PART IV. WATER TRANSPORTATION[21

[21] In the preparation of this part the following publications have been utilized extensively: “United States Department of Labor Description of Occupations--Water Transportation,” Reisenberg’s “The Men on Deck,” and “United Spates Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation Hearings before the Committee on Commerce, United States Senate, 1918.”

Water transportation may be considered from two standpoints, terminal and interterminal. Terminal transportation does not differ materially from transportation upon the rivers and canals. Interterminal transportation, whether on the Great Lakes or on the sea, is practically the same. In this place we shall, accordingly, deal with only terminal and ocean transportation.

PLAN No. 1013. TERMINAL TRANSPORTATION

Terminal transportation has to do with the loading and unloading of cargoes, and is usually heavy work that requires men with strong backs and little training. The men who supervise the laborers on the boats must have executive ability and a knowledge of boats, equipment, and harbors. The chief qualification of a captain of a barge, a scow, a lighter, or a covered barge, is ability to direct other men at the work of loading and unloading the vessel, of handling lines, and of shifting the boat, and ability to make minor repairs. On lighters and covered barges the captain tallies and signs up for the cargo received. The master steers the boat, gives orders to the crew, and signals the engineer for movement of the boat. He is responsible for the safety of the passengers and the crew. He must have keen eyesight and the ability to act quickly and efficiently in an emergency. He must be thoroughly familiar with the harbor and with harbor conditions. He supervises the pilot, if one is carried on the boat. On smaller boats, the pilot acts as master, and then his duties are the same as the master’s. The wheelsman is an assistant to the master, and performs part of the latter’s duties. Deckhands sometimes act as wheelsmen, and may advance to that position, or higher--to pilot, captain, or master. The engineer is usually a man of considerable skill and experience and possesses a thorough knowledge of the machinery of the boat. He sees that the engine is properly cared for, oiled and kept in good working condition. He directs the work of his assistant, of the oiler who oils the machinery, and of the firemen. He receives his orders for the movement of the boat from the master.

DISABILITIES

Of these men, only those who supervise other men could have sustained serious injuries. None of them may have either defective eyesight or hearing. The loss of an arm would usually be a serious handicap, and also the loss of a leg would be such an inconvenience for most men in climbing on and about the boat as to be a serious handicap. In these occupations good opportunities for men seriously disabled are comparatively few.

OCEAN TRANSPORTATION

On board a large ocean liner is to be found a complete organization of officers, supervisors, clerks, and skilled and unskilled laborers. As a general rule, all of these men must be physically sound, and about the only disabilities allowable are the loss of fingers, of a foot, and perhaps of one eye if the remaining eye is very good. For men so disabled there is some slight opportunity for advancement. Only the clerical positions such as the purser, assistant purser, or freight clerk, can be filled by men who have lost a hand or leg, or who are otherwise physically unfit for climbing about on slippery decks in a rolling sea. Wages paid during the war have been abnormally high.

OCEAN VESSELS VARY GREATLY

There are two general classes of ocean vessels--sail and steam, steam vessels being in many instances equipped for sailing. In these two general classes there are, however, all sorts and types of boats and ships.

PLAN No. 1014. CREW AND DUTIES LIKEWISE VARY

The crew of a steam vessel has three departments--deck, engineer’s, and steward’s.[22]

[22] The United States Shipping Board has made the following announcement of free training for deck officers and engineers: “The United States Shipping Board is creating a new national fleet of merchantmen, controlled by the United States Government. The Shipping Board needs for these ships 4,000 new watch officers and 4,000 new engineers. Men of proper experience will be trained free of charge to take examinations for licenses in either branch of the service to fill these positions.” The experience required ranges from two to three years at certain maritime occupations. You can learn more about this opportunity to get training by conferring with representatives of the Federal Board for Vocational Education.

The deck crew of a steamer depends upon the size and type of the vessel, and ranges from as low as nine on a small steamer to 972 on the _Olympic_, officers included. The average number of able seamen is about seven for ocean-carrying vessels. The others are officers, ordinary seamen, deck boys, etc. It has been charged that boats frequently ship without any able seamen, and depend upon ordinary seamen and deck boys in emergencies.

Deck duty is varied and crowded with emergencies. “The sailor’s daily work in all kinds of vessels and weather, at the wheel, on the lookout, and on deck, teaches him to know the sea and how to work with it. His work with tackles, lines, and cables, in hoisting and lowering, trains his judgment of strains and distances.”[23] “The amount of gear and equipment used in the deck department on different classes of steamships varies greatly, but the difference is one of degree rather than of the kind.”[24]

[23] International Conference on Safety at Sea, p. 119.

[24] International Conference on Safety at Sea, p. 121.

PLAN No. 1015. NAVAL VERSUS MERCHANT MARINE CREWS

The crew and the work done on a merchant vessel are so different from those on a naval vessel that the disabled sailor would have much to learn in going from a naval vessel to a merchant vessel. One fundamental difference is this: The merchant vessel carries generally only about one-third the crew--ton for ton--that the naval vessel does. On a naval vessel the men work in groups; on a merchant vessel the man works as an individual and not in a group.

The crew of a large merchant vessel consists more or less of the following officers, seamen, and attendants: Master, chief mate, second mate, third officer, fourth officer, senior quartermaster, quartermaster, master-at-arms, chief steward, chief second-class steward, chief third-class steward, chief engineer, first assistant engineer, second assistant engineer, third assistant engineer, junior engineer, deck engineer, leading fireman, oiler, electrician, carpenter, boatswain, able seamen, ordinary seamen, deck boy, water tender, lookout, purser, assistant purser, freight clerk, and bakers, chefs, cooks, buglers, butchers, cadets, storekeeper, and watchman.

PLAN No. 1016. THE MASTER OR CAPTAIN

The master has general supervision over the vessel, crew, and passengers. He has complete charge of the vessel at all times, but during a severe storm or other emergency he stands on the watch continuously day and night and issues the necessary orders. He is responsible for the safe navigation of his vessel. His responsibility extends to the management of the various departments as well as to the vessel and its care as a whole--for the safety of the lives of passengers and crew, and for the safe storage, carriage, and unloading of cargo. He must have a thorough knowledge of navigation, which subject he must have studied thoroughly, and in which he must have passed a rigid examination before he received his license as a master. He must likewise possess a legal knowledge of the laws governing right upon the sea and determining his duties as regards the ship and its passengers, crew, and cargo. Among his other duties are to keep the log properly and to inspect the ship regularly as to ventilation, warmth, and cleanliness. He must be the last man to leave the ship in case of disaster, and must do everything within his power for the safety of the passengers and crew. He must have received much of his training in lower positions upon the sea, but he must also have studied navigation in some school or under some able master. He must have executive ability of a high order and be able to act efficiently in an emergency.

PLAN No. 1017. THE CHIEF MATE

Next to the master in authority and responsibility comes the chief mate. He shares with the master responsibility for safe and proper navigation of the ship. He is the chief executive officer and must organize and supervise the routine work of keeping order throughout the ship. He is held responsible for discipline. Under him is the master-at-arms, the ship’s policeman, who keeps order among the crew and steerage passengers. His knowledge of the vessel, its equipment, stores, and complement of men must be thorough. He supervises the preparation and care of the holds, and the loading, stowing, and unloading of cargo. This is done under his personal direction or under another officer to whom he has delegated the duty. He sees that the cargo-handling gear is kept in proper working condition. It is his duty to inspect the lifeboats and have them kept properly equipped and in working order, and to hold regular lifeboat drills. The firefighting equipment is likewise in his care, and he must also hold fire drills regularly. His training and knowledge is very similar to that required of the master. Ordinarily he takes his turn with the third and fourth officers at a watch on the bridge.

PLAN No. 1018. THE SECOND MATE

The second mate stands his watch on the bridge, takes various observations, and gives orders to the quartermasters. On large liners he has complete charge of the navigating equipment, and is known as the navigating officer. When the vessel docks he supervises matters at the after end of the boat. In general, he has charge of the after holds, the after cargo, and the after gears. Only in experience and degree of training do his qualifications differ from those of the chief mate.

PLAN No. 1019. WATCH OFFICERS

The third and fourth officers are watch officers. The fourth officer is frequently left in charge of the bridge in fair weather and under good conditions, and like the third officer takes observations, and gives orders to the quartermaster. The third officer has general charge of the forward holds, under the supervision of the chief mate. On some vessels, he is the signal officer and has charge of the care and use of the signal flag and other signaling equipment. Frequently he supervises the placing of the gangway and the embarkation of the passengers when the vessel docks. Both of these officers must have had instruction in navigation, and must be alert and attentive to duty.

PLAN No. 1020. THE CHIEF ENGINEER AND HIS ASSISTANTS

The chief engineer, the assistant engineers, the junior engineers, the deck engineers, the firemen, oilers, and electricians care for all machinery of the ship. The chief engineer stands no watch, but the assistant engineers do, and are responsible for all that takes place in the engine room and fireroom during their watch at sea. Under these assistant engineers are the junior engineers, one of whom is in direct charge during each watch of each of the firerooms, the engine room, and the auxiliaries. In port the junior engineers help the other engineers, the firemen, and the oilers in the repair, packing and overhauling of the machinery. The chief engineer is held responsible for the proper functioning of the engines and boilers, the deck machinery, the electrical, refrigerating and sanitary equipment, and for all steam connections on the ship. He must see that the regulations of his department are carried out, that the engine and fireroom crews are qualified and conduct themselves with sobriety. At the end of each voyage he reports on these matters, and on the working of the machinery--its breakdowns and repairs, especially any exceptional one made away from port--the miles traveled, temperatures, and consumption of fuel. It is his duty to have the steamer properly coaled, both as to quality and quantity of coal. He must possess executive ability, and must have studied engineering in a nautical school or under a competent engineer for a period of years. The first assistant engineer has as his special duty the general charge of all boilers and machinery in the engine department. The second assistant engineer usually employs the fireroom crew and reports to the chief engineer on their qualifications and conduct. He has charge of the repairs and overhauling of the main engines and auxiliaries on the starboard side. The deck engineer supervises and keeps in repair the deck machinery, the steering gear, windlass engine, capstans, and the sanitary systems. The leading fireman has supervision over the firing of the boilers, the keeping of water in the boilers, and over the firemen, coal passers and water tenders. He personally tends a set of fires. On some boats he acts as interpreter of the orders of superior officers to the firemen who are foreigners and can not understand the orders in English. The oiler must keep all the engines clean and well oiled, and see that they are running smoothly and without undue heat. The electrician supervises and keeps in repair the dynamo engines, the electric motors, and other electrical apparatus on the ship. The work of keeping the ship in working condition is usually done by the engineering department. There is, however, some work of repairing that is done by the carpenter, whose duties depend greatly upon the character of the ship. He is generally charged with the upkeep of masts and booms, the repair of wooden decks, and the opening and covering of the hatches.

PLAN No. 1021. THE BOATSWAIN

The boatswain, under the supervision of the chief mate, has active charge of the deck crew, and works the seamen at washing, repairing, and painting decks.

PLAN No. 1022. ABLE SEAMEN

Since all officers must have served as able seamen, the required duties of the able seamen are worth noting in detail. “While on board ship in port, the able seaman is occupied with cleaning, painting, repairing, and overhauling. When the vessel is at sea, the able seaman washes decks and the outside of deckhouses, slacks off exposed gear when shrinking too tight in damp weather, and tightens it again when it becomes too lose in dry weather. When a storm comes on the able seaman closes all open hatches, ports, etc., and lashes down all movables on deck or stows them away.” The ordinary seaman does the same work as the able seaman, so far as his training and ability will permit. The deck boy is simply an apprentice seaman.

“The man who expects to be known as an able seaman on a steamship must know the use of rigging screws, fids, marlinspikes, serving mallets, the palm and needle, calking tools, and most of the carpenter tools; the mixing of paints and colors; how to obtain strong leverages with bars, ropes, tackles; how to brace with wedges and shores; besides knowing the various knots and splices; and to worm, parcel, serve, and seize, with rope and wire; and must be able to hold up his end of a job when it comes to climbing and working in places where both armhold and foothold is difficult. He must know the lead line, not only its marks but how to use it to get correct sounding when the ship is in close quarters, the night dark, and the sea heavy, whether he stands in a smother of sea on a low freighter or far up the side of an immense liner. The compass, of course, is a familiar object to him, but he must know how to use it, how to steer the ship under all conditions, what to expect and how to meet it when he is steering across a current as well as with it or against it, through the swift rush of a narrows, passing at close quarters in and out of the suction of another heavy ship under speed, with the wind light or strong from any direction, heading into a heavy sea, taking it on either bow or quarter or abeam, under check or full speed, rolling and pitching heavily, or running before it, when a blunder may mean total loss of ship with lives and cargo. The man at the wheel must know his work, what to expect and how to meet it instantly, in calm or storm, daylight or dark, in clear weather or in fog. The man who learns to be a reasonably good helmsman in even three years is an exception, because, regardless of the aptitude of the individual, the personal knowledge of varying conditions, different ships and how they act under differing circumstances, familiarity with the various steering gears, can only be gained through experience necessarily covering a good deal of time. The steam steering gear, rendering less physical strength necessary and making possible the handling of larger ships, requires greater skill than the old hand method, which permitted the man at the wheel to feel the increasing or decreasing rudder pressure and thus warned him of just how the ship was acting.

“Prepared paint is seldom brought on board ship. The raw material is put on board and is mixed according to needs by the able seaman. Graining, filling, varnishing, and lettering is done as well as ordinary flat painting. Sailors become sufficiently skilled at this work to qualify as journeymen painters on shore. The deck crew cleans all outside parts of the ship, except the funnel, from the masts and booms to the deck houses, decks, and sides of the ship.”[25]

[25] International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, pp. 124-125.

HOURS OF LABOR

The hours of labor for workmen are: On deck, two shifts (watch and watch) 12 hours each; in the engine room three shifts of 8 hours each. In emergencies the hours are greatly lengthened.

WAGES

Following is the wage scale which has been established during the war. In 1915 wages were about half the amounts here given:

Sailors and firemen, $60 per month; coal passers, $50 per month; oilers and water tenders, $65 per month; boatswain, $70 per month; carpenters, $75 per month; overtime pay for cargo work 50 cents per hour, and for ship work 40 cents per hour. The bonus for going into the war zone was 50 per cent of the wages, the wages and bonus to continue until crew arrive back in the United States; $100 compensation was paid for loss of effects caused by war conditions. Board and quarters are of course provided in addition to the wages.[26]

[26] United States Emergency Fleet Corporation Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, United States Senate, pp. 854-857.

TRAINING

Seamen are required to have three years’ experience at sea to receive able seamen’s certificates. Vessels differ greatly to-day and conditions and duties abroad are so radically different, while the voyages to various parts of the globe subject seamen to so many varied emergencies, that a long training at sea is necessary to make an able seamen. It is the rule for seaman to change from ship to ship.

There are training schools for seamen. During the war the school at Boston gave intensified training for six to eight weeks, then placed the learner on a boat at sea, and after about six weeks he qualified as an ordinary seaman. For a man to get his “sea legs” requires this long a period. “It takes some time for a man to get himself so accustomed to the sea he can walk along the deck without holding himself fast to something when the vessel is rolling and pitching.”

SAFETY

The seaman is exposed to bad weather conditions, accidents, and disease. The mortality rate among seamen is very high--much higher than among some occupations commonly thought to be extra hazardous to life and health. English mortality statistics show that the death rate among seamen is far greater than among miners and railroad trainmen. Since it is a dangerous calling for men sound in limb and body, it is, accordingly, very undesirable in general for disabled men.

PLAN No. 1023. THE LOOKOUT

The lookout has a position of responsibility. Stationed in the crow’s nest or on the forecastle, he watches for everything that comes in sight, and especially for things that might damage the ship, such as derelicts, icebergs, submarines, and on-coming steamships. When he sights anything, he reports it immediately to the bridge, either by shouting, speaking tube, telephone, or telegraph. He must have keen eyesight and attend strictly to duty. A disabled soldier or sailor with these qualifications, and whose disabilities do not prevent his climbing readily, or holding himself in position in stormy weather might qualify for this position.

PLAN No. 1024. THE PURSER--A POSITION FOR DISABLED SOLDIERS

A far better position for the disabled man is that of the purser, or assistant purser. The purser is a treasurer, accountant, and chief clerk on the ship. Money and valuables may be deposited with him by the passengers for safety. He acts as a sort of cashier for the passengers and crew in changing money and cashing traveler’s checks, etc. He keeps the wages account of the crew, and is present when the crew is paid off. He collects or supervises the collection of all tickets, and checks these against the passenger list as soon as practicable after the vessel has sailed. He is responsible for the manifests, bills of health, clearance papers, and cargo. He should know everything about the passengers and cargo. Although the master must record in his log any death aboard, the purser must get the details for his own report and for the master’s log. He supplies information and encourages entertainments among the passengers. He should be able to speak the languages of the countries at which his ship comes to port. He should possess tact and be courteous to the passengers.

The freight clerk has a position, that for the freight is somewhat similar to that of the assistant purser for the passengers.

PLAN No. 1025. CHIEF STEWARDS

Chief stewards have positions corresponding closely to those of a large hotel, sanitarium or similar institution. They must have business and executive ability, and are held responsible for the comfort and service of passengers in matters of sleeping quarters, food, heat, and ventilation. Under them are the chef, cooks, and numerous other attendants. Each of these occupations has the characteristics of the same occupation as followed on the land. Upon chief stewards devolves the further duty of purchasing in advance of a voyage in proper quantities the supplies needed.

It should be added that if a disabled soldier or sailor is qualified for any of these positions, he will generally find work on land preferable to work on board a ship.

OTHER POSITIONS IN WATER TRANSPORTATION

A large number of office positions corresponding to those in railway service exist at the leading ports. Disabled sailors could qualify for these and find their former experience of value.

PLAN No. 1026. OCCUPATIONS IN NAVY YARDS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This monograph was prepared by Charles R. Allen, special agent of the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Acknowledgment is due to Dr. John Cummings, of the Research Division, for editorial assistance.

