGHT,
_Assistant Works Manager_.

THE STENOTYPE COMPANY

Indianapolis, Ind.

We expect very shortly to have our training school in operation. We are thoroughly convinced of the advisability of establishing such a school.

August 16, 1918.

(Signed) R. M. BOWEN,
_Chairman, Board of Directors_.

INTERESTING PARAGRAPHS

Says Mr. E. G. Allen, the able Director of the Cass Technical Trade School, Detroit: “We have taken high grade machinists in Detroit who have been in the shops for a couple of years and were familiar with the use of drawings, decimal equivalents, etc., and made tool room machine operators doing work of considerable variety, each on a single type machine, almost immediately. In three or four months, by continuing to watch and instruct such a man, he has been able to run almost any machine and do on it almost any work laid out by the toolmaker.”

* * * * *

This war is going to last years. Even three or four months, which seems a long time, will pass like a day. Are some of us not almost grossly careless in not getting at this immediately? Mr. J. J. Pierson, Dilution Officer of the British Ministry of Munitions in the London District, says: “You can make a toolroom operator of a woman in three weeks. If you can’t do it in three weeks, you can’t do it at all. You have simply gotten the wrong woman. Pick out a long fingered, sensitive, intelligent woman from the shop force who has been carefully trained and is especially satisfactory and exact in her production and upgrade her in this way.”

* * * * *

“This office has made an exhaustive study of the vestibule training methods and results of the Section on Industrial Training, of the Council of National Defense, and believes that this general immediate adoption is absolutely essential to meet the increased war program and cannot be too quickly or extensively adopted and should have the immediate and fullest support of all who are charged with production matters. The shortage of skilled labor to-day is alone two hundred and fifty thousand and we are advised will be one million by January 1. This office is putting it into force and effect just as promptly and as actively as we know how.”

August 8, 1918.

(Signed) JOHN C. JONES,
_Chief of Ordnance, Philadelphia District, Philadelphia, Pa._

* * * * *

“I am confident that any community by establishing a proper school connected with the industries may become a great factor in the progress of the community’s industries.

“We find your bulletins very useful. You are sending out a world of information which education ought to receive. This war ought to show us the way in our schools and give us a chance to connect up the educational wagon with life.”

August 10, 1918.

(Signed) AUGUSTUS O. THOMAS,
_State Superintendent of Schools, Augusta, Maine_.

* * * * *

“We are making plans to introduce training schools into all Ordnance Manufacturers’ plants in this district. We will endeavor to make sure that representatives of all the Ordnance plants in this neighborhood hear you and work out from the enthusiasm which no doubt your exposition will create.”

Aug. 10, 1918.

(Signed) B. A. FRANKLIN, _Major, Ord. R. C._
Bridgeport District, Bridgeport, Conn.

* * * * *

The following firms in Worcester, Mass., are using the vestibule principle in special efforts at training unskilled men in their shops: The Heald Machine Company, Bradley Car Works, Reed Prentice Company, Sleeper & Hartley, Inc., Rice, Barton & Fales.

* * * * *

In a large factory making power machines the men from one department threatened to strike because “the women were being paid higher wages than the men.” Investigation disclosed that all were working at the same piece rates but the women were producing more.

* * * * *

A member of a British Commission which visited the United States last winter said:

“England delayed the winning of the war two years by delaying the introduction of women one year.”

PARTIAL LIST OF VESTIBULE SCHOOLS OR TRAINING ROOMS IN FACTORIES

Recording and Computing Machines Co., C. U. Carpenter, C. P.,
Dayton, Ohio.

Curtiss Aeroplane Corporation, F. L. Glynn, Director of Training,
Buffalo, N. Y.

Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation, J. F. Johnson, Director of
Training, New Brunswick, N. J., and Long Island City, N. Y.

Nordyke & Marmon Co., Indianapolis, Ind.

