| Show A PRIVATE HOUSE housecleaning CLEANING all the financial newspapers ta in the coubry and many other publications recently ran a story telling how henry ford solved the difficulties of 0 the ford motor company in its readjustment from a war to a peace basis baits in brief mr ford did what every good business man has been doing lie ile cut down his inventories by using up all mater larl on hand reduced reduce 1 his prices and his product to his various agents he pushed his collections both foreign and domestic sold what liberty bonds were necessary and reduced his obligations ligat ions to a minimum then says mr ford we went through the offices and cut out a it of 0 jobs created during the war we literally took out and sold a trainload ol of desks we told the men who occupied these desks that back in the shop there were many good jobs at good pay it they wanted them most ot of them did we cut the office forces from 1074 persons to telephone extensions were cut about sixty per cent interesting hut useless statistical systems were abolished we went through the shops in the same way during the war we had a foreman tor for about every three to five men too many foremen sat at desks looking on we sold all the desks and put most of the foremen working benow we now have a foreman for about every twenty men everybody and everything not producing was put in a position where it could produce or was eliminated our difficulties were like lika those ot of every other great plant a herrage herit aiso of the war we knew as the country settled back to peace conditions some stern readjustments be necessary compare the house cleaning in the ford plant to the helpless position of the railroads which are still bound by the heritage of war regulation and working conditions but are helpless to make needed changes due to political supervision under which they operate think what a blessing it would be to the people of this nation it if a house cleaning such as ford gave his plant could be given to the various branches of our national government and weed out the dead timber and useless jobs which will be a hangover from the war and a burden to the taxpayers for years to come politics and business do not mix mis it if the ford plant was under political supervision the price of 0 ford cars would be double or treble their present cost |