Perhaps you have been on a ship when she was in the yard. In that case you have some notion of the various jobs that are carried on. Perhaps you have seen in one part of the yard a ship under construction on the ways, and have seen and heard the riveters, bolters up, chippers, and calkers at work. Perhaps you have been in the shops and have seen the boiler makers, the sheet-metal men, the machinists, the jointers at work. In short, perhaps you already have a pretty good idea of the different kinds of work that are carried on in a navy yard, but would like to know more about it.

Perhaps you never were in a navy yard, or if you were, you were too busy to notice what went on. In that case you may be still interested in knowing how many different trades are carried on in a navy yard, and how they are carried on. In either case if you followed a trade before you entered the service, if you learned a trade while you were in the service, or if you intend to take advantage of the opportunity offered to you by the Federal Board for Vocational Education to take further training in your trade or to take training for some new trade after your discharge, you may be interested in finding out what a navy yard is, what trades are carried on, how they are carried on, what their requirements are, what a man must do to qualify for a navy-yard job, what sort of working conditions he would work under, what the chances of promotion would be, how much pay he could get, and, in general, whether there is anything in navy-yard employment that appeals to you and that you would want to try to get into.

This pamphlet gives you some general information about navy-yard employments, and tells you how you can get more detailed information if you are interested in finding out more about opportunities for navy-yard employment.

GENERAL WORKING CONDITIONS

If you go to work in a navy-yard you get an eight-hour day, with Saturday half holidays from June 15 to September 15. You can be granted 30 working days leave of absence each year without loss of pay during such leave, but it would be lawful to allow you pro rata leave only after you have served 12 months or more. During the second year of service you could be allowed 60 days leave with pay, 30 days at any time during the year and 30 days at the rate of 2¹⁄₂ days a month as earned from the beginning of the service year. After two years of service you could get 30 days’ leave per year, at the rate of 2¹⁄₂ days per month. Should you be injured in the usual course of employment you would be entitled to receive compensation under certain conditions.

STABILITY OF EMPLOYMENT

Of course, during the war navy-yard work has been rushed and a large number of extra men have been taken on, but under ordinary conditions, such as existed before the war and will exist after the war, navy-yard work is pretty steady, and if you are a good man when you are once employed you are likely to hold a steady job. Should you be laid off on account of lack of work, you can get your name on a furlough list for reinstatement.

As a civil-service employee, you can not be discharged at the whim of your superior, but only for cause.

Rates of pay will average well with those paid for similar work in private concerns, and there is little danger of loss of employment through the concern going out of business.

All of these conditions make employment in navy yards desirable from the standpoint of holding a steady job when you are once employed.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH CONDITIONS IN NAVY-YARD EMPLOYMENT?

The list of navy yard trades and occupations show you that the general health conditions in the different shop trades are about the same as in the same trades anywhere. Since most navy yards have been established for a good many years many of the shop buildings are not up to modern-shop standards, especially as regards lighting, but new buildings are constantly being erected that are much better than the old ones. The yard trades are mostly carried on in the open air, which might be a very desirable thing if you need outside work for your health, and could stand the heat in summer and the cold in winter.

As a general rule few if any of the navy yard trades and occupations would be rated as extra dangerous to health on account of dust, dangerous gases, etc.

CHANCES FOR PROMOTION

If you are employed as a laborer or at work that requires no mechanical skill or trade knowledge you can not be promoted, but you can, as can any one else enter open competitive examination for higher positions. With the trade and technical knowledge that you now have, or that you can secure through training with the help of the Federal Board for Vocational Education you will not have to take jobs of that kind. Without such knowledge and training, however, these are the only sort of jobs that you could get.

If you start in a position that requires some mechanical skill or trade knowledge, such as an apprentice or helper, you can secure promotion in several ways. If you have rendered six months’ satisfactory service you may, if the head of your department requests it and the commanding officer approves, be promoted to a position in the artisan group, upon passing the tests of fitness required by the Civil Service Commission.

If you are employed as an artisan promotion to such positions as foreman, leading man, quarterman, etc., is open to you if you possess the necessary qualifications.

HOW TO APPLY FOR WORK IN A NAVY YARD

In applying for a job in a navy yard you do not “go to the gate” or to a superintendent or a boss, as you would if applying for work in a private concern. All employees in navy yards are employed under the civil service rules. Under these rules when there is a vacancy it is filled by offering the job to the individual whose name stands highest on what is called the eligible list. The way to get in line for a navy yard job is, therefore, to get on the eligible list with as high a rating as possible. As a disabled sailor or marine you have a special advantage here as is explained later.

GETTING ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST

For detailed official information as to just what your qualifications must be and just how you must proceed to secure a place on the eligible list for employment in navy yards you should secure a copy of Instructions to Applicants for Employment at Navy Yards and Naval Stations. Probably you can get a copy from your vocational adviser, or you can write to the United States Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C. Probably you will want to get some explanations from your vocational adviser and you should take the matter up with him.

The following will give you a general idea of how individuals for navy yard appointments may proceed to get their names on the eligible list for their trade or occupation. Your first step is to apply for examination for a civil-service rating. At nearly all yards and naval stations there are labor boards that receive applications for employment in the yards to which they are attached. (The “instructions” already referred to will give you exact information on this point.) If men are needed or are likely to be needed, arrangements will be made to determine your qualifications and rate you. In general, if you are applying for examination and rating as an artisan (as you probably would be), you would be rated on your experience, your training, and your physical ability. If your physical ability is affected by your services in the Navy or the Marine Corps, it is the understanding of the office of the Federal Board for Vocational Education that wherever a soldier, sailor, or marine has been disabled in the war and desires employment in any occupation in a navy yard or shipyard under the jurisdiction of the United States Government, the question of his physical ability to discharge the duties of the position properly will be passed upon individually for each case. Should the Civil Service Commission determine that, notwithstanding his handicap, he is able to do the work of the position in a satisfactory way, any general rule or regulation regarding disability now in operation under the rules of the commission will not apply.

Therefore, if you are a disabled soldier, sailor, or marine interested in navy yard occupations, you should first communicate with representatives of the Federal Board for Vocational Education regarding your case. These representatives are to be found at the central office at Washington, D. C., or in one of the district offices given at the back of this pamphlet. You do not have to pass written examinations, but your rating is determined by the values given to your training, physical ability, and experience as stated by you under oath and verified by the examining board.

If your rating is over a certain number your name is placed on the eligible list. The higher your rating the nearer your name to the top of the list. When vacancies occur appointments are made from the top of the list down, and appointees are notified when and where to report for work.

HOW PREVIOUS TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, AND EDUCATION HELP

If you have already had some experience in a navy yard occupation that you wish to follow you are at a great advantage. For example, if you worked in a machine shop or in an office before you entered the service, the time that you would need for training for similar work in a navy yard would be greatly reduced--the more you know the more time you can save. If you learned something about the job during your service, this experience, also, will enable you to shorten your training.

The more education you have the better off you are--in the first place a man with a good education stands a better chance for promotion, and the better his education the better man he is on his job. A high-school education, for example, would help you very much in office work and in the shop trades. If you can read drawings and blue prints, you can easily learn to read the special sort of blue prints that are used in navy yard work, and this will enable you to shorten your training period. A knowledge of geometry will help you very much in a number of shop trades, such as sheet-metal work and mold-loft work. If you know how to make mechanical drawings you can greatly shorten your training time for work in the drafting rooms. The more mathematics and drawing you know the better your chance of securing promotion to some form of supervisory work.

If you have followed an occupation that is somewhat like one of those carried on in navy yards you have a great advantage. Suppose, for example, you were a structural-steel man, or an electrician, or a house plumber, or house carpenter, or stenographer, you already know a great deal about these occupations, and you have only to learn what you do not know about these jobs as they are carried on in navy yards. In order to do this you will not need to take as much time for training as you would if you were entirely green.

In all these ways and in many others any education, training, or experience you may have had in trades or occupations will help you very much, either in shortening the time that you would have to take for a training, or in enabling you to train yourself for a higher grade of work.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR NAVY YARD TRADES

You have some education and you will naturally be interested in knowing how much general education a good man must have in the different navy yard trades and occupations. Through your vocational adviser you can get a copy of Aids to Employment Managers and Interviewers on Shipyard Occupations with Descriptions of Such Occupations issued by the United States Shipping Board, Emergency Fleet Corporation, which will give you considerable information along this line. The following may give you some general ideas of the amount of education that a man would need in the different sorts of trades and occupations.

In general you can not have too much education for any navy yard jobs. The more education you have the better workman you will be, the better your chances for promotion and, in general, the greater your opportunities. So do not be afraid of knowing too much. On the other hand, if you have had only a common-school education, or even less than that, you need not feel discouraged, not only because many of the men now making good on their jobs have had only a limited school training, but because, with the approval of the Federal Board for Vocational Education, you can secure such additional general education as you may need to equip you for the work that you wish to do.

Most navy yard occupations require only a common-school education. That is, if you can read, write, and speak English, and can do ordinary work in arithmetic, you probably have as much general education as most men in these occupations were able to secure before they went to work. Such occupations as draftsman, tracer, electrician, patternmaker, and a few others, especially office work, call for some high-school education.

In addition to the general educational requirements the different trades vary in the amount of technical training required. In many trades, such as, for example, that of the machinist, patternmaker, coppersmith, boilermaker, or plumber, a man must be able to read drawings and blue prints, and to follow specifications. This is true of many of the shop trades. In many of these trades a man must be able to make necessary calculations in connection with his work. In some cases a man must have special knowledge about the particular kinds of material that he works on, such as brass, steel, copper, and so on.

You should consider carefully what technical training you require for the sort of work you intend to follow, remembering that the opportunity to secure this technical training is a part of the offer for training made to you by the Federal Board for Vocational Education.

HOW MAY TRAINING FOR NAVY YARD OCCUPATIONS BE SECURED?

Suppose that you have decided that navy yard work looks good to you and you intend to take training for some sort of navy yard work. You have consulted with your vocational adviser, have “taken stock” of yourself, and have selected the particular sort of work that you would like and think you can do best; and have your application approved. How can you secure the training that you need? There are several ways:

1. The Federal Board for Vocational Education can arrange for you to take your training in a navy yard or in a shop, under the instructions of a competent employee who knows that occupation. This man will train you on the job.

2. If you want training in such work as drawing or mathematics, you can be placed in a school where these subjects are taught as they apply to the work for which you are taking training.

3. It may be possible for you to put part of your time into shop training and part into school training.

4. If you need more general education, the Federal Board for Vocational Education will arrange for you to get it, either in day or evening schools, or will even provide a special instructor to teach you.

No matter what your handicap or disability may be or what training you lack for the navy-yard occupation that you wish to follow, the Federal Board for Vocational Education will stand behind you and do all that it can to help you to make good. Other men in your situation have made good. You can. Let the Federal Board for Vocational Education help you to be a better man on the job than you were before, or a good man on a better job than you had before.

WHAT TRAINING CAN DO FOR YOU IN NAVY-YARD OCCUPATIONS

If you wish to take up any navy-yard occupation you can, by taking advantage of the opportunities for taking training that are offered by the Federal Board for Vocational Education, decidedly better your chances of getting a job and of getting a better job.

In the first place, if you are handicapped, you can, by taking special training, equip yourself so that you can hold down a great many navy-yard jobs that, without training you could not do at all. A great many jobs like those carried on in the shops and offices of navy yards have been successfully held down by men who had lost a hand, an arm, or a leg, and who had taken special training so that they could overcome their handicap.

Aside from this special training, if you are interested in navy-yard employment, the training that you can secure will enable you to get a better job than you otherwise could. For example, perhaps you followed some trade similar to some navy-yard trade before you entered the service. You did not know all about that trade--there are always some things that a fellow does not know about his trade. For example, you might have worked in a shop where the foreman could read the blue prints and you could not; you can take training in blue-print reading. Perhaps you could not lay off work; you can learn to do it. Perhaps there were some machines that you did not know how to run, or certain jobs that you did not know how to do; you can take training on these machines and on those special jobs. Perhaps you are well up in your trade, and would like to become a quarterman or leading man but need to know certain things about the job; you can take training for that, so that you can get yourself in line for promotion.

If you did not know anything about a trade before you entered the service, but learned something about some trade or occupation while in the service, you can complete your trade training. For example, suppose that you learned something about pipe fitting, or electrical work, or machine-shop work, or sail making, or yeoman’s work while you were in the service; you can complete your training so that you will have the entire trade at your command; and you can not only get the shop training, but you can also get whatever drawing or other technical training a first-class man in that trade needs to know.

If you never had any trade or think that some navy-yard trade would suit you better than the one you followed before you entered the service, you can take training for that new trade.

In any case, if, in order to take the training that you desire, you need to take some general school training, such as arithmetic or English, you can take that training in addition to the training for the work itself.

These are only a few examples of the possibilities for training for navy-yard jobs that are open to you through the Federal Board for Vocational Education.

_If you are interested you should, of course, take your plans up with your vocational adviser and secure the necessary approval._

In any case carefully consider if, through training, you can not either hold down a job that you could not hold down now, or fit yourself for a better job than you could hold down with your present knowledge and skill; that is, see if you do not think that out of all the different kinds of training open to you, there is some training that will help you to secure or hold down a better job in a navy yard than you could without the training.

If you can secure the approval of the Federal Board for Vocational Education for the particular sort of training that you desire, almost any sort of training is open to you.

HANDICAPS AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

If you have a certain kind of disability, what is your chance in navy-yard occupations? Perhaps you have lost a leg or an arm or an eye; does this cut you out of any chance to work in a navy yard? It certainly does not. For example: if you have lost an arm, the number of jobs that you can do with one arm and an artificial arm are surprising; you can take training so that you can do almost any sort of clerical work or work in the drafting room. You can operate almost all machine tools in the machine shop. You can do shorthand or typewriting work.

_If you have lost a leg_ you can learn to fill almost any position in a navy yard that does not require climbing or too much standing and walking. You can do almost any sort of clerical work as well as anybody else; you can operate almost all sorts of machine tools; you can do all sorts of assembling work, pattern making, and work in the drafting room.

_If you have lost both legs_, with artificial legs you can learn to fill almost any position where you can sit at your work. You can do this in the drafting room; in nearly all clerical positions; in many inspection jobs. There are many other jobs, such as work in the sail and rigging loft, in the tailor shop, and in the machine shop, where you can sit at the work.

_If you have lost one leg and one arm_ you can still fill a number of positions; with an artificial arm and leg you can take training so that you can do about as well as a man with both legs and one arm. If you were right-handed and lost your right arm, you can be trained to use your left arm just as well. Even with one arm and both legs gone you can learn to fill almost all clerical positions, many jobs in the machine shop, many inspection jobs, and work in the drafting room.

The loss of an eye will not bother you at all; and if your hearing is partially or wholly destroyed, you can still learn to fill many positions in the shops where instructions come to you in the form of drawings.

Of course, the particular positions that you can fill depend on just the sort of an injury that you have sustained, and you should consult your vocational adviser about your own particular case; but if you are interested in navy-yard employment, you are not necessarily out of it on account of such injuries as are mentioned above.

WHAT SORT OF WORK IS DONE IN NAVY YARDS?

As a part of the work of the Navy, ships must be refitted, repaired, and overhauled, new ships must be built, and all sorts of material, equipment, and supplies must be manufactured and kept ready for use.

To provide for this work Congress has established navy yards and naval stations at various points on the coast which are a part of the Navy and are operated under its control.

These navy yards do a great many different sorts of work. Ships are sent to them for overhauling, alterations, and repairs. They serve as supply depots for all sorts of equipment, much of which is often made in the yard shops. In a number of the larger yards various sorts of naval vessels are built.

A navy yard carries on so many different kinds of work that it offers opportunities for employment in a great many trades and occupations. Some of these occupations are carried on in the open air. Some call for the operation of various machines turning out a standard product, while others deal with alteration or repair jobs. In some lines of work a man can sit or stand at this job, while in others he is continually moving about.

Besides the trades themselves a navy yard carries on a certain amount of office work, offering opportunities for employment in such work as stenography, typewriting, various kinds of clerical work, storekeeping, and mechanical, ordnance, and structural drafting.

OCCUPATIONS IN NAVY YARDS

If you are interested in looking into opportunities for employment in navy yards, you naturally want to know about the different occupations and something about the conditions under which they are carried on. The following descriptions of the more important kinds of work will give you a general idea of the different jobs and if you wish to secure further details about any particular line of work you can get them through your vocational adviser.

A navy yard operates a number of shops in which different trades are carried on. These “shop” trades are carried on in the same general way as in the same sort of shops anywhere. The same processes, tools, and machines are used.

In addition to the “shop” trades there are a number of occupations that are carried on outside of the shops and are shipbuilding trades, engaged in building ships and repairing them.

There are, speaking in a rough way, “shop” trades and “yard” trades. There are also, of course, certain office occupations as in any business, and a number of special occupations such as those of timekeepers, truck drivers, and tool-room keepers.

In addition to the trades and occupations mentioned above, navy yards employ a number of men in general maintenance and construction work, and in keeping up the plant and equipment, such as tracklayers, pile drivers, masons, and bricklayers.

PLAN No. 1028. SHOP TRADES

THE DRAFTING ROOM

Drawings and blue prints are prepared here. Drafting rooms are usually well lighted and heated. The work is carried on at drawing tables and men can either sit or stand. As a rule work in the drafting room does not require a great deal of walking or standing at the work. The force usually consists of draftsmen of various grades, tracers, detail draftsmen. A blue-print room is usually connected with the drafting room where attendants on the blue-printing machine are employed. A few stenographers and clerks may be employed in connection with the work of this department.

PLAN No. 1029. POWER PLANT

Here steam and electrical power are developed for the general use of the yard. Work in a navy-yard power plant is no different from work in any power plant. Among the men employed are engineers of different grades, switchboard attendants, dynamo tenders, firemen, and water tenders. Engine and dynamo rooms are usually well lighted and heated and give comfortable working conditions. The fireroom is usually very hot, and the work is more or less hard and uncomfortable. Steam engineers are highly trained men and usually have to hold a license. They usually have served an apprenticeship in the fireroom.

