05-31-2010, 05:41 PM
I was reading through the introduction of my "Railway Engineering and Maintenance Cyclopedia - 1929" and came across the following paragraph. It would fit perfectly in with just about any business today.
"Particular attention as also been given during the past five years to the exonomics of railway labor with a view to offsetting by higher efficiency the 100 percent (!)increase in the cost of labor since 1917, along with the 50 per cent in crease in the cost of materials. The problem as been greatly complicated by the shorter working day (I wonder what it was in 1929...), which is specially adverse in roadway and track repairs, since forces so engaged lose a large percentage of the day in unproductive transportation to and from their work."
It goes on to talk about using units of measure, good organization, "labor saving devices", to increase labor efficiency and also the consideration of the welfare of the laborers to avoid unnecessary turnover. The entire introduction is fascinating, but this stood out because they are concerns that you hear on the news as well as in supervisory /management meetings to this day.
The more they stay the same.
Matt Goodman
"Particular attention as also been given during the past five years to the exonomics of railway labor with a view to offsetting by higher efficiency the 100 percent (!)increase in the cost of labor since 1917, along with the 50 per cent in crease in the cost of materials. The problem as been greatly complicated by the shorter working day (I wonder what it was in 1929...), which is specially adverse in roadway and track repairs, since forces so engaged lose a large percentage of the day in unproductive transportation to and from their work."
It goes on to talk about using units of measure, good organization, "labor saving devices", to increase labor efficiency and also the consideration of the welfare of the laborers to avoid unnecessary turnover. The entire introduction is fascinating, but this stood out because they are concerns that you hear on the news as well as in supervisory /management meetings to this day.
The more they stay the same.
Matt Goodman
Matt Goodman
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio