Union Pacific Shop Bulletin p 7

THE BULLETIN7confidence of the men over whom he has jurisdiction, this is necessary. In picking this man for this position, I would first look for a keen, outstanding, able bodied physically, good young man, for the duties which a foreman is called upon to perform these days are strenuous. It is necessary for him to be physically fit as well as mentally able and to have a thorough knowledge of the business. Having selected this man, I would purposely permit nothing to hamper his advancement. A man entering upon this career must have confidence in his ability to operate a certain division of the locomotive or car department as well as the confidence of his superior. The greatest strain I ever had in my whole life was the uncertainty in my mind as to whether I was producing the necessary amount of work in a satisfactory manner during my first year as a gang foreman, therefore, I say to the higher supervisor, a word of encouragement to a foreman is quite essential. A district foreman or general foreman should never miss this opportunity. The greatest asset a foreman can have is to deliver the goods. Don't wait go ahead and do the best you possibly can. If it don't suit your superior, he should be sensible enough to say, "Well, the next time let's do it my way." Any officer who is big enough for his position is broad minded enough to think this way. A foreman should ask himself every once in a while "Why am I a foreman?" What have I done for the company to give me this position? What am I doing to keep it and what am I doing to prepare myself for the next elevation?"Keep in touch with all your trade journals in your particular line as well as a few other lines of industry, do not keep your nose on one beaten path. There are methods successfully used in other lines of industry which would be highly productive if applied to the railroad game. Remember, your job as a foreman in the mechanical department is to keep locomotives and cars moving, keep locomotives out of the round house and shops and keep cars off the repair tracks. When locomotives are in the round house or shops and cars on repair tracks, they are not producing. Hence, a thorough application and study of the mechanical operations and methods of doing work that will keep the equipment out of the shops will assist you to get results that will be appre-ciated. Bear in mind that railroading is in reality just as much a business proposition as, any other commercial undertaking and that you must get results for the money you are spending. When you write an order on the store keeper remember that you are writing a check on the treasury of your company. Don't waste materials, and do not cause the stores department as a result, to carry unnecessary stock of material and tools.LoyaltyWhen you see a man doing wrong and you know that he is doing wrong from your own experience, have courage to correct him and show him the proper way. Do this in a manner that will not leave a sore spot. Don't let this man get away from you with a grouch. Straighten him out and make him see the light in the proper way. Loyalty is the greatest asset that a foreman or any other supervising officer can have. It was loyalty that kept the railroad running through the last strike and it is for that loyalty that each and every foreman will in some manner be rewarded. It may not be today or tomorrow but the time will come when a greater and higher position will have to be filled then your boss or my boss will look back over the list and this is the greatest essential that he will consider above all others when he is pointing his finger to your name or my name and will say,, "that's the man for this position because he was loyal.Handling of. ApprenticesA regular apprentice comes to the | railroad a green, bashful boy between | the age of sixteen and eighteen who had never had any regular employment. They are turned over to a busy foreman whose principal duties are to get output. Only a few of the most ambitious boys remain and become good men. The majority are either dropped or can't hold a job at the end of their apprenticeship. This condition explains why the Union Pacific Railroad has found it necessary to devise a plan for education and training of their apprentices in their shops. The handling of apprentices must to a certain extent be governed by local conditions. Where a sufficient number of apprentices are employed and conditions permit, an apprentice training system should be established, composed of two branches, shop training and school training. Both branches should bein charge of an instructor whose duties should include the keeping in close touch with all apprentices, keeping a record of the progress of each boy, instruct the apprentices in their shop training and have full charge of the school training. The shop training should consist of a regular schedule of work showing the number of months or weeks the apprentice is to be assigned to certain classes of work. This must be worked out to suit local conditions. The school training should be worked out, if possible, on the part time training plan, each apprentice being given two hours' training twice a week during the day period and two hours of night school two evenings each week. The apprentices should be divided into three or four classes in accordance with the education they have received before entering the service and should be taught mathematics, drawing and shop science. They should receive instruction on federal rules Company standard practices and instructions in maintenance and care of air brakes, injectors, stokers, and other special appliances. This school with the right kind of an instructor would be a great help to our apprentices. But if local conditions do not permit then it will be up to the local supervisors to handle their own apprentices. I believe if a good live foreman is appointed, one who will hold meetings to discuss the welfare of the apprentices, a great deal can be accomplished. This will mean more sacrifice on the part of the foreman but I feel we should make every efford to so handle our apprentices, so that when their four years have expired we will be glad to retain them in our service as a skilled mechanic. An all around skilled mechanic is becoming more and more scarce every day and I think we must put forth a very serious effort in the near future to overcome this, so as to keep our ranks filled and increase our efficiency.FRANK DAVIDSON, Foreman, Laramie, Wyo.SELECTEDWith public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed. Abraham Lincoln.