PLAN No. 1030. MACHINE SHOP

Here all sorts of metals are worked, largely with machine tools. Machine shops are generally closed in so that the workmen are protected from the weather and are usually more or less heated. Much of the work requires standing, though workmen can often sit down at intervals while watching a piece of work on the machine. Since most of the work is done on power-driven machines and shops are usually provided with lifting and handling devices for heavy parts, work in the machine shop requires skill and intelligence but does not, as a rule, require heavy physical exercise.

Men employed include bench hands, machine hands, men who are familiar with the operation of one or more machine tools, machinist helpers and machine fitters (the latter put together machine parts and are able to fit, scrape, and ream, where necessary to secure tight, loose, and running fits), and all-around machinists or men who can operate all kinds of machine tools, fit parts on the bench, and erect or assemble all parts on the floor. A good machinist must be able to read all sorts of blue prints and drawings and must be able to make the necessary calculations for the various jobs.

Among the chief machine tools used are planers, boring mills, shapers, lathes, millers, drill presses, so-called “automatic machines” of various kinds, wet and dry grinders, and radial drills. These machines are of different sizes, according to the work to be done on them. In navy-yard machine shops some of the work is very heavy and the machines are very large.

PLAN No. 1031. BOILER SHOP

Here such fittings as boilers, condensers, smokestacks, and feed, filter, and fresh-water tanks are constructed from plates of sheet steel riveted together. These plates are got out from patterns or templates.

A boiler shop is usually closed in from the weather.

Among the men employed are blacksmiths, acetylene and oxy-hydrogen operators, layout men, men to operate various special machines for bending and flanging the plates, machinists, riveters, shippers, and calkers, drillers and reamers.

A good boiler maker must be able to read blue prints and lay out his work either on paper or metal.

PLAN No. 1032. BLACKSMITH SHOP

Here all sorts of blacksmith work is carried on. The shop is usually inclosed, but owing to smoke from the forges is generally kept more or less open, so that it is not usually warmer than the weather outside.

Among the tools used are steam or compressed air hammers, oil furnaces, large coal furnaces, forges (coal or gas), cranes for handling heavy work, dies, sledges, and hammers.

Much of the work is generally carried on by angle smiths who work angle iron, usually from wooden patterns called templates, and blacksmiths who work on all sorts of light machine and hand forgings. Smiths are aided by helpers. Much of the work is heavy and calls for considerable physical exertion and requires practically continuous standing. Some of the lighter work in a blacksmith shop is of a higher grade and calls for wide experience, good judgment, and close observation. Such work is that of the tool dressers, the spring makers, and the die hardeners or temperers.

PLAN No. 1033. PATTERN SHOP

Here are constructed wooden patterns from which castings are to be made. Pattern shops are usually well protected from the weather and afford comfortable working conditions. The men employed are pattern makers and pattern makers’ helpers.

As a rule, each pattern is completely made by one pattern maker. Much of the work is done with hand tools and often requires very fine and accurate work. A pattern maker must not only be able to do good work at the bench, but must be able to read blue prints and make his own “layout.”

Among the machines commonly found in a pattern shop are wood-turning lathes, band saws, circular saws, jig saws, planers, sanders, and drills.

Work in the pattern shop requires considerable walking and standing. It is generally light, since only infrequently is it necessary to handle heavy pieces.

PLAN No. 1034. JOINER SHOP

In the joiner shop are constructed all sorts of high-grade wood fittings such as desks, instrument cases, and companion ladders. The work does not differ from that in any joiner shop.

Employees include joiners and helpers. A good joiner must be able to read drawings and blue prints and when necessary he must be able to lay out his work on paper.

Among the common machines used are planers, handsaws, circular saws, mortisers, and tenoners.

As a rule the joiner shop is protected from the weather and the work is not heavy. The work often requires considerable standing and walking.

PLAN No. 1035. PIPE SHOP

Here all plumbing and pipe-fitting work is done. The shop is usually inclosed and protected from the weather. The work requires considerable walking and standing, much bending, reaching, and stooping. In repair and construction work a great deal of work has to be done on the ship in all sorts of places and often under very difficult working conditions.

Plumbers, pipe fitters, and helpers are employed. A good pipe fitter must be able to read blue prints and drawings and must know how to make various calculations such as figuring out lengths of pipe on various jobs.

PLAN No. 1036. FOUNDRY

All castings are made in the foundry. The shop is usually more or less open to the weather, and the work requires a good deal of walking and standing.

Among the men employed are molders, who place the patterns in the sand, and make the sand molds into which the melted metal is poured; cupola furnace tenders, who operate the furnace in which the iron is melted; and foundry shippers, who clean up castings. In addition, helpers and laborers are employed.

PLAN No. 1037. COPPER SHOP

All sorts of fittings made of sheet copper, as well as a great variety of copper pipes and connections are constructed in the copper shop. In much of the work the copper has to be shaped by hammering. There is also much work in the bending of copper pipes of all sizes. The shop is usually protected from the weather. In many cases men who work in this shop also install the fittings in the ship. Coppersmiths and helpers are employed. In some shops most of the work is done by hand and in others a number of machines are used. A good coppersmith must be able to read blue prints.

The work requires considerable walking about and much of it is hard, as it requires the use of heavy hammers.

PLAN No. 1038. SHEET-METAL SHOP

Products of the sheet-metal shop include such articles made from sheet-iron as tanks, lockers, ventilating cowls, and wire work. The shop is usually well protected from the weather. The work requires considerable standing and walking. A number of machines are usually included in the equipment. Sheet-metal workers of different grades are employed and also helpers. A good sheet-metal man must be able to read blue prints and must be able to lay out all sorts of work.

PLAN No. 1039. GALVANIZING SHOP

Metal fittings are covered with zinc to prevent rusting. As a rule but few skilled men are employed for this work which is done mostly by laborers. Work is practically carried on out of doors on account of fumes due to the acid used. It requires walking and standing.

PLAN No. 1040. ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT

This department installs and repairs all electrically operated equipment, including light and power lines. It also installs and repairs the electrical equipment on the ships that are built or are under repair. The work must be done all over the yard and everywhere on the ship. It requires much walking and climbing, much of it exposed to weather conditions. Very few machines are used, practically all the work being done with hand tools. A good electrician must be able to read all sorts of drawings and wiring diagrams.

Different grades of electricians, such as armature winders, storage-battery electricians, and men who make a specialty as, for example, of some special part of the work on telephones, are employed with helpers.

PLAN No. 1041. RIGGING LOFT

Here work on steel and manila rope and cables is carried on. Cables are spliced and all sorts of servings and fancy rope work are got out, such as man ropes, tiller ropes, and hammock clews. The rigging loft is usually protected from the weather. Much of the work, such as knotting and splicing, can be done sitting down. Practically all the work is done with hand tools.

PLAN No. 1042. MOLD LOFT

Here the plans of a ship under construction are laid out from the blue prints and patterns and wooden patterns, or “templates” for bending, cutting, and punching the steel parts of the ship are prepared. It usually is an inclosed building with a special floor large enough to lay out any part of a ship full size. The work in the mold loft requires almost constant standing, and kneeling or sitting on the floor. Loftsmen of different grades are employed. Loftsmen must be able to read all sorts of drawings and blue prints as they come from the drafting room and lay out the different parts on the mold-loft floor with great accuracy.

OUTSIDE TRADES, OFFICE WORK, AND MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

In addition to the regular shop trades there are a number of trades carried on in the yards and on ships in the open air and other employments in navy yard supply departments and offices. These employments have to do mainly with the construction of ships, repair work on hulls, maintenance of the plant, distribution of supplies, and other miscellaneous services.

Following is a brief description of the more important of these occupations.

PLAN No. 1043. SHAPING, BENDING, AND CUTTING STEEL FRAMES AND PLATES

This includes the work of shaping and bending steel beams (frames), cutting plates to proper sizes, bending them, and punching them for the rivet holes. The work is generally carried on in shops that are roofed over, but sometimes open on all sides. It is hard and requires standing practically all the time. Heavy machines, furnaces, and hammers are used. Among the men employed are angle-smiths, furnace men, frame benders, punchers, shearers, drillers, countersinkers, and sometimes acetylene operators.

PLAN No. 1044. RIVETING, CHIPPING AND CALKING, DRILLING, AND REAMING

On construction and repair work these occupations are all carried on in the open air. Riveting is usually carried on by gangs, consisting of a riveter, a holder-on, a heater, and sometimes a fourth man called a passer. The steel plates of a ship overlap and are held together by rivets which are passed through holes in both plates and headed up while hot. Riveting is usually done with pneumatic riveters or “guns” operated by compressed air. The riveter operates the gun on one side while the rivet is held in the hole by the holder-on, who has various tools that he uses for this purpose. The heater tends a small portable furnace in which the rivets are heated, picks them out as needed and sticks them in the holes or gives them to the passer. Sometimes he tosses the hot rivet directly to the holder-on. This work must be carried on out of doors in all weathers. The work of the riveter is hard, as he must handle the gun with from 100 to 150 pounds of air pressure in it and must work in all sorts of positions. The holder-on works under about the same conditions. Both jobs require men of strong physique. The heater has a somewhat easier job and boys are often employed for this work. Before the plates and other parts can be riveted or drilled and reamed they must be held fast in place. This is done by the use of bolts and nuts set up hard with a wrench. This work is also hard, and the working conditions are the same as in riveting and drilling and reaming.

Sometimes holes have not been punched where they are required, and they must be drilled. Holes as punched are often not exactly in line and must be reamed out before the rivets can be driven. This work is commonly done with machines driven by compressed air or electricity, handled by one man and a helper. It takes considerable strength to control the machine, and the general working conditions are about the same as in riveting.

There are many parts of a ship where joints must be made tight--that is, they must be calked. It is also often necessary to cut plates and other steel parts. This work is done with an air machine very similar to the air gun used by the riveter and is known as chipping and calking.

PLAN No. 1045. SHIP FITTING

The ship fitter gets out all sorts of wooden patterns (templates) for steel plates and other parts. Sometimes he makes his pattern directly from measurements taken on the ship, especially in repair work. A fitter may lay out the work directly from the drawing (blue print). The work is carried on mainly out of doors, calls for much walking and climbing, especially in repair work on ships. Ship fitters of different ratings and helpers are employed.

Among other navy-yard occupations are those of outside machinists, who install and adjust machinery on the ships; painters, who paint the woodwork and the steel; ship carpenters, who do all the work around the ways on which ships are built and launched; crane operators, who handle the steel and carry it from place to place; and locomotive firemen and engineers, who operate the small locomotives used for hauling material inside of the yard.

PLAN No. 1046. SUPPLY DEPARTMENT SERVICE

In order that ships and shops may be supplied, a navy yard operates what amounts to a huge department store--the supply department. Every conceivable article that goes to the general equipment of a ship, from drinking glasses to launch engines, is kept in stock and given out on order. For the shops great quantities of all sorts of stock, pipe, fittings, copper, lead, bronze, steel and so on, are carried, ready for distribution. In one yard alone the stock is valued at $50,000,000.

Since the supply department buys, fills orders, and delivers, it offers opportunity for employment in practically the same occupations as any large department store.

For each class of stock storekeepers are employed. A storekeeper must know every article by sight, stock marks, and the location of the bin or shelf where it is stored. He must keep track of the stock on hand and see that it is kept up. A storekeeper may be promoted to assistant manager and possibly to manager of a division.

The supply department offers employment also in such clerical occupations as checking, billing, and accounting, and, as in any large department store, truck drivers, packers, box makers, and other workers are employed in the delivery department.

PLAN No. 1047. OFFICE WORK

In addition to the trades and occupations carried on in the construction, repair, and maintenance work of the navy yard, there are a number of office and clerical occupations. In general, these occupations are carried on in the same manner as in the office of any business concern. The special forms and methods of doing the office work that are followed in the navy yard must, of course, be learned. These occupations include stenography, typewriting, filing, bookkeeping, cataloguing, general clerical work, library work, messenger work, telegraph and telephone operating, and various lines of special work.

MISCELLANEOUS OCCUPATIONS

The navy-yard list of occupations includes, also, a considerable number of miscellaneous occupations not mentioned among the regular mechanical “shop” and “yard” trades. Among these are glassworkers, glass molders, lens grinders, and instrument makers. In connection with work in the yard and on the buildings, a certain number of brick and stonemasons, pavers, house carpenters, dock builders, cranemen, house plumbers, stonecutters, and gardeners are employed.

PLAN No. 1048. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT IN NAVY YARDS

If you are interested in the possibility of working in a navy yard you will want to know something about the demand for men in each line of work done in the different yards, the wages paid to each class of workers, and other conditions of employment.

DEMAND FOR LABOR

Navy yards and naval stations vary greatly in the amount and kind of work done and so vary in the number of men employed and in the different occupations carried on. The yards at Boston (Charleston), Mass.; Brooklyn, N. Y.; Norfolk, Va.; League Island, Philadelphia; Bremerton, Wash.; and Mare Island, Cal.; do all sorts of construction and repair work, and employ the largest working force in the greatest variety of occupations. The Washington Navy Yard, or Naval Gun Factory, does no shipbuilding and not much repair work. Its equipment and labor are practically entirely employed in making naval guns and all sorts of ordnance supplies so that it employs no men in shipbuilding and but few on repair occupations. The naval torpedo station at Newport, R. I., is almost wholly confined to the manufacture and assembly of torpedoes and torpedo appliances. Most of the other yards generally carry on only repair work and refitting, and employ men in most of the ordinary trades and occupations. At present there is little or no demand for regular navy-yard occupations at Pensacola, Fla. Of course, in all yards the working force is increased or decreased according to the amount of work that is going on in the yard. Naval stations employ fewer men and offer chances in fewer trades than do the navy yards proper.

In general, navy yards employ in the shops more men in the metal trades than in the woodworking trades. In the shops more machinists are likely to be employed than any other class of workers. Relatively few persons are employed in the offices in clerical work. The Norfolk, Boston, and Philadelphia Navy Yards offer more opportunity in these lines than any of the other yards.

In the yard trades the number of men employed depends largely on the amount of shipbuilding going on. Where shipbuilding is going on the greatest demand is for riveters, bolters up, chippers, and calkers, and drillers and reamers. Compared with the number of men employed in these trades relatively few men are employed in the mold loft, and in such occupations as crane operators, locomotive crane operators, firemen, and locomotive engineers.

As already stated, in addition to men employed in the regular yard, shop, and office trades, navy yards employ men in a number of other trades, such as those of stone and brick masons, house plumbers, stone cutters, switchmen, pavers, and upholsterers. Under ordinary conditions the demand for men in such occupations is small. Glassworkers, lens grinders, instrument makers, and other special classes of workers would only be called for in a yard where instruments were made and repaired, such as the Washington Navy Yard or the naval torpedo station at Newport, R. I.

PLAN No. 1049. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE WORK

If you are interested in securing employment in a navy yard or in taking training for a navy-yard trade, you may want to consider the condition under which you would work. You may feel that you would wish to work entirely under cover, or you may prefer to work more or less in the open air. Different navy-yard occupations vary greatly as to whether they are carried on entirely in shops, partly in shops and partly in the open air, or entirely in the open air. In some trades and occupations a man’s work is located at one definite place, and in others it may be anywhere in the yard. The following statement will give you an idea as to ordinary working conditions in a number of the more important navy-yard trades:

_Inside, under the best conditions._--Such occupations as all sorts of office work, stenography, typewriting, bookkeeping, clerical work, work in the drafting room.

_Inside, under good conditions._--Such occupations as machine shop, pattern shop, jointer shop, rigging loft, mold loft, power plant work, and inside jointing and finishing.

_Inside, under some protection._--Such occupations as blacksmith shop, foundry work, plate-shop work, galvanizing, and frame bending.

_Occupations requiring both inside and outside work._--Such occupations as boiler shop, general outside painting, outside machinist, carpenter shop, electrical work, outside rigger, pipe shop, sheet-metal shop, copper shop, and ship fitting.

_Occupations carried on entirely outside._--Such operations as reaming, riveting, bolting up, chipping, and calking, ship carpentry, stone masonry, and bricklaying.

TOOLS AND MACHINES USED

In the regular trades such as jointer work, sheet-metal work, coppersmithing, boiler making, pattern making, etc., the tools and machines used are practically the same as would be used in these trades anywhere. A man who had earned these trades in any good shop would have no particular trouble in working in a navy yard shop so far as tools and machines go.

In the machine shop the tools and machines are about the same as in any large shop, but since a navy yard machine shop often has to handle large parts, there are usually a number of very heavy machines included in the equipment. Much of the work must be got out with great accuracy. In a general way it may be said that a navy yard machine shop does more work in brass, bronze, aluminum, etc., than is common in the ordinary run of machine shops.

In the trades carried on outside the shop, especially those connected with hull construction and repair, a number of special tools are used. These tools are in general easily moved about. Many are operated by compressed air, but some of them are sometimes operated by electricity. For this purpose most yards have a compressed-air system through that part of the yard where work of this kind is carried on, so arranged that the different machines can be readily connected up by hose lines. A few examples of the sort of tools used in these trades may be given:

Riveting gangs use compressed-air tools for heading up the rivet (air guns), and often for holding it while it is driven (air jambs).

Reaming and drilling machines are usually operated by compressed air, chipping and calking tools work in the same way. In all these machines the operators hold the machine so as to guide the tool, but the compressed air furnishes the actual power.

For such jobs as acetylene welding and cutting, a special outfit is required.

In mold loft work and ship fitting, only the simplest woodworking tools are used, such as hammers, saws, prick punches, and light air or electrically driven drills.

In punching, shearing, and bending plates, special heavy power-driven machines are used which the operators control.

In office work the equipment does not vary from that of any office. According to the sort of work called for, there are typewriters, adding machines, filing cabinets, etc.

PLAN No. 1050. CLASSES OF WORKERS EMPLOYED IN NAVY YARD

The work of a navy yard is carried on by a civilian force under the general direction of naval officers. Excluding office and clerical occupations, this force is graded into the following classes: Foremen, quartermen, leading men, artisans of different grades, helpers, apprentices, laborers. A brief description of each of these classes follows:

_Foreman._--A foreman is usually the head of a division or of a shop. He usually has under his jurisdiction groups of men generally working in different occupations.

_Quarterman._--A quarterman usually has under his supervision more than one group in the same occupation. He is in line for promotion to foreman.

_Leading man._--A leading man usually has under his supervision only a few men in the same occupation. He is in line for promotion to quarterman.

