Part 14

You mention training in the more difficult lines of effort, such as Tool Room, Machine Shops, etc. We agree with you as to the wide possibilities in this field, and are now organizing to accomplish this very thing at the Lincoln Motor Company.

At the beginning of the war when labor shortage was seriously manifested, I had charge of the reconstruction of a tool room, employing 270 toolmakers and machinists, engaged in the making of cutters, reamers, broaches, drill jigs, milling fixtures, etc.

Realizing then the difficulty that the future held in store of securing competent, reliable toolmakers and machinists, we undertook to train men who had no previous experience in this line. Our results were quite gratifying. We classified all work and trained men to operate specific machines against the various classifications.

To illustrate: We engaged a carpenter 67 years of age, who had no previous machine shop experience, trained him to run a Universal Milling Machine; not only did he meet successfully all work scheduled against his machine, but developed such skill in the operation of this machine, that later he compared favorably with the average good toolmaker, and in six months’ time we depended on him entirely to set up his own machine and proceed as a regular toolmaker. This represents intensive training and what was accomplished here can be accomplished in other general lines of tool room work.

We ultimately had 215 of these trained operators who were able to carry on the work, supported by 55 good toolmakers. I am with you in the confidence that it will be necessary to plan quite considerably in the adoption of some means to overcome a situation which looks really serious for the future.

(Signed) W. H. EBELHARE, General Superintendent, Lincoln Motor Co.

MUELLER METALS COMPANY

Port Huron, Mich.

I am pleased to advise you that we have been using many unskilled workers, also women, at both our Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Michigan, and Decatur, Illinois, plants and find that women are able to do the light operations on turret lathes quite satisfactorily.

Our greatest difficulty is in our Toolmaking Department, but we have lately installed the following plan.

We are selecting a good lathe hand from among our toolmakers and giving him from one to three students, paying him from 20 per cent. to 30 per cent., depending on the number of students he is able to take care of successfully, and we then pay these students about 50 per cent. of what the instructor receives with stipulated raises in pay until they have served two years, at the end of which time we pay them a very liberal bonus.

We have been able to secure some young men just out of High School who are going to make good workmen, but as the new draft will possibly take some of these boys we are now figuring on using women on this work and believe that they will be able to carry it on quite successfully.

(Signed) C. G. HEIBY, Vice-President and General Superintendent.

DETROIT LUBRICATOR COMPANY

Detroit, Michigan

New employees are started on simple work and given individual instruction. They are then advanced to more difficult work.

By this method of training we have operators giving top production who only a short time ago were automobile salesmen, cigar salesmen, letter carriers and watchmen.

The women trained in this way are producing excellent results and are making as good pay as the men on the same piece-work. At some types of inspection they excel any men we ever had on the jobs for speed and accuracy.

We have two men, with only one arm each! (after proper training) doing more work than the average two men.

The company has created a new department for the production of Liberty Motor Aeroplane Carburetors, and the work of this department includes a great variety of machines. It writes:

In order to furnish employees for this work with at least partial training, we are recruiting them from other departments in the shop doing similar work; in each of these other departments we have a section set aside which includes type machinery, and new employees are put at this work under careful supervision and training to develop them and thoroughly determine their value before being advanced on to aeroplane work.

(Signed) G. B. DUFFIELD, Superintendent.

INDEPENDENT PNEUMATIC TOOL COMPANY

Aurora, Illinois

Since installing our Vestibule Training School some seven weeks ago, we can gladly say it has proven a success, even beyond our expectations.

To date we have enrolled 109 students; 81 men, 28 women. The women workers have proven that they can in the emergency take the place of practically all our male workers, that is with from five to ten days of intensive training. We have placed women on such machines as Gear Hobbers, Screw Machines, Grinders, Drill Presses and are well satisfied with the result obtained. The percentage of scrap material has been less by the female workers than by the male.

In beginning our course of training each week our Mr. F. B. Hamerly, Works Manager, has made it his duty to tell these workers the vital need of training unskilled men and women so as to replace the boys that are called from our plant, that is, he tries to raise them to the highest pitch of enthusiasm.

(Signed) A. H. BOEHM, Vestibule Training School.