Packard Motor Car Company, Detroit, Mich.

Lincoln Motor Company, Detroit, Mich.

Norton Grinding Company, John C. Spence, Superintendent, Worcester,
Mass.

NOTE.—The above training rooms are remarkably efficient and
successful; they should be seen. By special arrangement the men
above named are assisting in the development of training rooms in
their vicinity. Write them when ready to act. Also O. D. Evans,
very expert in training, Army Ordnance Department, Production
Division, 1710 Market St., Philadelphia.

Gillette Safety Razor Company, Boston, Mass.
Royal Typewriter Company, Hartford, Conn.
Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn.
Remington Arms Company, Bridgeport, Conn.
Bullard Engineering Company, Bridgeport, Conn.
The H. E. Harris Engineering Company, Bridgeport, Conn.
Trego Motor Company, New Haven, Conn.
Winchester Repeating Arms Company, New Haven, Conn.
Taft-Pierce Mfg. Co., Woonsocket, R. I.
Brown & Sharpe Company, Providence, R. I.
Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass.
American Steel & Wire Company, Worcester, Mass.
Norton Company, Worcester, Mass.
John Bath & Company, Worcester, Mass.
Graton & Knight Company, Worcester, Mass.
Blanchard Machine Company, W. W. Blackman, Superintendent,
Cambridge, Mass.
E. W. Bliss Company (torpedo factory), Brooklyn, N. Y.
Ford Instrument Company, New York City.
Pierce-Arrow Company, Buffalo, N. Y.
King Sewing Machine Company, Buffalo, N. Y.
New York Airbrake Company, Watertown, N. Y.
Seneca Falls Mfg. Company, Seneca Falls, N. Y.
Savage Arms Company, Utica, N. Y.
Henry Disston & Sons, Philadelphia, Pa.
Fayette R. Plumb, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
Hess Bright Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
Roberts Filter Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
Remington Arms Company, Eddystone Plant, Philadelphia, Pa.
Naval Aircraft Factory, League Island, Philadelphia, Pa.
American International Shipbuilding Company, Hog Island,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Newton Machine Tool Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
Warren Webster Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
L. H. Gilmer Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
Burke Electric Company, Erie, Pa.
Bethlehem Steel Company, Bethlehem, Pa.
J. G. Brill Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
Lanston Monotype Machine Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
Leeds & Northrup Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
David Lupton Sons Company, Philadelphia, Pa.
North American Motors Company, Pottstown, Pa.
Standard Aircraft Corporation, Elizabeth, N. J.
Snead & Company Iron Works, Jersey City, N. J.
Spicer Mfg. Company, Plainfield, N. J.
International Motors Company, Plainfield, N. J.
Woodbury Bag and Loading Company, Woodbury, N. J.
American Shell Company, Paterson, N. J.
Worthington Pump Company, Harrison, N. J.
Neptune Meter Company, Hoboken, N. J.
International Arms and Fuse Company, Bloomfield, N. J.
Thomas A. Edison Corp., Orange, N. J.
General Electric Company, Newark, N. J.
Crocker-Wheeler Company, Ampere, N. J.
Submarine Boat Corp., Newark, N. J.
Barbour Flax Spinning Company, Paterson, N. J.
American Tool Works Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Lodge & Shipley Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati Milling Machine Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati Grinder Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati Planer Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cincinnati Bickford Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Oakley Machine Tool Company, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Buckeye Twist Drill Company, Alliance, Ohio.
Morgan Engineering Company, Alliance, Ohio.
National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio.
Ohmer Fare Register Company, Dayton, Ohio.
The Timken Roller Bearing Company, Canton, Ohio.
Joseph & Feiss Company, May Thomsen, Employment Department,
Cleveland, O.
Mosler Safe Company, Hamilton, Ohio.
Ford Motor Company, Detroit.
Long Manufacturing Company, Detroit.
Studebaker Corporation, Detroit.
Solvay Process Company, Detroit.
Morgan & Wright Company, Detroit.
Detroit Steel Products Company, Detroit.
Burroughs Adding Machine Company, Detroit.
Dodge Brothers, Detroit.
Detroit Lubricator Company, Detroit.
Timken Detroit Axle Company, Detroit.
Haskellite Mfg. Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Republic Motor Truck Company, Alma, Mich.
Sparks-Withington Company, Jackson, Mich.
Illinois Tool Works, Chicago, Ill.
Union Special Machines Company, Chicago, Ill.
Western Cartridge Company, East Alton, Ill.
Independent Pneumatic Tool Company, Aurora, Ill.
Diamond Chain & Manufacturing Company, L. W. Wallace,
Indianapolis, Ind.
General Electric Company, E. H. Barnes, Superintendent,
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Pawling & Harnischfeger Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