_Artisans._--These are skilled workmen in the various trades. They are graded according to their knowledge and skill in several classes, such as first, second, and third class.

_Helpers._--Men who work with artisans to assist them in their work are classed as helpers. Their work is such as may give some training in the trade with which they are associated.

_Apprentices._--Young persons are employed as apprentices to learn trades. After sufficient training they may become artisans.

Laborers.--This class of workers are not supposed to possess any special skill or trade knowledge, and except under certain special conditions they are not eligible for promotion.

WAGES FOR DIFFERENT GRADES

On the whole, higher wages are paid on the west coast than elsewhere. Foremen are paid according to the character and amount of work that they supervise. According to the present regulations a quarterman draws $2.88 per day more than the maximum pay of his occupation or trade. A leading man draws $1.44 per day extra pay over the highest pay of his trade. The wages of a man in the artisan group will vary according to his class and his particular trade or occupation. One of the highest paid trades is heavy forging at $11.84 per day. One of the lowest paid trades is that of glass workers, who receive $3.04 per day. On an average, a first-class artisan’s pay will run from $5 to $7 per day.

Helpers get from $4.32 to $5.12 per day. Apprentices in trade from $2.88 to $4.32, according to their class. Mechanics detailed for certain special work, such as inspecting or planning, get certain additional allowances.

In the unskilled occupations (laborers, stevedores, janitors, etc.), wages range from about $3 to $5.50 per day.

PAY ON ENTRANCE AND AFTERWARDS

When a man starts in the head of his department causes such tests to be made as he deems necessary to determine his status in his trade or occupation, and rates him provisionally as to pay. The final rating as to pay is made within two weeks from the date of appointment. All mechanics who are rated as first-class are carried at the maximum rate of pay.

The following list gives the more important trades and occupations for which men are employed in navy yards (except office occupations), and also gives the maximum rates of pay according to the latest information:

DAILY WAGE SCHEDULES

_Schedules of daily wages for navy yards and naval stations effective first pay period practicable after receipt._

================================================== East West coast. coast.

GROUP I.

Attendants, battery $4.64 ... Attendants, powder factory 5.36 ... Hodcarriers ... $4.40 North Atlantic and Great Lakes 3.92 ... Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans 3.12 ... Janitors ... 4.16 North Atlantic and Great Lakes 3.68 ... Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans 2.88 ... Laborers, common ... 4.16 North Atlantic and Great Lakes 3.68 ... Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans 2.88 ... Stable keepers ... 4.16 North Atlantic and Great Lakes 3.68 ... Charleston, Pensacola, Key West and New Orleans 2.88 ... Stevedores 4.32 4.64

GROUP II.

Apprentices: First class 4.32 4.32 Second class 3.84 3.84 Third class 3.36 3.36 Fourth class 2.88 2.88 Sewers, first class 2.40 2.40 Sewers, second class 2.08 2.08 Sewers, third class 1.76 1.76 Sewers, fourth class 1.44 1.44 Boys or girls 2.32 2.32 Hammer runners: Heavy 5.12 5.12 Others 4.64 4.64 Helpers: Blacksmiths’, heavy fires 5.12 5.12 Blacksmiths’, other fires 4.32 4.64 Boilermakers’ 4.32 4.64 Coppersmiths’ 4.32 4.64 Electricians’ 4.32 4.64 Flange turners’ 5.12 5.12 Forgers’, heavy 5.12 5.12 General 4.32 4.64 Laboratory 4.32 4.64 Machinists’ 4.32 4.64 Molders’ 4.32 4.64 Ordnance 4.32 4.64 Painters’ 4.32 4.64 Pipefitters’ 4.32 4.64 Riggers’ 4.32 4.64 Ropemakers’ 4.32 ... Sheet-metal workers’ 4.32 4.64 Shipfitters’ 4.32 4.64 Shipsmiths’, heavy fires 5.12 5.12 Shipsmiths’, other fires 4.32 4.64 Woodworkers’ 4.32 4.64 Holders on 4.80 5.12 Oilers 4.64 4.96 Primer workers 3.68 ... Rivet heaters 4.00 4.48

GROUP III.

Angle smiths: Heavy fires 7.68 7.68 Other fires 6.40 6.40 Armature winders 6.40 6.40 Blacksmiths: Heavy fires 7.68 7.68 Other fires 6.40 6.40 Boatbuilders 6.40 6.88 Boilermakers 6.40 6.40 Bolters 4.64 4.64 Boxmakers 4.80 4.80 Brakemen 4.96 5.28 Butchers 4.48 4.48 Cable splicers 6.40 6.40 Calkers, wood 6.40 7.52 Calkers and chippers, iron 6.40 6.40 Canvas workers 6.08 6.08 Carpenters, house 6.40 6.88 Casting cleaners 4.64 4.64 Cementers 4.80 4.80 Chainmakers 7.04 ... Chauffeurs 4.40 4.40 Coopers 5.60 5.60 Coppersmiths 6.88 6.88 Cranemen, electric 6.40 6.40 Cupola tenders 6.40 6.40 Die sinkers 7.04 7.04 Divers 12.00 12.00 Drillers, pneumatic 5.44 5.44 Drillers, Press 5.12 5.12 Electricians 6.40 6.40 Chronograph 6.72 ... Radio 7.44 7.44 Storage battery 6.88 6.88 Engineers 6.40 6.40 Locomotive 5.76 5.76 Nonhoisting donkeys and winches 5.60 5.60 Farriers 5.44 5.44 Firemen 4.64 4.64 Locomotives 4.00 4.16 Flange turners 6.88 6.88 Forgers: Drop 6.40 6.40 Heavy 11.84 11.84 Foundry chippers 4.64 4.64 Frame benders 7.20 7.20 Furnacemen: Angle work 5.12 5.44 Foundry 5.12 5.44 Heaters 5.12 5.44 Heavy forge 6.08 6.08 Other forge 5.12 6.08 Open hearth 5.12 5.44 Galvanizers 5.04 5.04 Gardeners 4.16 4.16 Glass molders, optical 4.80 ... Glass workers, optical: Fine 4.32 ... Rough 3.04 ... Handymen 4.96 ... Instrument makers 6.88 6.88 Joiners 6.40 6.88 Ship 6.40 6.88 Ladlemen, foundry 5.12 5.44 Leather workers 5.52 5.52 Lens grinders, telescope 6.40 ... Letterers and grainers 6.16 6.16 Levelers 4.64 4.64 Loftsmen 7.20 7.20 Machine operators 4.96 4.96 Machinists 6.40 6.40 All around 6.40 6.40 Electrical 6.40 6.40 Floor or vise hand 6.40 6.40 Masons: Brick 6.88 6.88 Stone 6.88 6.88 Mattress makers 4.88 4.88 Melters 5.52 5.52 Electric 8.56 8.56 Open hearth 8.56 8.56

Metallic cartridge case makers 5.76 ... Millmen 6.40 6.88 Modelmakers, wood 6.40 6.40 Model testers 5.44 5.44 Molders 6.40 6.40 Steel casting 6.40 6.40 Oakum spinners 3.76 3.76 Operators, gas torch 6.08 6.08 Ordnancemen 5.60 5.60 Painters 5.92 5.92 Applying bitumastic compositions 6.40 6.88 Patternmakers 6.88 7.52 Pavers 5.76 5.76 Pile drivers 6.40 6.40 Pipe coverers 6.40 6.40 Pipe fitters 6.40 6.40 Plasterers 6.88 6.88 Plumbers: House 6.40 6.40 Ship 6.40 6.40 Polisher, buffers, and platers 6.40 6.40 Pressmen, armor plate 8.56 ... Punchers and shearers 5.12 5.44 Railroad conductors 5.12 5.44 Riggers 5.92 5.92 Riveters 6.40 6.40 Rodmen 4.40 4.40 Ropemakers 5.12 ... Sailmakers 6.08 6.08 Sandblasters 4.96 4.96 Saw filers 6.40 6.40 Sheet-metal workers 6.40 6.88 Shipfitters 6.40 6.40 Shipsmiths: Heavy fires 7.68 7.68 Other fires 6.40 6.40 Shipwrights 6.40 6.88 Steelworkers 6.40 ... Stonecutters 5.76 5.76 Switchmen 4.96 5.28 Tank testers 6.88 6.88 Toolmakers 6.88 6.88 Trackmen 4.56 4.56 Upholsterers 5.44 5.44 Water tenders 4.64 4.96 Welders: Electric 6.56 6.56 Gas 6.40 6.40 Wharf builders 5.76 5.76 Wheelwrights 5.28 5.28 Wire workers 5.04 5.04 --------------------------------------------------

WHERE NAVY YARDS AND NAVAL STATIONS ARE LOCATED

Navy yards are located as follows: The Portsmouth Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, N. H.; the Brooklyn Navy Yard, at Brooklyn, N. Y.; the Boston Navy Yard, at Charlestown (a part of the city of Boston, Mass.); the League Island Navy Yard, at Philadelphia, Pa.; the Washington Navy Yard or Naval Gun Factory, at Washington, D. C.; the Portsmouth Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, Va. (close to Norfolk); the Mare Island Navy Yard, at Vallejo, Cal. (on San Francisco Bay); the Charleston Navy Yard, at Charleston, S. C.; the Bremerton Navy Yard, on Puget Sound, Wash. (near Seattle), and the Pensacola Navy Yard, Pensacola, Fla. (aeronautic station at present).

Naval stations are located at Newport, R. I.; Key West, Fla.; and New Orleans, La.

Other naval establishments are: Naval proving grounds, at Indian Head, Md.; naval training station, at North Chicago, Ill.; the Naval Academy, at Annapolis, Md.; the naval magazines at Iona Island, N. Y., and Lake Denmark, N. Y.; and the depot of supplies, United States Marine Corps, Philadelphia, Pa.

Naval stations are also maintained at the Philippine Islands, Cuba, Guam, and Samoa, but no attempt has been made to give any information about them in this monograph.

LEATHER WORKING TRADES

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This monograph was prepared by Clarence E. Bonnett, Special Agent of the Federal Board. Much of the material used herein was obtained from Bulletin No. 232 of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Wages and Hours of Labor in the Boot and Shoe Industry: 1907 to 1916.” Acknowledgment is due to Dr. John Cummings, of the Research Division, for editorial assistance.

PLAN No. 1051. SHOEMAKING

MODERN SHOEMAKING A MACHINE PROCESS

Modern shoemaking is practically a machine process. There are machines for cutting the various parts of the shoe, for sewing together the upper and the lining, for lasting the upper, for channeling the insole and the outsole, for sewing together the insole upper and welt, and for sewing the outsole to the welt. There are also machines for leveling the sole, for placing a smooth edge on the sole and heel, and for burnishing the sole, its edges and the heel.

Many of these machines are leased out to shoe manufacturers on a royalty basis. Patterns, lasts, and similar equipment may be made in the factory or purchased from factories that make a special business of producing these articles. A few hand tools are used in the factory, such as knives for cutting leather and threads, pinchers for pulling nails, and brushes for pasting certain parts. Ordinarily the workers who use these tools are not highly skilled, the only noted exception being that of the cutter who cuts by hand the vamps or other upper parts of the shoe.

MACHINE SHOEMAKING HIGHLY SPECIALIZED

In the shoemaking industry, there is great division of labor, and accordingly, the amount of skill or technical knowledge required of the workers in many of the shoemaking operations is so little that it may be acquired in a few days or weeks at the most.

However, a few of the occupations require both manipulative skill and technical knowledge, and call for the quick exercise of sound judgment. These are the occupations that pay well. Training for them is necessary. The period of training, of course, depends in any case, partly upon the person taking it. But in general, there are two groups in which the skilled occupations fall, namely, those requiring less than a year’s training and experience to make a thoroughly competent operator, and those necessitating a year or over. Roughly, those who receive less than 50 cents and more than 40 cents an hour fall in the first group, while those receiving 50 cents or more an hour come in the second group.

WAGES, HOURS, AND WORKING CONDITIONS

In 1918, according to unpublished figures of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for the highly skilled operators the hourly wage ranged from 43 to 62 cents. In this range, the following occupations were covered--Goodyear welters receiving the highest, channelers the lowest, and the others in a descending scale intermediate wages: Goodyear welters, rough rounders, edge trimmers, heel trimmers, Goodyear stitchers, edge setters, machine pullers-over, heelers, turn sewers, bed-machine operators, hand vamp cutters, hand-method-lasting-machine operators, hand pullers-over, machine side lasters, hand turn lasters, McKay sewers, machine vamp cutters, vampers, hand side lasters, heel scourers, channelers.

The hours of labor are somewhat dependent upon the occupation, with the general average for the whole country about 55 hours per week, which usually means a 10-hour day with a Saturday half holiday. For some factories, hours in a few occupations are nine per day for six days in the week, which makes a 54-hour week.

For the highly skilled operator, the shoe industry is a desirable occupation in peace times and will continue to be so in the future. With the growth of population and the higher standards of living comes an increased demand for shoes of the better sort, which means that greater skill must be employed in their production than in those of the coarser sort. While the work in the shoe factory is somewhat seasonal, the slack season comes in the summer time, when other occupations are open, and when the worker may frequently engage in gardening during the time he is not busy in the factory. The busy season comes in the fall and winter. The work is all performed indoors.

DISABILITIES

The shoe industry can not use all classes of disabled men, but those it can use, if well trained, will find in it a desirable occupation. In general the disabilities that will bar a man from engaging in this occupation are the loss of eyesight, the loss of both legs, or of both arms, nervous afflictions, and weaknesses that prevent a man from standing at his work or from doing it rapidly. For some of the work, the use of both hands is highly desirable, and the loss of certain fingers from a hand would tend to be a handicap. Good eyesight, steady nerves and dexterity of motion are essentials in shoe workers. Good hearing is not highly important to the well trained. For the man who has lost a hand, there are devices, such as certain forms of hooks that could be used, for instance, by the machine cutter to operate the arm to the machine. Pincer-like devices may be used for other work. An artificial leg of a certain type may be obtained for a man who has lost a leg, and this will enable him to stand without undue fatigue.

PROMOTION

There are two ways in which advancement in these occupations may be secured. A worker who learns rapidly may advance from a less skilled to a more highly skilled occupation. For instance, he may advance from a position as a turn sewer to one as a Goodyear welter, and thus receive approximately a 25 per cent advance in wages. Or a workman with the ability to direct others may become a foreman and thus obtain higher wages. With this ability and a general knowledge of the industry, or high skill at some of the occupations, he might become an instructor, or, with sufficient ability and education, he might go into the office.

TRAINING FOR OFFICE POSITIONS

A knowledge of the processes in the shoe factory is a highly desirable qualification for the office force, and even for the clerical force of a factory. In the offices are found about 15 to 20 per cent of all the employees of the entire factory. A disabled soldier or sailor who has previously worked in a shoe factory, could, by taking the training offered by the Federal Board, qualify for a position in the business offices. Or he could take a course in salesmanship, and go “out on the road” to sell the shoes. Thus he could turn his past experience in the former occupation to profit, and make of his disability the means of promotion instead of a handicap.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND ADDITIONAL TRAINING

If a disabled soldier has had some experience in the shoe factory, he will find this of value. He might, for example, take training to become a designer. The change in fashions in shoes necessitates new lasts and patterns, and every new style means work for the designer. The work requires training, but does not call for much physical exertion. To do this work, one must have some facility in mechanical drawing, and so must understand the principles of geometry. Such work is stimulating. Not all factories do their own designing and pattern making, but in such cases designs and patterns must be obtained from concerns that specialize in such work. This profession, however, can absorb only a limited number of additional men.

SCHOOLS AND TRAINING

There are now well-established schools for teaching the shoemaking operations. Until recently the schools were private, but there are now schools in Massachusetts maintained at the public expense. Some factories, especially the nonunion ones, train the workers in the factories at the work, or in factory schools. In some cases, the workers in a factory “pick up” the knowledge and training required for the better-paying positions. For such workers the unskilled occupations serve as an apprenticeship to the skilled ones. This method, however, is not the most desirable one, since it does not always present opportunities to get the best and quickest training.

PLAN No. 1052. OCCUPATIONS THAT PAY WELL REQUIRE TRAINING

There are two general classes of workers in shoe factories--one made up of machine workers, who must use judgment and skill in their work, and are therefore the better paid; and the other made up of machine tenders whose main requirement is speed in doing some routine task. Since we are concerned only with the occupations that require training and which pay more than the wages of unskilled workmen, we shall discuss only the skilled occupations. Workers in these occupations may be grouped into three general classes: First, those who sew together difficult parts of the shoe; second, those who cut the leather to form; and, third, those who last the shoe.

PLAN No. 1053. OPERATORS WHO SEW TOGETHER DIFFICULT PARTS OF THE SHOES

The Goodyear welter receives the shoe on the last; the upper has been tacked temporarily to the insole and trimmed smoothly, and the insole has been channeled or lipped for the stitches. He takes a long narrow strip of leather--the welt--and places the shoe in the welting machine so that the insole, upper, and welt are sewed through at one operation by means of a curved needle. The stitch is made almost horizontal to the bottom of the shoe, and the welt lies closely to the upper nearly all around the shoe in front of the heel seat. The welt is also somewhat irregular, but the welt beater straightens out the welt so that is stands out properly for the outsole.

The work of the welter is not so simple as it may seem. He works with a very complicated machine, and he must be able to make readily all the necessary adjustments. He must know almost by intuition that the thread is working properly. He must be able to tell at a glance that the shoe has been lasted correctly. He must know at once whether the welt furnished is suitable for the type of shoe he is to place it on. He must guide the welt on accurately. If he does otherwise, not only is time lost, but a leather part or parts are ruined. He must be so skilled that he can place the welts on a pair of shoes at the rate of a pair a minute.[27]

[27] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Goodyear stitcher receives the shoe with the outsole cemented on the shoe, the channel cut, and the lip of the channel turned back. He places the shoe to his machine so that the welt and outsole are sewed together all around the shoe in front of the heel. The seams are made in the channel of the outsole, so they may later be covered by the lip. The stitcher must be able to stitch about 37 pairs of shoes, on the average, per hour for the working day. At this speed, considerable skill is required to hold the shoe so that the curved parts are sewed around properly.[28]

[28] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The turn sewer performs a task somewhat similar to that of the Goodyear welter, but he does not attach a welt. He receives the shoe lasted, wrong side out. The outsole is, of course, now in the position of the insole on the Goodyear shoe. As in the Goodyear shoe, the channeling for the stitch is the same, but in addition, the outsole has been grooved, or a recess cut, so that a shoulder is formed around the outer edge of the sole in which the lower edge of the upper rests. The turn sewer sews through the lower edge of the upper and the shoulder on the outsole. The seam is buried in the inside channel. The process of sewing is performed on a machine that sews with a curved needle and nearly horizontal to the sole. Historically, the Goodyear welting process was a modification of the turn-shoe process of sewing the sole and upper together.

