HISTORICAL. 21 



larly so, when it is remembered how many new items were dealt 

 with, and how much more information was available than ever 

 before. 



Owing to the kindness of Colonel J. McAllister, commanding 

 Benicia Arsenal, I have been allowed to apply the system here. 

 In beginning, where everything was new, I was forced to simplify 

 and reduce the work as much as possible, for I had most of it to- 

 do myself; in consequence, when I got a helper, I was able to 

 teach him his duties in about a week's time. 



The comparatively crude means adopted, forming the basis of 

 the improvements hereafter described, have worked as great a 

 change as at Frankford. The foreman has no books to keep, and 

 all the clerical work, much more than formerly, is done by a 

 soldier who is employed for the greater part of his time as a 

 copyist in the Ordnance Storekeeper's office. 



Thus it will be seen that the results claimed have not been 

 achieved at a sacrifice, but that each advance in expansion and 

 efficiency has been accompanied by a gain in simplicity and 

 directness. 



While doing this work, I had been educating myself to a fuller- 

 comprehension of the possibilities of the system, so that, start- 

 ing to explain the Frankford system as I had left it, I found my 

 subject unsatisfactory, and discovered creeping in exceptions 

 and inconsistencies which I knew would be confusing to 

 those who might have to undertake the work afresh. I soon 

 determined that such special rules were but a sign of incom- 

 plete investigation and that the necessity for them must be 

 removed. 



In consequence, both Time and Material cards were revised. 

 The former was adapted to piece work as well as to time work by 

 the day or by any of its subdivisions, and also to rendering an 

 account of services by whomsoever performed ; and the new 

 Material card was placed in such accord with the Ordnance 

 Property Regulations that it sometimes seems their latent spirit. 

 The most radical change lay in limiting the cards to a single entry- 

 each ; this simple matter led to most important consequences. 