EXTRACT PROM A REPORT BY MR. BEN H. MORGAN, EXPERT ADVISER TO THE DILUTION SECTION OF THE BRITISH MINISTRY OF MUNITIONS

When war broke out in August, 1914, the Government of the day urged employers to induce their skilled as well as unskilled men to join the colors. No good purpose will be served in my characterizing in suitable terms the unwisdom of such a step. Sufficient to say that it was a long time later before the Government realized that this was an Engineers’ war. The result was that the men with initiative, education and skill were among the first to lay aside their tools and join the colors. This was a stroke of such folly that it took the country quite a long time to recover from it. Not only had we lost men of brain and initiative but also a large proportion of the skill for carrying on a war in which machinery and munitions were a preponderating factor.

When the sudden call came for an enormous increase in guns and ammunition the folly of the step that had been taken was realized and arrangements were made to effect the return of a number of skilled men from the colors. This, however, was difficult to carry out, and on top of it came the realization that if every skilled man were returned we had not sufficient to produce the munitions essential to success.

It was in these circumstances that the present Prime Minister, Mr. Lloyd George, then Minister of Munitions, laid down the principle that no man must perform any work that could be efficiently performed by women. He foresaw that every man would be required for essentially man’s work. This involved the process which has become known as the Dilution of Labor. This dilution implies that:

(1) The employment of skilled men should be confined to work which
cannot be efficiently performed by less skilled labor or by women.

(2) Semi-skilled and unskilled men should be employed on any work
which does not necessitate the employment of skilled men and for
which women are unsuitable.

(3) Women should be employed as far as practicable on all classes
of work for which they are suitable.

This, at first sight, seems a simple arrangement, but I need not tell you that it is a complicated one and involves expenditure of time, patience and money on the part of the employers and sympathetic co-operation on the part of the skilled employees. Women have to receive careful training, intervening hands in the processes of production have to be upgraded and the skill in the factory has to be spread over a large area, usually necessitating more supervision and care if equal results are to be obtained. These are average conditions, but in a large number of cases the changes due to the introduction of women have resulted in considerably increased outputs over men’s records, and this not only on light repetition work, but on heavy turning and laboring work and skilled and semi-skilled non-repetition work.

The patriotism shown by the employers in meeting the numerous difficulties which confronted them in training women for every conceivable kind of work, in reorganizing their factories for new productions by new labor, adapting their machinery to the measure of skill and strength available to work them has been one of the most inspiriting experiences of the war. Women have been trained in an incredibly short time, handling appliances of all kinds have been installed, special tools and gauges have had to be made and often when a work has been set fairly going and was reaching full production, a change in the country’s needs for munitions compelled the Ministry to alter a design or a size or to put a firm on to a completely new product, and again the whole process of retaining employees and adapting tools and plant had to be gone through.

If the employer has done well for the country, so, on the other hand, no finer example of patriotism has been shown by any class than by the artisan as a whole. On an appeal being made to the Trades Unions soon after the outbreak of the war these Unions without a single exception agreed to do what the national interests required. A network of Trades Union rules and regulations, usages and customs, the result of many years of activity by organized labor, were freely set aside to allow for the introduction of women in nearly every class of work, subject to reasonable conditions.