The McKay sewer receives a McKay shoe with the sole cemented on and channeled and the last withdrawn from the shoe. He sews through the sole, the lower edge of the upper, and through the insole. The seams thus appear on the inside of the shoe. This is clearly a simpler operation than that of the Goodyear welter.

The vamper sews the vamp to the quarters, or upper part of the upper. Since the vamp is curved and must be fitted to a rounding form, this operation is not so simple as flat sewing and so is paid for at a higher rate per piece.

PLAN No. 1054. OPERATORS WHO SKILLFULLY CUT THE LEATHER TO FORM

The rough rounder receives the shoe with the outsole cemented or tacked on to the upper part. He places the edge of the sole to the machine so that the edge of the outside and welt is cut to a uniform distance from the upper all round the outsole. In the same process his machine cuts an oblique channel in the outsole for the seam which is to bind the welt and outsole together. The work of the rough rounder requires strength and steady nerves, since he must hold the edge of the shoe against the cutting parts. He must know how to adjust his machine quickly for the various sorts of shoes, and must be able to place a uniform edge on over 900 pairs of shoes in a ten hour day.

The edge trimmer receives the shoe in the rough finished form. He holds the sole against a set of revolving cutters which trim the sole smoothly to the desired shape all around the sole. He must do this work carefully and not cut the upper or the stitches and at the rate of thirty-five pairs an hour.[29]

[29] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The heel trimmer receives the shoe with the heel nailed on firmly and the top lift in place. First, he holds the heel against a set of rapidly revolving cutters, which cut away the heel so that is has a smooth even contour from the sole to the top lift and all around the outside. Then he holds the sole part of the heel against another set of revolving cutters which trim the sole part off to conform in outline with the upper. He must exercise great care in this operation so as not to cut the upper. He must handle shoes at an average rate per minute of nearly three pairs, or 1,500 pairs or more in a nine hour day.

The heel scourer receives the shoe after the heel has been trimmed to shape. He holds the heel against a rapidly revolving wheel covered with sandpaper. This process gives the heel a smooth finish. A heel scourer must be able to smooth the heels of nearly 1,500 pairs of shoes in a ten hour day.[30]

[30] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The channelers cut the channels in the outsoles of McKay and turn shoes and in the insoles of welt shoes, so that the seams may be buried in the leather. The channeler holds the shoe to the machine and guides the sole so that all but the heel is channeled.

The vamp cutter cuts out the vamp--the lower and most important part of the upper. It must be cut out of the best leather and be free from defects or flaws. Accordingly, the cutter must lay the pattern or die on the side of leather so as to avoid any imperfections in the hide. If he is a hand cutter, he draws a keen-edged knife closely around the outer edge of the pattern and thus cuts out the vamp. If he is a machine cutter, he brings the arm of the cutting or dinking machine down on the die, which cuts out the vamp. The vamp cutter must judge quickly and accurately as to the quality of the leather and how to place the pattern or die, so as to obtain the greatest number of good parts from a side of leather.

PLAN No. 1055. LASTING THE SHOE REQUIRES SKILL

The machine puller-over receives the assembled upper part of the shoe on the last. The insole, counter, and toe box are in place, but the edges of the upper have not been drawn over the insole and fastened. This is the operation that he must perform. He must watch that the upper is properly centered on the last, and that the machine pincers pull the leather in evenly over the last, and if not even, he must make adjustments by means of levers until it is even. Then he presses a foot lever that causes the machine to tack the upper to the insole at various points.

The bed-machine operator is also known as the toe and heel laster. He usually works on welt shoes. He lasts the upper in around the toe so that the leather is smooth on the outside. His machine draws a series of wipers or friction pullers over the edge of the upper until the toe conforms smoothly to the last. He then tacks and wires the edges at the toe so that they will be held temporarily until they can be sewed by the welter. He performs a similar process with the heel, but he tacks the edges of the upper to the heel permanently. Both the heel and toe are tacked down permanently in a McKay shoe. The bed-machine operator handles on the average nearly a shoe every minute during the day’s work.

The hand-method lasting-machine operator usually works on a McKay-made shoe. The upper has already been tacked on the insole by the puller-over, but is now drawn around the last and insole, a part at a time, by means of pincers on the machine. As each part is drawn evenly and closely to the last and insole, a tack is driven into the insole and clinched by means of a metal plate on the bottom of the last. This process is carried on around the entire insole of the shoe. This work is similar to a combination of the processes performed by the side laster and bed-machine operator on welt shoes.

The work of the hand puller-over is to put the counter and toe box in place and pull the lower edge of the upper over the last and insole so that the upper is in the proper position on the last. He does a combination of the work of the assembler for the pulling-over machine and of the machine puller-over.

The turn laster lasts the turn shoe either by hand or machine, and in a manner similar to the methods by which a welt shoe is lasted, except that the parts are placed so that when the shoe is turned, they will be in their proper position. For instance, the counter is placed on the outside of the upper, but inside the lining. The lining at the heel is not lasted, but is cut off and turned back. The shoe is then sewed by the turn sewer. The turn laster now pulls the lasts and turns the shoe right side out. He fills the depressions in the central fore part of the shoe and the shank by inserting fillers coated on the under side with glue. He then returns the lasts to the shoes, reversing the right for the left--since the shoes have been turned--and pounds the shoe until it has the proper shape and is entirely smooth.

The side laster, by means of hand pincers, draws the upper leather to the last at the outside and instep and over the insole, so that it is tight and no wrinkles are left. He then fastens the edge with tacks. He does this at the rate of about a pair of shoes to the minute.[31]

[31] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The heeler takes the shoe and a heel already built up but lacking the top lift, and places the shoes on a metal last or jack. He sets the heel in place and presses a foot lever that causes his machine to drive the nails into the heel and clinch them in the insole. The nails on the outside of the heel are left protruding to a height of about half the thickness of the top lift. On these nails, he sets the top lift, which has received a coating of cement, and the machine presses this down over the projecting nails. He must be skillful enough to perform this operation accurately at the rate of over 100 pairs of shoes per hour.[32]

[32] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The edge setter holds the sole to a machine which polishes the edge by means of a series of hot vibrating irons which fit the edge of the sole. He must handle shoes at the rate of about a pair every minute during the working day.[33]

[33] Rates of operation are calculated from the tables given on pp. 166-169 of Bulletin No. 232 of the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

PLAN No. 1056. SHOE REPAIRING

In shoe repairing to-day we find all stages of development, from the purely hand methods to the factory methods. The shops that use the old hand methods are usually small and the owner is generally the only worker, although a few shops have two or three workmen. The shops that use machinery extensively are larger and frequently employ a number of workmen. Between the two extremes are shops of varying equipment and size. This variation of conditions makes it possible for a disabled man to fit into this business by taking a training and choosing the machines and methods adapted to his disabilities. Some man in a shop that uses machines must have considerable mechanical ability. In the shop that utilizes hand methods, some one must know much of hand shoemaking--in fact, be able to perform all the processes. In either shop there is opportunity for profit for the man who can make, either by hand or machine or by the two methods combined, an entire shoe for those persons whose feet are deformed or crippled, so that they can not wear factory-made shoes.

MACHINERY, TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

The outlay for a shop in any case is not large. The machines are leased as a rule. The number of tools needed for a workman in either the shop that uses hand methods or the shop that utilizes machinery is not large. The principal tools found in any type of shop are hammers, knives, chisels, lasts, pincers, awls, and needles. No great quantity of supplies need be kept on hand. Practically all shops have machines for sewing uppers. Many have the machinery for sewing on soles. These are probably the most frequently used machines. Practically all of the machine repairing is sewing rips and placing on new outsoles. Heels are largely rebuilt by hand, or replaced by new rubber heels put on by hand.

REPAIRING SHOES A PAYING BUSINESS

In shoe repairing, there are slack and busy seasons. Slack seasons come in fair weather and busy seasons in bad weather. If certain work can be allowed to accumulate in the busy seasons, the work may be distributed throughout the year, since there are rarely long intervals of unbroken fair weather. The busy shoe repairer has a remunerative business. If he is able to do a high class of work, he can charge accordingly, and can take other work as a sort of “filler” for slack times.

A DESIRABLE OCCUPATION FOR A DISABLED MAN

As a rule, the repair shop offers the disabled man better working conditions than the factory. There is not the monotony of the single process. He can adapt his speed of work better to his physical condition, one day with another, in the repair shop than in the factory where he must not delay or check the regular progress of the shoes through the different processes. The disabled man can usually work at several things in the repair shop. For instance, the one-armed man could nail on heels or soles by hand or sew rips in uppers. By means of certain appliances, the man who has lost a hand could do practically any process in the shop. The man who had lost both legs could work on hand work at a shoemaker’s bench. He could nail on rubber heels, or build up run-down heels, make hand patches, and do similar work.

PLAN No. 1057. OTHER LEATHER-WORKING TRADES

Other articles than shoes are made of leather, but these are usually more simple than shoes, and require less skill in their making. Some of these articles are hand made, and others are machine made. A few of the processes necessitate both technical knowledge and skill, but the number of men employed in such occupations is comparatively small.

In the making of leather itself, few if any of the occupations are suitable for a seriously disabled man, since work in the tannery is usually wet and heavy.

In the leather industry there are, however, a few skilled occupations other than those discussed above. These include expert harness makers and saddlers, harness repairers, trunk and bag workers, and belt men.

PLAN No. 1058. THE HARNESS MAKER AND SADDLER

The harness maker and saddler must have a thorough knowledge of leathers and of their treatment. He must know how to lay out leather and cut it economically with due regard to the purpose for which it is to be used. For instance, where flexibility is more important than mere thickness or weight, he must select the proper piece. He must be able to adjust and repair the machinery with which he works. As a saddlemaker, he must be able to read blue prints or understand drawings or sketches, and to make patterns or cut the leather according to the specifications.

PLAN No. 1059. THE HARNESS AND SADDLE REPAIRER

The harness and saddle repairer must have a general knowledge of both harness and saddle making. He must be able to make the leather parts of the harness or saddle by hand, and be able to sew by hand as well as by machine. He must be able to take care of his machine and make all adjustments and minor repairs. He must understand the various sorts of leather, and how to cut leather economically. He must be skilled in the use of the tools of the trade.

OTHER SKILLED OCCUPATIONS IN THE LEATHER INDUSTRY

Of the other skilled workers, the belt man must know especially how to cement leather and how to treat it so that water or steam will not affect its use as belting. The trunk and bag workers must have the necessary knowledge of how to cut leather economically, its nature and uses according to grades, and how to sew and shape it for the various articles.

DISABILITIES NOT A BAR TO SUCCESS TO THESE SOLDIERS

A former porter, who suffered from varicose veins below both knees, and a bricklayer, troubled with rheumatism and lumbago, as the result of exposure, were trained in shoe repairing and are now successfully engaged in that work. A former farm hand, who was afflicted with epilepsy, took a course in shoe repairing and is now employed in a shop at higher wages than he formerly received as a farm hand. A teamster who sustained an injury to his spine, overcame that handicap through a course in shoe repairing, which enabled him to become a partner in a shoe-repairing business. A farm hand, who suffered from pleurisy and pneumonia, a farmer, who had his tonsils injured, and a carpenter, who received a shrapnel wound in the chest, were all enabled to go into business for themselves and make a financial success of it, through a retraining course in shoe repairing. A blacksmith, with diabetes mellitus, took a combined course in shoe and harness repairing and has now a successful business of his own. If you like to handle leather, you will like to make or repair shoes, to make or repair harness, or to make other leather goods. Surely some of these offer you an occupation where retraining will enable you to overcome your handicap, if not afford you advancement.

PLAN No. 1060. GENERAL FARMING

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This monograph was prepared by Dr. Walter J. Quick, Special Agent of the Federal Board for Vocational Education, under direction of Charles H. Winslow, Chief of the Research Division of the Federal Board. Acknowledgment is due to E. H. Thomson, Acting Chief, and Dr. E. V. Wilcox, Agriculturist of the Office of Farm Management, United States Department of Agriculture, for suggestions and data, also to Dr. John Cummings, of the Research Division, for editorial assistance.

General farming is not intensive, but is diversified farming. It is the production of crops of a relatively nonperishable nature which have a wide market, and of the production of live stock and live stock products, in addition, with considerable attention to the production on the farm of food and food supplies for the farm household.

MORE FARMERS NEEDED

Agriculture as developed in the United States gives employment directly to nearly 15,000,000 persons, who with their families more or less engaged in agricultural work make up a total agricultural population of from fifty to sixty million. But more farmers and better farming are urgently needed now.

Even before the outbreak of the war agricultural production had not kept pace with the increase of our population, and immediately after war was declared men on American farms responded to the call for man power to operate mines, build ships, make ammunition, and carry on the many other urgent war industries. Then the dire need for farm labor manifested itself, and the demand for wheat, corn, meats, sugar, fruits, cotton, and numerous other agricultural products increased. This demand will not diminish, now that the war is over. On the contrary, the world is looking to the agricultural production of the United States to alleviate the suffering which exists in the devastated countries of Europe liberated from war without adequate means of immediately resuming agricultural operations.

Our army of agriculturists must be recruited to its full strength, and your enlistment in this army will help to make possible operation of American farms to their full capacity.

Recent statistics show a total of over 800,000,000 acres in farms, of which nearly half are classed as unimproved. A large area is prairie land already clear. But you would be especially interested in the improved farms, located, as many of them are, in the vicinity of your former home, where an interest would be felt in you and encouragement given you on every hand. A large proportion of our farm acreage is unimproved and is not employed even as pasture land. It is a deplorable fact that so many farms are idle or only running partly farmed. But that fact is _your_ opportunity. The Federal Board for Vocational Education will train you for any agricultural line of work you may elect, and farmers, in every State, handicapped by insufficient labor on account of the war, are anxious to render assistance in making you efficient. Your training course may be advantageously finished on the farm, or in the garden or orchard, and may be mutually advantageous to you and to the owner.

There are three factors which should largely influence the choice of your vocational line of training--first, former employment and experience; second, your own desire; and third, the degree of your disability. If your former occupation was in any way connected with agriculture, and you desire to return to it, the third factor, disability, unless very serious, hardly needs consideration.

Even if you were not engaged in agricultural pursuits before the war, you may well ask yourself if it is not wise now to take advantage of this opportunity to enter upon a healthful rural life? The labor is wholesome and will strengthen you physically, constantly decreasing your handicap.

You may not have had the opportunity before, but it is now yours to realize the dream of a contented, independent life in God’s big out-of-doors.

The farm offers many opportunities, so many, in fact, that you can not fail to find suitable employment. Remember that the world is clamoring for food and looking to us to supply the increased demand. You may be inclined at times to be discouraged on account of your disability, but a brave determination is half the battle toward success in any line of agricultural work.

It is with a sincere desire to extend sympathetic helpfulness that you are advised to consider the adoption of some line of agriculture, general farming it may be, for your vocational training. Later you may find some specialty in agriculture which is to your liking and suited to your changed condition. You may be hesitating because of your disability. You _can_ “come back” and will, with a convincing pride that will be admired by your old friends and relatives. Come to the country and you will find your place.

PLAN No. 1061. FARM OWNERSHIP POSSIBLE

Federal loans are now available on long time, and since the establishment of Farm Loan Banks by the Government, agriculturists have borrowed for use in farming about $140,000,000 in 18 months. Government farm loans can be secured for improvements and equipment as well as for aiding in buying land.

Much is being planned for your encouragement and to assist you in your determination to overcome your physical handicap on the land which you may aspire to own. Even before the war, with no idea of providing for returning soldiers, California had initiated a scheme for enabling men to acquire ownership of land and develop farms by establishing community settlements under State law and direction. In Virginia, notably, and in some other States, under State incorporation laws, community or group settlements in which the farm owners “carry on” co-operatively are proving attractive and successful. The day of small farms and orchards is at hand, and these mean better homes and living conditions, and an occupation in which the whole family may become interested as co-workers.

In no other field of employment can you find such diversification and opportunity for developing side lines as in the broad field of agriculture. Many of these side lines are specialized branches of farming, such as orcharding, small fruit growing, gardening, beekeeping, and poultry raising. These specialties will be considered in separate monographs, but it may be noted that the general farmer may and usually does, engage more or less extensively in several specialties.

WORK IS VARIED AND CHANGES WITH THE SEASONS

The field of agriculture is large and covers many lines of activity. In the different branches wholly different kinds of work must be done, and the work changes from season to season. In general farming, for example, in the spring comes preparation of the land by clearing, plowing, harrowing, disking, rolling, and planting; through the summer, growing crops must be cultivated and given other attention; and in the late summer and fall comes harvesting, which is begun with the fall-planted winter crops by midsummer harvesting of the small grains and hay.

LIVE STOCK

Handling pure-bred stock requires a variety of interesting work. As profitable general farming nearly always includes live-stock production, more or less work is required in this branch. The horsepower of the place must have attention; barns must be kept in order, feed and fodder prepared and sometimes fed out to cattle and sheep in pasture and much care must be given to hogs if brood sows are kept. Other profitable side lines are followed on almost every farm and are frequently specialized, as with pure breeds of cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, rabbits, and hares.

