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Show terest is centered upon the slight sound of worms crawling under the grass roots. The robin makes his living liv-ing by hearing those sounds. I make my living by hearing the gear sounds." The parts comprising of axle gears are subjected to numerous precision tests before being assembled. An electric el-ectric device on the test stand determines deter-mines the load under which the axle is tested and gives the equal of road conditions. The "silence test," is made just before the gear assemly goes Into In-to the car. WESTENER DOES LONG SERVICE IN AUTO PLANT "Dad" Cutler, who completed on May 30, eight years of "silent testing" test-ing" at the Chevrolet gear and axle plant rn Detroit, lias approved: during dur-ing that time more than 1,000,000 axle gear assemblies. His ear has been specially trained to detect noises in the driving gears of the Chevrolet axle. "Dad," formally known as Joseph N. Cutler, is 60 years old but he has young ideas. Retire? Not me! Pirn just stating on my second milion. Besides I'm getting get-ting married in June."- Cutler has been a widow for 18 years He is a veteran of the western west-ern oil fields and was in the Klondike Klon-dike gold rush. In his "silence test," the gears on the rear end of the drive shaft are clamped into a machine which has two rear wheels, axles and brakes similar to those in the complete car. The forward end of the drive shaft engages an electric motor drive which "Dad" starts with a foot lever. Then he manipulates the brakes so that the gears revolv both forward and the gears revolve both forward and conditions. If his ear detects any slight irregularities in the purr of the gears, the assembly is rejected. At adjoining test blocks are other men on the same work whose experience ex-perience ranges from two to four years. But "Dad" is the dean of the crew. "It requires one year of training before a man's ear is 'tuned to a point where he can judge the sound of a gear assembly." he said. "I don't hear any other sounds around me. All I hear is the gear murmur." "The method is like that of a robin listening for earthworms crawling under the sod. The robin pays no attention at-tention to surrounding noise. His 'in- |