June 25, 191 7 



Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



37 



was discharged. It was simply a matter of throwing human flesh 

 at a job. Not so today, how^ever. There is a scarcity of good 

 labor. Dependable veneer men are scarce and the few w^e have 

 should be handled with the greatest respect. The panel manu- 

 facturer must show his employes that he appreciates their loyalty. 

 The fact that you are the boss does not always mean leadership. 



You are all alarmed regarding the possible increase in price 

 of lumber which w^ill mean higher cost of veneers. Some of you 

 are not so busy as you were a few months ago and you realize that 

 in order to make a profit this year you will have to cut corners 

 and you will be compelled to produce your goods at the lowest 

 possible cost. You instruct your superintendents and foremen 

 almost daily to watch the waste piles for lumber, and glue costs 

 money these days. This proves good management. How^ever, 

 permit me to point out that the greatest w^aste in the American 

 factories, regardless of lines, is a human waste, the w^aste of mis- 

 applied human energy. Too many of your foremen select their 

 friends to do jobs that could be done w^ith better results if just 

 a little attention were given to the proper selection of men, and 

 relationship as w^ell as friendship were not considered. You may 

 employ the best panel experts in the country to manage your 

 plants, but if these men do not know how to hire men they are 



misfits not big enough for the job they are holding. The most 



important factor in business is the ability to pick men for the 

 various jobs w^ith a soundness of judgment that justifies itself in 

 a majority of cases, for all of the panel business today is done by 

 delegated authority and by the hand of the hireling. 



I am pleased to report that surroundings have been made very 

 pleasant for the men in most panel and veneer factories. A few^ 

 of the plants I have in mind have splendid shade trees, flower 

 beds, etc., in front of the plant. The factory yards are kept clean. 

 These plants show^ progressiveness and prove a good advertisement 

 for the product. 



Do not tolerate gloomy surroundings, for we all know that 

 gloomy men are inefficient. 



In order to do proper matching of veneers good light is abso- 

 lutely necessary, also direct attention to the glue room. What 

 about the odor? 1 have visited many glue rooms that fairly 

 sickened one and 1 fail to understand how^ any human being can 

 w^ork in them for from eight to ten hours per day. Keep these 

 rooms clean. Do not permit glue to sour, and if glue is properly 

 handled you will never have a nauseating odor. One thing is 

 certain, w^hen glue begins to smell it is in the stages of decomposi- 

 tion and will in addition to its rank odor give unsatisfactory re- 

 sults in the w^ork. 



Every physician advocates fresh air. Be sure you have an 

 abundance of this in your factory. More or less heat is required" 

 in every panel or veneer factory, and this makes fresh air doubly 

 essential in plants of this kind. 



Suggestions should be solicited from employes at all times, 

 whether five or five thousand men are employed. This is accom- 

 plished by placing boxes through various parts of the plant, the 

 employe dropping his written suggestions in these boxes. Of 

 course, to get results, one should offer prizes or bonuses. Again, 

 a liberal amount of money may be offered to the person making 

 the most and best suggestions throughout the year, this in addi- 

 tion to the prizes. 



Factory football, baseball or factory drill teams tend to closer 

 co-operation and better feeling among employes. 



A. T. DEINZER. 



The tendency of the times is to take more wooihvorking machinery 

 into the woods, and more skilled workers to handle it, to have lots 

 of side industries to saw milling to help utilize our timber resources 

 better. These special side lines are excellent things for the skilled 

 woodworker to post himself on, as many of them are conducted on 

 a profit-sharing basis and form opportunities for the competent man 

 to grow into a business man as well as a skilled worker. 



All Three of Us Will Be Benefited if 



MAHOGANY 

 LUMBER 



About ten carloads 1" No. 1 Com., 

 also other thicknesses and grades of 



MEXICAN & HONDURAS 



MAHOGANY 



dry enough to put in a kiln 

 with safety. 



If at any time we can 

 serve you better by 

 telegraphing kindly 

 wire at our expense. 



We are carrying a nice stock of 

 SAWED VENEER, 1/8", 3/16" 

 and 1/4" Mexican; also several 

 MILLION feet of SLICED 

 1/24" and 1/28" Mahogany, and 

 AMERICAN WALNUT veneer 

 ranging from plain to highly 

 figured. May we send samples 

 to you? 



Huddleston-Marsh 

 Mahogany Company 



2254 Lumber Street 

 CHICAGO 



33 West 42nd Street 

 NEW YORK CITY 



You Mention HARDWOOD RECORD 