PLAN No. 1062. HORTICULTURE

The farm orchard, though it may be for the use only of the owner and his tenants, must be properly handled, pruned, and sprayed. Garden truck, berries, and small fruits must have early and constant attention. In commercial orcharding trees of different varieties are now frequently interplanted, such as apple, peach, and apricot. In the different seasons the fruit grower is occupied with the various employments of pruning, cultivation, spraying, thinning, gathering, storing, and marketing. Summer, fall, and winter varieties may be grown, the latter to be sold as the big crop and stored by the buyer, or by the orchardist himself, to supply the markets through the winter and spring, or even until they compete with next year’s summer apples in the market. Various side lines of labor naturally accompany orcharding, such as growing small fruits and berries, and some farming, possibly trucking, between the rows in young orchards. Bees, poultry, and swine are not only profitable, but help in keeping the ground clear of insects, and in other ways.

PLAN No. 1063. BEEKEEPING

Bees not only produce honey, but render service in promoting crop farming through fertilization and by aiding in the control of parasites. Beekeeping is most interesting and exceedingly profitable, and while usually managed as a side line with orcharding, or some other branch of farming, it may be made so profitable and conducted on such a large scale as to be a business in itself. Many retired professional men devote themselves to it, as the work is light and is done only in spring, summer, and fall, when the weather is inviting for outdoor work. One Indiana man is reported as having a $20,000 honey crop this year.

PLAN No. 1064. DAIRYING

Possibly no occupation has more possible lines of interest and is more adapted to your condition than dairying. The handling, feeding, care, and management of the herd and calf nursery, and in cases of pure-bred herds, the study of pedigrees, blood lines, and breeding are all most interesting, as are also the scientific milking, handling of dairy products, and marketing. The dairy occupation of butter and cheese making, as well as the feeding of live stock for meat, and much other work continue through the entire year. The agriculturist, if a specialist, can conduct a small dairy and can co-ordinate, for example, butter making or other lines with his specialty, thus enabling him to run his “agricultural factory” the year around.

PLAN No. 1065. OTHER FARM SPECIALTIES AND TRADES

Other branches of farming require active all year employment, and, though too numerous to mention here, attention should be called to forestry, the nursery business, large poultry projects, the growing of rabbits, hares, birds, and pigeons on large scale, and the production of medicinal plants, now receiving so much attention because of the war’s interference with production abroad. All these occupations call for much labor of a frequently changing nature. They are interesting and provide opportunity for selection of employment suited to your disability.

Hauling products to the station or, if near enough, to the market demanding a fresh supply of fruits and green vegetables is one line of work. The truck farmer operating large fields of potatoes, onions, and other crops not requiring placement daily on the market finds a great variety of work to be done and usually carries on one or more side lines. One of the most successful combinations of specialties includes raising poultry, growing small fruits, and keeping bees, but one making a specialty of any one of these branches would unquestionably develop profitable minor lines which would give employment when the main line did not supply it.

Small trades or manufacturing may accompany your farm project, as you will find time for these in rainy weather and in winter. In many localities the broom corn, grown between the rows of early potatoes, or as a regular crop, may be made into brooms on the farm in the winter. Crates, boxes, and barrels for fruit and vegetables are to be made, and buildings, fencing, and gates demand attention. During much of the dormant season of the year, in many sections of the United States, land is most advantageously plowed, prepared, and planted to winter grain and other crops in some sections up until Christmas. Other land is simply broken (not harrowed), to be in readiness for early spring preparation, and in order that it may improve more rapidly under winter rain, sunshine, freezing, and thawing, natural processes which release plant food and kill insect life and fungus development.

PRODUCTS

To enumerate what workers in the numerous agricultural occupations produce in their varied general farming operations, with rotation of crops, varying in different sections, to enumerate the meat products derived from properly handled live stock, the minor crops of garden, orchard, truck, and berry patches, and the various specialties of horticulture, poultry, and bees, not to mention “specialty farming” products, would fill a book. In fact, the reports and statistical data on agricultural products and their importance to the sustenance and clothing of the population, as well as to industry, fill many books annually. To enumerate these products would be but to remind you of the foods on your tables, of every article of clothing which you wear, and of many raw materials of the world’s industries.

WORK FOR ALL

General farming provides work for those of all ages, from the youngest children with their “chores,” up through every member of the family to the farmer himself, who must be general manager for directing his own labor and that of all who are associated with him. There is work for the weak as well as the strong, for the disabled as well as for the fit.

OUT OF DOORS

The year around, considering all occupations in agriculture, probably 75 to 90 per cent of the work even in winter is out-of-door work. Very little is done in shops or factories; more is done in dairy buildings and in cheese and butter making factories; there is some indoor work in animal feeding, minor manufacturing, blacksmithing, and making farm repairs, and probably more indoor work might advantageously be undertaken. More shop and repair work, such as is now taken to the town, might be done on the farm. But agricultural work is and must always be largely outdoor work, and it is on that account particularly healthful and enjoyable.

NORTH AND SOUTH, EAST AND WEST

Agriculture in some form is coextensive with the area of the United States. There are the crops suitable for and produced in the North and the South, the East and the West, varying according to the length and warmth of the seasons of growth, and as influenced by soil, climate, rainfall, and adaptability to different plants and operations.

AGRICULTURE A MACHINE INDUSTRY

Inventive genius has given us a tool, an implement, or a machine for every purpose in the new agriculture of to-day. America produced nearly 35,000 farm tractors in 1916, 62,742, in 1917, and 58,543 in the first half of 1918, a total of 150,955 in 30 months, yet the demand for them is so great that the Department of Agriculture is seeking a plan for equitably distributing them throughout the States. Better and greater crops are produced by modern methods, and production per man has been greatly increased. This introduction of implements and machinery has made it possible for disabled men to take up many lines of farming with every prospect of success.

PERMISSIBLE AND DISQUALIFYING DISABILITIES FOR AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS

If you determine that it shall be so, your disability, whatever it is, will become a serious handicap in farming, as well as in any other employment. But you do not need to make up your mind that way. If you determine that it shall not be a handicap, you can find employment in agriculture, in which you can become 100 per cent efficient.

Your disability is only one condition, and it is probably not the most important condition to be taken into account in making up your mind what branch of farming you can best take up. But considering the disability alone, without taking account of other things, such as, for example, past experience in farming or in other work, certain agricultural employments may be designated as difficult for men with certain disabilities.

Few, if any, disabilities are absolutely disqualifying for any given employment in all cases. Men with all sorts of disabilities have in fact undertaken successfully all sorts of work. It may nevertheless be helpful to designate for each of the principal agricultural employments those disabilities which seem generally to constitute serious handicaps.

With exception of a few disabilities, such as total blindness, loss of both arms at the shoulder, and serious paralysis, it will be found that disabilities do not generally disqualify men for any considerable number of agricultural occupations, and that without exception even of these serious disabilities there is suitable employment in agriculture for every disabled man.

To save space in making up the following table of disabilities, the so-called “disqualifying” rather than the “permissible” disabilities have been designated for each employment. It should be borne in mind that where one or two or a dozen disabilities are designated as “disqualifying” this designation by implication indicates all other disabilities as permissible, and that a list of permissible disabilities would in fact be interminable.

For convenience in making up the table of disqualifying disabilities, a “Key to Disabilities” has been prepared, in which the principal typical disabilities are classified as injuries to the head, body, arms and hands, legs and feet, and miscellaneous disabilities. By reference to the Key each disability is identified by a letter and a number. “A” disabilities, for example, are injuries to the head, and “B” disabilities injuries to the body; “A1” is blindness in one eye, “A2” blindness in both eyes, “B1” abdominal wound, “C1” amputation of one or more fingers, and other symbols are to be interpreted accordingly.

In the chart showing disqualifying disabilities agricultural employments in different branches of farming are listed, and for each employment certain disabilities are designated as disqualifying. In the case of the “general farmer,” for example, the disqualifying disabilities designated are “A2, 5, C9, D9, E12” which by reference to the Key are to be read “blindness in both eyes, deafness in both ears, amputation of both arms at shoulder, amputation of both legs at the hip, and serious paralysis.” As regards other occupations, a similar interpretation is to be given to the chart.

Neither the list of disabilities in the Key nor the list of occupations in the chart is exhaustive, but the lists are perhaps sufficiently detailed to serve as a general guide for the disabled man in choosing one or another branch of farming as most suitable for him.

PLAN No. 1066. KEY TO DISABILITIES

A. _Head:_

1. Blindness, one eye. 2. Blindness, both eyes. 3. Bronchitis, asthma, hay fever. 4. Deafness, one ear. 5. Deafness, both ears. 6. Injury.

B. _Body:_

1. Abdominal wound. 2. Gastritis. 3. Heart trouble. 4. Hernia. 5. Injury ribs, collar bone, etc. 6. Intestinal trouble. 7. Kidney trouble. 8. Lung trouble. 9. Spinal trouble. 10. Stomach trouble.

C. _Arms and hands:_

1. Amputation, one or more fingers. 2. Amputation, one hand, either arm. 3. Amputation, both hands. 4. Amputation between wrist and elbow, either. 5. Amputation between wrist and elbow, both. 6. Amputation, elbow and shoulder, either. 7. Amputation, elbow and shoulder, both. 8. Amputation at shoulder, either arm. 9. Amputation at shoulder, both arms. 10. Ankylosis of fingers. 11. Ankylosis of wrist. 12. Ankylosis of elbow. 13. Ankylosis of shoulder. 14. Injury.

D. _Legs and feet:_

1. Amputation, one or more toes. 2. Amputation, one foot, either leg. 3. Amputation, both feet. 4. Amputation, between ankle and knee, either leg. 5. Amputation, between ankle and knee, both legs. 6. Amputation, between knee and hip, either leg. 7. Amputation, between knee and hip, both legs. 8. Amputation at hip, either leg. 9. Amputation at hip, both legs. 10. Ankylosis of ankle. 11. Ankylosis of knee. 12. Ankylosis of hip. 13. Injury.

E. _Miscellaneous:_

1. Cancer. 2. Chronic appendicitis. 3. Eczema. 4. Epilepsy. 5. Gas Poisoning. 6. Inflammation of veins. 7. Malaria. 8. Nerve wounds. 9. Neurasthenia. 10. Palsy. 11. Paralysis, partial. 12. Paralysis, serious. 13. Rheumatism. 14. Shell shock. 15. Tuberculosis. 10. Varicocele.

WHY TAKE TRAINING?

Because it is necessary. Even if you grow up on a farm, you can learn to farm better than your father and your grandfather farmed. Something new in farming is discovered every day--new methods of treating soils, new methods of growing old crops, and new crops that can be grown profitably on old farms, new methods of planting, cultivating, and harvesting, and a thousand other new things that save labor, time, and money, improve products, secure better markets, and generally make farming profitable. If you have lost a leg or an arm you will need special training to accustom you to work with artificial appliances, and you may find it advantageous, even if you grew up on a farm, to take up some new line with which you are not familiar, some line in which your handicap will not be a handicap. But, especially if you have been disabled and have never farmed before, you will need training to make you a successful farmer in spite of your handicap. The Government will provide just that sort of training you need, and will help you find out what that training should be.

OVERCOMING YOUR DISABILITY

You may be without practical farm experience. Never mind that. Go after it, and with vocational training you will get it.

The most serious disablements, even the loss of two members, even blindness have not prevented efficient application to some of the many agricultural specialties. Some disabled farmers have deemed it unwise to undertake work in the field because of amputation of both legs, or even the loss of one, not realizing that a sabot which will prevent sinking in the ground may be adjusted to an artificial leg, making it possible to travel with comfort over plowed or soft soil. Besides, we now have the tractor, and implements with such light draft as to permit of riding even if using horsepower. You can “come back” at some sort of farm work as many other men have done.

DEVICES TO BEAT THE HANDICAP

Special tools and implements and certain appliances for the handling of agricultural machinery have been used by disabled men most successfully, and are being suggested by the inventive genius of the disabled themselves. You may benefit thereby in your effort to return to civil life as an efficient and self-supporting man.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

You who have grown up on a farm have acquired a practical education that is invaluable. Of course school training and even advanced courses are valuable and will greatly assist you, but it is our desire to impress you with the fact that you can succeed though your schooling has been meager.

TECHNICAL TRAINING

Either with or without agricultural experience you will find in the agricultural colleges and high schools opportunity for advanced study. The agricultural colleges report gratifying increase in the application of city-bred boys for courses. If you are a city boy you will have no handicap of undesirable or old-fashioned ways of farming to overcome, which are often difficult to eliminate. Books, specific knowledge, and scientific training rightly applied mean efficiency and success.

METHOD OF TRAINING

Methods of training will of necessity vary with the vocational course adopted. There will be training in various specialties, and opportunity for making yourself proficient in more than one line of work. Following your primary training you will be given opportunity to engage in practical work. After completing your course and returning home, you may continue your training in a local agricultural high school, or in special classes, such as are now being formed in numerous locations. Instructors can always be secured for special classes meeting in the evening or on two or three afternoons each week in the winter time when activities on the farm are at a minimum. These classes and the lectures secured now and then have been the inspiration to many to take regular agricultural courses in high schools or in State colleges, and you may thus arrange to take advanced technical training.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN TRAINING

You will be given opportunity to learn the essential things in the line you have chosen, and taught ways and means of overcoming your handicap. The extent of the course as to training and also its duration will depend solely on your needs and desire. The more you undertake the more you will accomplish and the greater will be your efficiency and your ability to go “over the top” as an agriculturist, or as a specialist in some selected line.

PLAN No. 1067. IS THERE A DEMAND FOR LABOR?

The demand for efficient farm labor is second to no other labor requirement in the world, even in ordinary times. You may be assured that the opportunity for permanent employment is excellent. State agricultural colleges can not supply the demand for farm managers, herdsmen, dairymen, orchardmen, and men who have studied the production of small fruits and vegetables and have had practical experience in these lines. The agricultural colleges give special courses in forestry, floriculture, poultry raising, beekeeping, and other lines, and those who have taken even short winter courses easily find employment at advanced wages.

OTHERS HAVE MADE GOOD

Many disabled men are following agricultural pursuits. Before the war we had examples in hundreds of men with only one arm or one leg who were farming successfully, and reports from Italy, France, England, and Canada inform us that hundreds of disabled boys, retained and readjusted, are now successfully adapting themselves to agricultural work.

Getting back home to work again should be, and doubtless is, your greatest ambition, hence the importance of reaching your decision at the earliest possible moment and applying for the training which will be provided for you.

On arriving at your home you will find the attitude of your old friends, your own family, and your former employers all that you could possibly expect in their desire to assist you. The disposition of your fellow workmen will be to give you every encouragement and to lend a helping hand whenever and as long as you need it. They will take a justifiable pride in you and your determination to be a man among your former fellow men in civil life, and to help produce for the world the food which will prevent in some measure hunger and starvation in the war-afflicted countries, and will provide adequately for our own needs.

OPPORTUNITY FOR ADVANCEMENT

In agriculture you will win out in proportion as you develop efficiency. You will be your own master, and will achieve your own advancement. You may reasonably expect to acquire independence for yourself and for your family. The good farmer normally improves his condition from year to year. Only the poor farmer fails, and the way to avoid failure is to take the training that will make you a good farmer.

MORE TRAINING IF YOU NEED IT

If, perchance, you have taken insufficient training and desire more instruction after you first try out on the farm, you will be permitted to return for that. If you reach the conclusion that you desire training in another of the many agricultural branches, or in any other line, the Federal Board for Vocational Education has the courses in readiness and will gladly give you further opportunity of re-educating yourself.

WHAT IF YOU DO NOT TAKE TRAINING?

The matter of training is up to you, and so also will be your occupation and success in life. You may succeed without training, but you are more likely to do so if you have been retrained and readjusted to the new conditions which will confront you in earning a livelihood. You have been too much a man “over there,” too brave and too ambitious to do your part, to do otherwise now than exhibit by a manly endeavor your ability to come back to the noble position of an efficient, self-supporting, and respected citizen of the United States.

PLAN No. 1068. WHAT THE FARMER SHOULD KNOW.--TOPICS OF VOCATIONAL INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING FOR DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF FARMING

Farming is not a vocation. It is rather a thousand different vocations. No man can in the course of a lifetime engage in all of these different vocations, and no one farm is suitable for the development of every branch of farming.

For the individual farmer operating a given farm the vocational problem is partly one of individual preference on the part of the farmer, but it is largely one of developing to the best advantage the natural and acquired resources of the farm itself, which may be large or small, especially suitable for growing field crops or garden crops, for stock raising or dairying, for orcharding or small-fruit growing, or for some combination of these branches. On some farms the farmer will most profitably become in a greater or less degree a specialist--a corn or cotton planter, a dairyman, a stock breeder, a fruit grower, or a truck gardener. But in other cases his farm may be suitable for general farming. It may embrace a garden, an orchard, pasture land, and cultivated land suitable for field crops. Even in such cases the general farmer will, however, probably select certain specialties among those for which his farm is well adapted. The specialty farmer, on the other hand, will probably develop side lines not necessarily associated with his specialty, producing at least his own vegetables, fruit, poultry, eggs, milk, and butter for home consumption.

The general farmer must know how to care for his animals, how to prepare the soil for his crops, how to plant, cultivate, harvest, and rotate his crops. The specialty farmer must acquire a fund of technical knowledge pertaining to his specialty. For the fullest development of their farms, in accordance with their individual preferences, no two farmers perhaps will require precisely the same sort of training. There is a fund of information relating to breeds and types of animals, feeds, propagation, diseases, pedigrees, and other matters that is of special interest to the stock breeder and of comparatively little interest to the beekeeper. But nearly every farmer should know something of the care of animals, and many farmers who do not propose to become apiarists will wish to know enough of the care of bees to enable them to keep a few hives.

In the following chart the topics of instruction and training of special value in the different branches of agriculture are indicated. In proportion as a farmer engages in one or more of these branches, the training which will be of value to him will be determined by the requirements of the several branches in which he engages. In determining upon a specific course of training in individual cases, past training and experience, personal preferences, capacities and disabilities, and future prospects as regards character and location of farm to be operated and other conditions of future employment will naturally be taken into account.

CHART SHOWING SCOPE OF TRAINING FOR DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF AGRICULTURE

_GENERAL FARMING_

Selection of feed crops and stocks. Planning crop areas and rotations. Maintenance of stock with minimum purchases. Maintenance and improvement of soil fertility. Farm management and accounting. Production of supplies for family consumption: Vegetables, fruits, berries, poultry. Eggs, meat, milk, butter, cheese, honey, etc. Stock feeding for market. Sale of surplus products.