Whatever some employers may think this was a gigantic sacrifice to make. It involved wages, hours, overtime, night work, Sunday work, meal times, holidays, shop regulations and demarcation arrangements, restriction of output, preparations of apprentices and classes of employees to be engaged, etc., etc. This structure of Trade Unionism the workingman agreed should be swept away to allow of the production of the maximum amount of munitions by the readiest methods and by any character of labor that was available—male or female—on the condition that the structure should be replaced at the close of the war.

This is splendid patriotism and when you add to the sacrifice of Trades Union Rules the burden, such as has fallen principally on the Trades Union men, of training the hundreds of thousands of women to do their work, this must increase our debt of appreciation and gratitude. It is only by the loyal co-operation of employer and employed that we are in the satisfactory position as regards munitions that we are to-day.

By the process of dilution we have been able to place in munition works about 950,000 women to do work from the heaviest laboring unskilled operation to the highest grade of toolroom non-repetition work. I do not hesitate to say that women have entirely destroyed our pre-war ideas as to what constitutes “skilled” work. When in the early days of the war women were trained to turn out 18 pdr. H. E. shell and equal the production of male labor many thought that such work, amounting as it does to little more than manipulative dexterity, was about the limit of the capacity of women who had not received a regular course of Engineering training. After a few months’ workshop experience, however, women are to-day building the greater part of one of the best High-Speed Engines in the country, each woman setting her own tools and work, and able to machine any piece of work that the tool she is on will take. Women are building guns, including the fine fitting work on the breech mechanism, and the cutting of large screw threads up to a shoulder. They are doing most of the work in some shops on three and one-half ton Army Lorries and will do practically the whole of it if the war lasts much longer, including chassis erection and testing. They are doing important work in marine engine building, turning connecting rods, propeller shaft liners and doing practically all in some cases of the marked-off drilling. The Aero Engine, as you well know, is a very fine piece of mechanism and at the outset was considered a tool room job throughout. In some shops women are to-day doing the greater part of the work turning on Centre Lathes to half a thousandth, milling webs of Clerget Cylinders on a booker Miller without stops and setting up their own jobs and working again to half a thousandth limit, boring cylinders on a No. 9 Herbert and similar work on a Gishlet, setting up their own jobs, turning and finishing test pieces in various metals to a 5,000th; making tools and gauges of all kinds to fine limits; all varieties of bench fitting to drawings and marking-off work of every description. Locomotive work, steel constructional work, boilers, bending, drilling and riveting. Women are doing magnificent work both in regard to accuracy and output.

On shells of all nature women should, of course, be principally employed. Contracts for shell will only be renewed and continued after March 31st next (1917) with those firms who employ 80 per cent. of female labor on shell of sizes from 2.75” to 4.5” inclusive. On larger sizes of shell, contracts will only be renewed if the Ministry of Munitions’ instructions in regard to dilution have been carried out, not only in regard to the proportion of women to be employed in each factory but the proportions of semi-skilled men.

“The employer and employee have a mutual—not identical—interest in
procuring the largest possible production from a given amount of
labor.”—Hon. Wm. B. Wilson, Secretary of Labor. (Address before
Chamber of Commerce of U. S. A., September 20, 1917.)

“The factory, like the trench, is a post of combat. The duty is
not to abandon it before the enemy. My compliments to your Union
for having understood it so well.”—Marshal Foch. (Cablegram August
12th to the International Typographical Union, in convention at
Scranton, Pa.)

Transcriber’s Notes

pg 10 Changed: The slot shown must be absolutey
to: The slot shown must be absolutely

pg 61 Changed: Illionis Tool Works, Chicago, Ill.
to: Illinois Tool Works, Chicago, Ill.