SYMBOLIC NOMENCLATURE. 101 



Besides the employees directly engaged upon the tangible 

 product of an establishment, there are many whose services, 

 although essential to the final issue, are easily lost sight of in 

 computing its cost. There are foremen, clerks, engineers, fire- 

 men, porters, oilers and sweepers, and generally speaking those 

 whose services are permanently required, independently of the 

 amount of the output. 



Their services, being recurrent, belong to the W. class, but for 

 the sake of distinction from the operative labor which they organ- 

 ize and assist, they are designated by the letter A Attendance. 

 An example of the utility of this subdivision is found in manu- 

 factures by machinery in large quantities of staple products, such 

 as cartridges, hardware, clothing, etc., where the division of labor 

 has led to its constant employment in certain special lines. 



Experience has shown the economy of having a cheap grade 

 of labor to run a number of machines in charge of an experienced 

 mechanic. The operatives return their time under W. ; the 

 mechanic under A. This gives a chance of ascertaining the true 

 cost of operations in which the quantity of operative labor varies, 

 and of those in which the cost of attendance may possibly un- 

 wittingly consume the saving due to the cheaper operative labor 

 employed. 



Were it not lor the confusion likely to result from a use of the 

 word " plant " otherwise than as described page 99, labor returned 

 as A. might be called the " labor plant " of the establishment. 



T. Tools. 



Next comes as a component part of W., Tools, symbol T. 



In the manufactures above described great numbers of tools 

 are consumed in the execution of the work : dies and punches, 

 taps, files, etc. When the manufacture is sufficiently extended 

 to make this consumption a matter of moment, its recurrence 

 takes it from the region of plant, and makes it belong to W. 



Tools* in this special sense may be defined as the perishable 

 portions of machines which act directly upon the objects of the 

 special manufacture and are subject to consumption from wear 

 during the execution of the order for which they are made. 