_STOCK RAISING_

Breeds and types of animals. Selection of stock. Points in judging animal merits and defects. Breeding principles. Blood lines. Prevention and control of diseases. Feeding and watering: Balanced rations. Selection of feeds. Determination of amounts to be fed. Times and methods of feeding. Water supply. Pasturing. Improvement of soil and pasture. Buildings for shelter and housing: Size, number, character, sanitation, and care of buildings. Keeping records of mating, breeding, pedigrees, feeds, costs, incomes, etc. Improvement of herd or flocks. Marketing.

_DAIRYING_

Breeds of animals. Sanitation of barns, sheds, cows, milk room, utensils, clothing, and hands. Cooling and handling of milk. Bacteriology--souring milk, ripening cream. Food value of milk products. Testing. Feeds. Keeping records. Maintenance of herd. Marketing.

_POULTRYING_

Broods and types of poultry. Breeding principles. Hatching problems: Selection of eggs. Use of incubators. Care of chicks and brooders. Construction and adaptation of houses, and pens. Sanitation of houses, pens, and yards. Pests and diseases. Feeds. Fattening and dressing poultry. Marketing.

_TRUCK GARDENING_

Kinds of gardens: Kitchen. Market. Truck. Varieties of vegetables and plants. Breeding and propagation. Garden planning with reference to topography, surface drainage, and economy in cultivating and harvesting. Soil treatment: Adaptation. Propagation. Fertilization. Preservation and improvement. Cultivation. Irrigation. Pests, insect and fungus. Spraying. Buildings for team, implements, tools, crops, fresh vegetables, surplus fertilizers, seed, and supplies. Implements and tools. Marketing, storage, and canning.

_ORCHARDING_

Varieties of trees. Propagation of soil. Interplanting. Root and branch pruning. Culture. Propagation of trees. Spraying materials and apparatus. Grafting and budding. Transplanting. Diseases and pests--prevention and control. Side projects--berries, bees, poultry, and pigs (for economical use of land, fertilization of flowers, control of pests, etc.). Canning, packing, storage, and marketing.

_SMALL FRUIT GROWING_

Selection of varieties. Plant breeding and propagation. Planting, replanting, and terracing. Rotation. Fertilization of soil. Diseases and pests--prevention and control. Spraying materials and apparatus. Side projects--kitchen garden, poultry, bees, pigs. Marketing, storage, canning.

_BEEKEEPING_

Importance for cross fertilizing clover, fruit trees, berries, garden plants, and many farm crops. Hives. Taking honey. Care of bees: Swarming. Dividing colonies. Wintering. Prevention of diseases.

_CROP FARMING--SPECIAL_

Selection of crop or crops, taking account of topography, climate, soil, etc. Selection of seed. Equipment--use of tractors. Planting, cultivating, and harvesting. Providing labor for cropping and harvesting. Character of buildings required. Farm management and accounting.

_LANDSCAPE GARDENING_

General layout of property. Location of buildings. Selection and inspection of shrubbery, trees, flowers, and vines. Lawns--how made, kept, and improved. Roads and walks. Fencing and gates. Parks and civic centers.

_FARM MECHANICS_

Blacksmithing--maintenance and repair of tools, implements, and machinery. Carpentering--construction, maintenance, and repair of houses, barns, sheds, pens, coops, silos, fences, and gates. Cement work--construction, maintenance, and repair of foundations, cellars, chimneys, walks, and posts. Machine operating of farm tractors and other machinery.

_SCIENTIFIC SPECIALTY WORK_

Chemistry--application in analysis of soils, feeds, fertilizers, and products. Botany--application in plant breeding, propagation, and culture. Entomology--application in prevention and control of diseases and pests. Scientific specialty work in connection with farm drainage; hygiene; building construction, lighting, heating, and ventilation; soil maintenance and improvement; and farm accounting and management.

CHART SHOWING DISQUALIFYING DISABILITIES FOR SPECIFIC AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS

Farmer, owner, or tenant, inactive, none. Farmer, general, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farmer, grain, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farmer, stock, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farmer, small, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farmer, truck, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farm manager, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farm superintendent, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farm foreman, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Farm mechanic, A2, B9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Farm seed specialist, A2, E12. Farm hand (workers), A2, B9, C7, 9, D7, 9, E12. Farm tractor operator, A2, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Farm truck driver, A2, 5, B3, 4, 9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Farm blacksmith, A2, B3, 4, 9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 10, 11, 12. Grape grower, owner, none. Vineyardist, A2, C9, D9, E12. Helpers, A2, C9, D9, E12. Orchardist, owner, none. Orchard superintendent, A2, C9, D9, E12. Orchard sprayer, A2, C7, 9, D9, E12. Orchard pruner, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Orchard planter, A2, B9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. Orchard thinners and pickers, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E10, 11, 12. Orchard tractor operator, A2, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 10, 12. Orchard truck driver, A2, 5, B3, 4, 9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Small-fruit grower, none. Superintendent, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Cultivators, A2, C9, D9, E12. Pickers, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. Planter, A2, B9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. Sprayer, A2, C7, 9, D9, E12. Tractor operator, A2, 5, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Truck driver, A2, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Salesman, A2, 5, E12. Animal husbandman, owner, none. Manager, A2, C9, D9, E12. Accountant, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Correspondent, A2, C9, E12. Stock inspector, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. Stockman, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Sheep breeder, A2, C9, D9, E12. Shepherd, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Flock master, A2, C9, D9, E12. Swine breeder, A2, C9, D9, E12. Swine herdsman, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Cattle herdsman, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Cattle breeder, A2, C9, D9, E12. Horse breeder, A2, C9, D9, E12. Horseman, A2, 5, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 12. Barn man, A2, C9, D9, E12. Trainer, A2, 5, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Groom, A2, C9, D9, E12. Veterinarian, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Veterinarian assistant, A2, B3, 4, 9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Dairyman, owner, none. Dairy manager, A2, E12. Herdsman, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 12. Milkman, A2, C9, D9, E1, 3, 4, 12, 15. Milkers, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E1, 3, 4, 12, 15. Tester, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 15. Butter maker, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E1, 3, 4, 12. Cheese maker A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E1, 3, 4, 12. Deliverers, A2, B9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E1, 3, 4, 9, 12, 15. Machinist, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Feeders, A2, C7, 9, E12. Cleaners, A2, C7, 9, E12. Laborers, A2, B9, C7, 9, D7, 9, E12. Tractor operator, A2, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Truck driver, A2, 5, B3, 4, 9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Nurseryman, owner, none. Business manager, A2, 5. Office help, A2, 5. Cultivators, A2, C9, D9, E12. Shipping clerk, A2, E12. Nursery chief, A2, 5, E12. Nursery foreman, A2, 5, E12. Packers, A2, C7, 9, D7, 9, E12. Workers, A2, B9, C7, 9, D7, 9, E12. Tractor operator, A2, B3, C3, 5, 7, 9, D7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Truck driver, A2, 5, B3, 4, 9, C3, 5, 7, 9, D3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Gardener, market, owner, none. Gardener, kitchen, A2, C9, E12. Gardener, market, A2, C9, E12. Gardener, landscape, A2, C9, E12. Gardener, cultivators, A2, C9, E12. Gardener, pickers, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. Gardener, manager, A2, 5, C9, D9, E12. Make-up market man, A2, 5, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. City market man, A2, 5, E12. Poultry keeper (specialties--squabs, ducks, geese, turkeys, game birds, exhibition poultry): Owner, none. Poultry manager, A2. Poultry feeder, none. Poultry workers, A2. Egg handler, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Incubator specialist, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E12. Beekeeper, owner, none. Apiarist, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 10, 11, 12. Helpers, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, E4, 10, 11, 12. Trucker (specialties--cabbage, head lettuce, onions, potatoes, seeds, celery, etc.): Owner, inactive, none. Owner, active, A2, C9, D9, E12. Truck manager, A2, 5. Gardener, A2, C9, E12. Cultivators, A2, C9, D9, E12. Workers, A2, C9, D9, E12. Make-up marketman, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9, E12. Floriculture (specialties--roses, etc.): Owner, none. Cultivators, A2, C9. Florist, A2. Market clipper, A2, C3, 5, 7, 9, D9. Salesmen, A2, 5. Cannery: Canner, owner, none. Manager, A2, 5. Accountant, A2. Dealers, A2. Packers, none. Broom maker: Manager, A2, 5. Makers, none. Packers, none. Basket maker: Manager, A2, 5. Makers, none. Packers, none. Wicker cultivators, A2, C9, E12. Wicker workers, none. Meat curing, A2, 5, C3, 5, 7, 9.

PLAN No. 1069. OCCUPATIONS IN THE ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This monograph was prepared by Terrell Croft. Acknowledgment is due to Dr. John Cummings of the Research Division for editorial assistance.

Thousands of men are now employed in the electrical manufacturing industries--in the shops and factories where electrical machines, devices, and equipment are made. The number of workers so engaged must, it is believed, increase materially in the future because of constant expansion in the applications of electricity. For illustration, consider the extent to which electric welding, electric-motor drives, electric heating and electric lighting are now utilized as compared with the use which obtained 10 years ago. Or again, consider the devices using electricity in the household to-day--vacuum cleaners, motor-driven washing machines, electric stoves, sadirons, and many others--as compared with the number in use a few years ago. The demands of electric communication, also, require an army of workers for the manufacture of telephone apparatus alone.

The ever-extending use of devices which utilize electrical energy means that there must be to supply them a corresponding enlargement in the manufacture of such electrical equipment as generators, switchboards, and transformers. Electrical manufacturing companies must, it would seem, expand rapidly, and for this reason the opportunities which they offer should afford excellent prospects for disabled soldiers who have had previous training in, or who have a liking for this field of endeavor.

The purpose of this monograph is to indicate briefly the opportunities presented in those occupations which are peculiar to electrical manufacturing. Electrical machinery and device factories often embrace foundries, paint shops, pattern shops, blacksmith shops, tin and press shops, and other shops, in which are performed certain processes necessary for the production of the electrical product in which that concern specializes. But in so far as the vocations are concerned, the work of the men following the occupations of these shops is not materially different from that of mechanics following the same vocations in similar shops in other industries. The general requirements of a mechanic in a machine shop are about the same whether the machine shop is part of a harvester factory or of an electrical machinery factory. Hence in this monograph will be treated only those manufacturing vocations which are wholly electrical. For convenience they have been grouped into the following classifications:

Engineering and drafting.

Coil winding and taping.

Coil impregnating and painting.

Coil placing and connecting.

Assembling.

Inspection and repair.

Testing.

By way of preface, it may be pointed out that there are certain general features of the situation which confront a disabled soldier, which should be examined carefully by him before he makes a break for a job.

CONSIDER THE FUTURE AND PLAN ACCORDINGLY

The tendency of the average man is to base his actions only on conditions which confront him now. He does not think about the conditions which he may have to face ten or fifteen or twenty years hence. Before you take a job think about how it is going to work out as you grow older. What will you be doing when you are 40 or 50 years of age? It is possible to make definite plans for the future and follow them consistently and the disabled soldier should weigh very thoughtfully the opportunity for schooling and training without cost which the United States Government through the Federal Board for Vocational Education is prepared now to offer him. Statistics show that on the average a man with some theoretical training has ultimately a greater earning capacity than another man of equal ability but without such training. Every disabled soldier who for any reason has not been able to become posted in the elements of the calling which he wishes to follow, should avail himself of the chance now presented to him to get such training as he needs.

DISCUSS THE SITUATION WITH A FEDERAL BOARD ADVISER

Just how and where training may be obtained without cost you may learn by talking with the vocational adviser of the Federal Board for Vocational Education. The adviser may, also, because of his experience in this special work, be able to assist you in selecting the calling for which you are best fitted, and at which you can most certainly succeed. The training need not necessarily be obtained at a technical school.

ELECTRICAL MANUFACTURING COMPANIES MAINTAIN TRAINING COURSES

Training courses are conducted by many companies for their employees, who are sometimes permitted to attend on the company’s time. Often the training given in these courses is of great value, enabling the student to increase materially his earning capacity. Some of these training courses have been in operation many years and are now highly developed, thoroughly organized, and very effective. In them both theoretical and practical instruction are given.

EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENTS

A number of the electrical manufacturing companies operate employment departments, which render valuable service to prospective employees. Such departments study carefully each man’s qualifications and endeavor to place him in the job for which he is best suited. Obviously, it is to the interest of both the employer and of the employee that the employee shall follow a line of work for which he is best fitted.

CONSTANCY OF EMPLOYMENT

Under normal conditions the demand for electrical equipment of all sorts is very steady, and this tends to insure continuity of employment. Furthermore, practically all of the electrical workers in the electrical manufacturing industry require special training, and for this reason employing companies use every means to insure continuous employment for each worker so that their organization may not be broken up. Finally, the call for electrical equipment will probably be exceptionally heavy in the immediate future to provide for reconstruction needs. All of these features tend to insure stability of employment.

MUTUAL BENEFIT FEATURES

Many companies maintain associations, supported largely by the companies and partially by the employees themselves, whereby medical attendance and monetary benefits are afforded in time of sickness. Some of the concerns have building and loan associations through which employee members can borrow money at low rates of interest for the construction of homes.

PLAN No. 1070. ENGINEERING AND DRAFTING

Although the engineering department and the drafting department in an electrical manufacturing concern are usually distinct organizations, the drafting division commonly operates under the direction of the engineering department. In the engineering department are developed the designs and specifications for the electrical apparatus which the company produces. The engineers make the computations, prepare--ordinarily in the form of a sketch--the preliminary design for the device, and write out the specifications for its production. This information is submitted to the drafting department, which completes finished detailed drawings. Often a draftsman who matures a design or directs the work of a squad of junior draftsmen must be an engineer. Although a technical-school training and a number of years of experience are necessary for any man who is to assume responsibility for electrical design or drafting, there are frequently opportunities for those who have had comparatively little training to start in as assistants or helpers.

HIGH-SCHOOL COURSE ESSENTIAL

While it was formerly the practice of many concerns to accept in their engineering departments only college graduates, it has been found that many of the tasks do not require or justify this training. For reasonable progress in design engineering, the candidate should, however, have at least the equivalent of a high-school education. As noted above, some companies maintain training courses or schools, in which high-school trained apprentices are given, on the company’s time and without cost to them, courses covering the essentials of design engineering along special lines.

FIRST DUTIES AND AFTER

Under the direction of an experienced engineer the beginner will probably undertake first the making of computations for designs already under way or the checking or reckoning of data from curves of tests which have been made on apparatus which the concern has built. The beginner is often called upon also to plot graphs from values which are at hand or which he himself reckons. As the candidate develops efficiency, he may be expected to assume responsibility for the design of certain parts of machines or devices. Then, later, after a number of years of experience and study, he may become sufficiently conversant with the principles and processes involved to undertake the design of equipment on his own responsibility.

Only a man who is of a studious temperament is fitted for a vocation of this character, because to be successful at it one must study both in and out of working hours. The worker must become familiar with the principles of electricity and magnetism, and be competent to make such calculations as are required to the end that available material shall be utilized in proper proportions to provide desired results and performance in the machine being designed. However, the essentials of this theoretical training can be obtained by any man who is competent to handle formulas, and who is willing to devote a reasonable amount of time to study. While mathematical processes are the tools of an electrical designer, a good mathematician is not necessarily a good designer. To be a good designer, the individual must have also a practical temperament and an eye for proportions. He must be able to design a device so that it will give maximum results at minimum cost and upkeep expense.

DESIGN ENGINEERING IS ALMOST ALL DESK WORK

Although the designer must sometimes work over a drafting board, or go to parts of the shop where machines are either in process of construction or under test, design engineering is largely desk work. Any man who can see, think, and write may, assuming that he has the requisite temperamental and educational qualifications, develop into a designer. Loss of hearing is not by any means an insurmountable handicap.

SALARIES AND HOURS

Engineering department employees practically always receive their compensation on a weekly or monthly salary basis. Beginners who have not had a college education may receive from $60 to $80 per month at the start. After some experience, which equips them for working without constant supervision, they can expect from $80 to $125 per month. Ultimately, salaries will be determined wholly by the capacity of the individual and may range from $2,000 on up indefinitely. Often designers conceive patentable ideas which, if practicable and adopted, may result in substantial salary increases for them. The usual day is eight hours, but in some shops the engineering department works only seven and one-half hours.

IN THE DRAFTING DIVISIONS

For drafting in the engineering department the qualifications are somewhat similar to those for design engineering. Draftsmen are, however, ordinarily not so well informed or so well paid as engineers and frequently an able man is promoted from drafting to engineering work. When a man starts at drafting, if he has had no experience, his first task is likely to be that of tracing--he copies, in ink, on a sheet of transparent tracing cloth, a drawing which was made in pencil on drawing paper by a draftsman. In thus tracing a design, he can become familiar with many of the mechanical principles of the devices, and also with the drafting-room and machine-shop practices of the concern which employs him. By observing and asking questions he can learn much. After he has become a proficient tracer, he may be required to “work up” dimension drawings from rough sketches, or to design minor details. Thus he can progress, step by step, until his accumulated experience enables him to perform the work of an experienced draftsman. A man who has had previous drafting experience may not have to start in at the bottom, but may begin with such work as he is qualified to undertake.

To enable him to become a good draftsman, a man should be able to see well, and he should have the use of both hands. One hand or even both hands may, however, be artificial. Men who have had previous shop or electrical construction experience, but whose disabilities disqualify them for further rough work, may adopt the vocation of design draftsman with entire success.

Many draftsmen with the equivalent of only a common-school education have been able by application and attention to business to advance themselves very satisfactorily. On the other hand, the equivalent of a high-school education with an elementary knowledge of algebra, trigonometry, mechanics, heat, and the other scientific subjects involved, is of very material benefit. If a man’s education is deficient he can often correct this by attending a night-school.

Draftsmen ordinarily receive weekly salaries. A beginner in a drafting department with little or no previous experience may expect from $50 to $70 per month at the start. A competent design draftsman will receive probably from $100 to $200 monthly. Some receive considerably more. The work is wholly indoors and over a drafting board.

