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Show ITES 'HE GOOD TIBEjUILOEI Firestone Factory's "Silent Colony" Gives Proof of Efficiency. AKEOJT, Ohio, Oct. 4 Workmen who neither talk nor hear are finding the word "Welcome" on tho door-mat of tho rire3tone factories at Akron. Since March of this year approximately 100 have been employed. B. M. Schowe, whose whole duty it is to employ the deaf and look out for their interests while they are members of the Firestone organization, declares they make excellent workmen. "The non-speaking deaf," he says, "have long been refused employment by careless employers who have underestimated under-estimated their worth in industry. Tire manufacturers were among the first to recognize this worth and to offer them a welcome. At the Firestone factories we find that on the whole they make capable, steady workmen. "They are well enough educated for most any line of work in which tho power of speech and of hearing are not essential, but in the rubber factories they find ideal employment because tire-building operations are highly specialized, spe-cialized, and after learning the rudi- nionls of an operation tlio workman ! needs no further instruction Vint can work along silently in acquiring his skill. ' Benefit to Foreman. "The man directly in charge of the deaf must have patience enough to give nocessary instructions in writing, but tho instructor generally benefits by the added effort. It opens up a quick and simple way for t he good foreman to gain the workman's regard and loyalty. "They ar2 working with us in all departments, excepting in the mill, pit and calender rooms, where the heavy machinery is not considered absolutely safo for the man who cannot hear. They make excellent tiro finishers, tread stock assemblers and tubo makers. "Arrangements are now being made to bring them into groups, with a deaf instructor over them. The steel products prod-ucts unit already offers them opportunities oppor-tunities as rim inspectors. "They aro making good in our general gen-eral offices, and Thomas W. Osborne, B. A., of Gallnudet college, 1919, is employed as a chemist. Three joined us recently from New Mexico upon tho recommendation of tho superintendent of their school there." Sociable in Signs. Socially, these men who speak the sign language generally group together. At the Firestone factories they are referred re-ferred to as "the silent colony." They have their own reading and assembly rooms at the employees' clubhouse, but are encouraged to make use of all the clubhouse facilities. In athletics they are especially good. They expect to have class A basketball and bowling teams entered this winter in factory competitions. One is a member mem-ber of the Firestone track team and another is a champion swimmer. At a smoker recently ono met all comers at boxing. Harry C. Ware was the first member of the silent colony to come to Firestone. Fire-stone. He joined the organization in 1911 as a tire-builder and still holds the job. He owns a block of stock in the company, as do several of his companions. com-panions. One member of the colony, John Stitch, was a soldier in France. He lost his hearing while in -the United States army. He has a medal for valor. None of the 17,000 employees at Firestone Fire-stone has anything but a good word for "tho silents." |