PLAN No. 1071. COIL WINDING AND TAPING

In many electrical devices, coils of insulated copper wire-magnet or armature windings of one sort or another are required. Consequently a large number of coil winders are employed in most electrical factories. Coils are usually wound on forms in accordance with specifications prepared in the engineering department. The “form,” upon which the coil is thus wound, is clamped on the head of a winding lathe operated by power. In this form is a groove, in which the convolutions of the winding are wound. The groove is of such size that it insures the correct number of turns in the coil so that the finished coil shall be of correct dimensions. When the attendant presses a treadle, power furnished by a belt causes the form to revolve, and insulated copper wire from a spool mounted on a rack is guided by the attendant and wound into its place in the groove. After the required number of turns, the form is removed, and the coil is taken from it by the attendant who then starts winding the next coil. Frequently it is necessary to produce a large number of identical coils. Where this condition obtains, automatic devices of one sort or another, to reduce manual effort and to render the processes automatic in so far as possible, may be employed.

TYPES OF COILS

Some of the different sorts of coils wound in the different factories are: Field coils, armature coils, transformer coils, and magnet coils. Coils of different types may range in size and weight from a few inches long and a few ounces in weight to a couple of feet and several hundred pounds.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT FOR COIL WINDERS

The work on some coils requires little physical effort and may be done by young women, but where the wire from which the coil is wound is of relatively large diameter or where the winding is intricate men are employed. Some lifting is necessary, and the use of both hands is essential. The loss of one eye, of a leg or foot, or of hearing is not a material detriment. The work is wholly indoors. Coil winding is often piecework, sometimes under a premium system and sometimes not. The trade is not generally unionized. The usual day is nine hours, although an eight-hour day prevails in some localities. A coil winder may expect to receive from $14 to $22 per week.

PLAN No. 1072. COIL TAPING

Wrapping a band or strip of cloth or tape around coils which have been wound as described above is known as “coil taping.” Where the coils are of small weight, little physical effort is involved, but where they are large and heavy it is necessary that they be lifted to a bench or vise, on which they are held while being taped. In some factories the lifting and placing of coils is done by laborers. Young women do most of the taping.

PLAN No. 1073. EMPLOYMENT FOR THE BLIND

Often hundreds of coils of identically the same size, shape, and construction are to be covered. Then the tapers become so adept that they can do the work without looking at it. For this reason taping affords an opportunity for men who have lost their sight. Experience has shown that where they are given the proper preliminary training the blind can compete on equal terms with others. Certain electrical concerns have given this fact careful consideration.

WAGES AND HOURS FOR COIL TAPERS

The coil taper may expect to earn from $12 to $20 a week. Often this is piecework and under a premium system. The work is wholly indoors. Some shops work eight hours, but a nine-hour day is the rule.

PLAN No. 1074. COIL IMPREGNATING AND PAINTING

After the coils have been wound, and before or after they have been taped, they must usually be impregnated or saturated with an insulating compound. The last process in finishing the coil ordinarily consists in painting it.

In impregnating, the coils are placed in a large steel cylinder, which is then hermetically sealed by bolting its removable top fast to it. With a power pump the air is exhausted from this cylinder. The impregnating compound--a sort of waterproof paint or varnish--is then forced in and is caused to permeate every interstice of each coil. The compound is then pumped out of the cylinder, and the impregnated coils are removed. To render them waterproof, some coils are painted with a brush instead of being impregnated, but before painting they are heated in a drying oven, which drives out all moisture. Where the coils are light in weight, little physical effort is required, but where they are heavy considerable exertion may be necessary, although cranes and hoists are usually provided.

SHOP TRAINING NECESSARY

Proficiency in work of this character must be acquired in the shop. The beginner starts as a helper, and as he accumulates experience, he may be promoted to a squad boss. Ultimately, assuming that he has proper qualifications and experience, he may become a foreman.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The work is wholly indoors, under temperatures which, although not excessively high, may be somewhat above normal. The odor of the solvents and materials used in insulating and painting is offensive to some, but does not appear to affect others.

QUALIFICATIONS

This work can be handled by men having minor physical defects. The loss of one eye or one leg will not disqualify. The loss of an arm or hand would not be an insurmountable obstacle provided the member is replaced by an artificial one.

WAGES AND HOURS

Wages are often paid by the piece under a premium system. A helper may expect to receive from $12 to $17 a week, an experienced man from $16 to $24, and a foreman from $22 to $37. Usually the day is nine hours, but may be eight and a half. The work is wholly indoors. The trade is seldom unionized.

PLAN No. 1075. COIL PLACING AND CONNECTING

After the coils have been wound and impregnated or otherwise treated, they are arranged in place on the iron cores of the electrical machines under construction which have been designed to receive them. The placing of a magnet coil in an assembled device which requires but the one small coil involves but little skill and labor. But the arranging, placing, and connecting of the large number of armature coils which are necessary to complete an armature winding of a direct-current or alternating generator or motor requires considerable skill, experience, and ingenuity. The connections in such cases may be quite complicated.

Connections between coils are effected by soldering together the ends of the copper conductors. However, the man who makes these connections need not be competent to plan for himself the scheme of connections, inasmuch as he is supplied with a diagrammatic blue print from the engineering department. This indicates how the coils should be connected. He must be competent to read and understand this print. On all but the simplest machines and devices the coil placing and connecting is done by men.

In some shops coils are placed in the armatures by one group of men and are connected by another group who receive slightly higher pay.

CONDITIONS, WAGES, AND HOURS

Ordinarily physical ability involving the use of both hands is required. The loss of one eye, or of a leg or foot, or of hearing is not a material detriment. Usually the men work standing at benches. The work is all indoors. The day is usually nine but sometimes eight hours. A helper may expect to receive from $10 to $18 per week, a journeyman from $18 to $24, and a foreman from $25 to $40 per week. Some shops are unionized, but most of them are not. This is often piecework on the premium system.

TRAINING

The elements of these vocations are taught in some trade schools, but most of the individuals now following the work obtained their knowledge through actual experience in a factory. It requires several years of shop training to become thoroughly proficient. A man may start as a helper and gradually acquire the skill necessary to place himself in the journeyman class. He has always ahead of him the possibility of a foremanship.

PLAN No. 1076. ASSEMBLING

After all of the components of an electrical machine have been produced in the different departments of the factory, they are sent to an assembling department for arrangement into the finished product. The coils are usually in place in and connected on each separate component. But the different members must be bolted or otherwise fastened together as required. The rotating members--armatures or rotors--must be mounted in the bearings, and such electrical junctions made between them as may be necessary. Then the machine is made ready for operation and test.

Where the device is small and simple the work of assembling is correspondingly uncomplicated. It then involves little physical effort and may be done by young women. But where motors or generators, transformers, or similar equipment of capacities of from 5 horsepower up are to be handled, men are required for the work. The assembling department affords a good starting place in the factory for a man who has had some electrical experience. While much of the work requires no theoretical training, a man who already has, or who acquires through study, a knowledge of the theoretical elements involved, will be able to progress accordingly.

QUALIFICATIONS, TRAINING, AND EXPENSES

Ordinary physical qualifications are necessary. Some lifting is required, although cranes are usually provided for handling heavy pieces. The work can be learned only in the shop, and often a man must have gained experience in the particular factory in which a certain device or line of devices is manufactured before he becomes proficient in their assembly. An individual without previous experience may start in as a helper. Later he may develop into a skilled assembler and may look forward to the position of foreman. In large factories there are many foremen in the assembling department. Each foreman has direction of the assembly of a certain type of apparatus.

WAGES, HOURS, AND CONDITIONS

A helper may expect to receive from $12 to $17 per week, a skilled assembler from $17 to $22, and a foreman from $25 to $35. Frequently this is piecework under a premium system. The work is usually nine but is in some shop eight hours. This vocation is not as a rule unionized. The work is indoors.

PLAN No. 1077. INSPECTION AND REPAIR

After electrical equipment has been assembled, it is inspected for defects before it is submitted to an electrical operation test such as is described below. Such inspection may comprise not only a checking of the dimensions and quality of the mechanical parts of the machine, but may also involve qualitative electrical tests. These are made to insure that there are no faults in the insulation, or misconnections in the windings. Frequently these inspection tests are applied before the component tested leaves the department in which it was made. Thus coils are tested to insure that they contain no short-circuits or crosses before they leave the winding department. Complete armatures are likewise subjected to an insulation test in the department where they are wound; a voltage considerably higher than that which will be imposed on the machine after it is in actual operation being connected to the armature temporarily by the tester. This high voltage is obtained from the secondary winding of a step-up transformer.

The mechanical inspection is made with micrometers, scales, gauges, and calipers in the same way as is the inspection of any machine-shop product. Checks for the proper connection of the coils in a machine can be made by standardized methods.

TRAINING

Inspectors of special and complicated apparatus are usually men who have “worked up” and received all of their training in the shop, because this is the only way in which adequate training can be acquired. But for the routine inspection of small parts little if any special training is necessary. Theoretical training is not essential, but it is desirable. A man without previous mechanical or electrical experience is not ordinarily qualified to become other than a detail inspector. The best inspectors are usually selected by picking adept men from the working force of the factory.

OPPORTUNITY FOR DISABLED MEN

This vocation should afford possibilities for disabled soldiers who have had previous electrical or mechanical experience, or who have a liking for this work, but whose disablements unfit them for following their old occupations. Inspection requires little physical effort. Some lifting may be necessary to place the members to be tested and inspected in the proper positions on the bench or floor, but this is performed usually by laborers who have the assistance of cranes.

WAGES, HOURS, AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

A man who has not had previous inspection experience may expect to earn from $16 to $20 per week; an experienced inspector from $20 to $27; and a foreman from $27 to $40. The work is all indoors. Sometimes it is piecework under a premium system. The trade is not unionized. The day is usually nine hours, but may be eight.

PLAN No. 1078. TESTING

Nearly all electrical equipment is tested before it leaves the factory. That is to say, it is subjected to electrical and mechanical conditions similar to those under which it must operate in practice, so that its performance under such conditions may be predetermined. This is necessary to insure that the product which leaves the factory will not develop faults after it is in service. Where machines or devices are of large capacity, each is tested individually. Where the output comprises a large number of small, identical machines, as for example, automobile starting motors, or circuit-breakers, only one or a few out of each order which passes through the shop are subjected to test.

PLAN No. 1079. AS GENERAL APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

Electrical testing is interesting work and affords a splendid opportunity for a man to acquire experience which will be valuable to him in almost any line of electrical work which he may subsequently elect to follow. Formerly, the larger electrical manufacturing companies would accept only university graduates in their testing departments. The testing work was usually offered in the form of an apprenticeship course, and as a stepping-stone to other more responsible positions. But of recent years, some of the companies have accepted in their testing departments men with only a high-school training or its equivalent. It has been found that this plan is satisfactory, both from the standpoint of the company and of the men themselves.

PLAN No. 1080. TESTING MOTORS

In testing a motor the machine is loaded by making it drive, usually through a belt, an electric generator. The energy which this generator develops is forced into the same circuit as that from which the driving motor takes its power. Hence, the net energy required to conduct the test is greatly minimized, being in fact equivalent only to the losses of energy in the generator and motor during the test. By increasing the load on the generator the load on the motor is increased correspondingly, until it is carrying its full-load horsepower output. Meanwhile, from properly connected voltmeters and ammeters, readings of the voltage impressed on the motor, and the current taken by it at different loads are observed. Simultaneously the temperature of different parts of the motor are taken by means of thermometers, which are bound to the machine with tapes or held with gobs of putty. The speed of the machine at different loads is noted. From the readings thus taken, the efficiency of the motor at different loads may be computed and its other characteristics determined. If the efficiency and other performance characteristics of the machine meet the specification, and its temperature does not become greater than the limit specified by the engineering department, the machine is painted and either shipped to the customer or put into stock to await a sale. If it does not “come up” to its specifications, the difficulty must be corrected.

PLAN No. 1081. TESTING GENERATORS AND OTHER DEVICES

The methods used for testing generators are somewhat similar to those used for the motors. Other devices, such as transformers, potential regulators, circuit breakers, switches, controllers, and one thousand and one others, involve test methods of their own.

In every test the object sought is the same, namely, to subject the device, before it leaves the shop, to practical working conditions. The testing department records readings from instruments during tests and “works these readings up” into the final test data. This working up involves considerable calculation. Hence, in all testing departments there are computers who spend practically all of their time figuring results. They use slide rules for many of the operations.

SPECIAL TRAINING COURSES

As is the case in some other lines of work, companies may maintain training courses in which test-department candidates are given instruction in the essentials of the work which they are to take up. Such courses afford a splendid opportunity for men who have had only a high-school training. They are for the most part operated on the company’s time, but they may be supplemented by night courses, to which the man must devote his own time several nights a week. Many of the most successful and best known electrical engineers and electrical factory men in the United States started their practical careers in the testing departments of electrical manufacturing companies. It appears to be a relatively easy matter for a man who has had a thorough test-course training to obtain a new position with advanced responsibilities and salary. The new work may be construction or erection with some organization other than the concern with which he obtained his testing experience. Usually the testing work is so arranged that each tester spends only a few months on each class of test, so that after completing the course he is reasonably familiar with many different kinds of equipment.

QUALIFICATIONS

In this work, although a man with little theoretical knowledge may be of value, no man can learn too much for his own advancement. Ability to study and read and thereby keep in touch with advances in the art is a material asset. The work is relatively light, but some lifting and pulling may be required. The loss of a leg or an arm or an eye is not necessarily a detriment. Good hearing is essential, because a man must often depend upon sound to ascertain whether or not the apparatus on test under his charge is operating properly. This branch affords splendid possibilities for high-school trained men to become conversant with electrical equipment.

WAGES, HOURS, AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

If a man has had some previous electrical experience so much the better. The starting salary will probably be around $16 or $18 per week. A tester of some experience will probably receive from $20 to $27 per week and an experienced foreman from $35 to $47. The work is nearly always indoors, although some tests must be made outside. The trade is not generally unionized. The day is eight or nine hours.

PLAN No. 1082. COMMERCIAL OCCUPATIONS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This monograph was prepared by F. G. Nichols, Assistant Director for Commercial Education of the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Acknowledgment is made for material furnished by Mr. Wm. A. Barber, Mr. Albert G. Borden, Mr. L. B. Elliott, Mr. Leighton Forbes, Mr. J. E. Fuller, Mr. Frank L. Jones, Dr. Roy S. MacElwee, Special Agent of the Federal Board for Vocational Education, and Mr. Edward A. Woods. Acknowledgment is due to Dr. John Cummings, of the Research Division, for editorial assistance.

INTRODUCTORY

Commercial occupations include certain occupations which have to do with the administrative, executive, clerical, accounting, stenographic and selling side of business. Definite courses of training for these employments have been worked out and are being offered in many high-grade schools. It must not be assumed that by a commercial course is meant merely training for bookkeeping and shorthand work. On the contrary, the range of commercial occupations open to men is very broad, as is indicated by the following partial list of such occupations:

I. Common commercial employments.

Bookkeeping. General clerical work. Stenography. Retail selling. Telegraphy and wireless operating.

II. Professional commercial service.

Accounting. Salesmanship. Advertising. Foreign trade service. Secretarial work. Life insurance salesmanship. Office management. Banking. Commercial teaching.

The occupations listed in group I will appeal to men who have had a fair general education and who are willing to devote a few months to intensive courses of training. Men who take such courses may enter upon employment at a reasonably early date after beginning their study, and may subsequently, if they desire to do so, take up evening school courses to prepare themselves for some one of the employments specified in group II. This second group of employments will appeal to men who have had a good general education, some special training, and possibly some business experience. For the average man a longer period of training will be required to fit for one of these commercial professions than will be required for group I employments. However, men who have had considerable business experience may find it possible to complete their training in a comparatively short period.

Men who have had a good general education and who are willing to devote considerable time to preparation for a profession may well consider the possibilities of commercial teaching which has been included in group II. There are thousands of schools in the United States employing teachers of commercial subjects. Since such schools are in competition with business, as well as with each other, the demand for commercial teachers is more active than for almost any other class of teachers, and salaries are correspondingly higher for such teachers.

Telegraphy and wireless work referred to in group I may appeal to some men who have had railroad experience and who are not physically able to undertake the kind of work they have been doing in the past.

MODERN BUSINESS DEMANDS

The modern development of business has created new demands for office help. It is not long since the greatest need of the average business office was for bookkeepers and stenographers. While such workers are still in great demand, the work of the office has been divided and subdivided to such an extent that new types of workers are required for many clerical positions.

PROMOTION

The up-to-date business man regards every office assistant as a possible future executive. In the employment of such help he is constantly on the alert to discover aptitude for executive work, so that he ultimately may have at hand promotion material from which to recruit for the high positions in his business. While it is still desirable to train men for definite tasks and to place them in office positions where their services are required, this is not the chief end of business education. Men will not only be fitted for immediate usefulness, but they will be prepared for rapid promotion to the higher places in business organization. In other words, business education has an immediate market value and gives to its possessor a chance to win his way to the more desirable positions at the top of the business ladder.

BUSINESS AND VOCATIONAL READJUSTMENT

Commercial enterprises, except those connected with the prosecution of the war, have been at a standstill for the past two years. Now that restrictions naturally resulting from the war and those that were imposed by law, have been removed, the period of readjustment will begin. Whatever may be the immediate situation as regards the supply of labor and the demand for it during this comparatively short readjustment period, it is certain that the demand for trained men will develop with the restoration of normal conditions. Men who are forward looking will realize that vocational training secured during this transition period will pay big dividends in later years, and will guarantee an economic status above that of the man who hurries back into the first opening he finds, and begins work regardless of his diminished competitive ability. This business readjustment period should be also the vocational readjustment period for all men who have suffered physical injuries in the service of their country.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

In considering what vocation to prepare for, men should keep in mind their future needs. They should not be content with a training that will merely fit them for permanent employment in the common office routine positions. On the contrary, they should aspire to a training that will enable them to grow into the higher executive positions in connection with large business or to launch out for themselves in a business enterprise.

There has never been a time when education has counted for more than it does now. Therefore, educational qualifications and requirements should be seriously considered in connection with the selection of a vocation. This does not mean that only those who have had the advantages of high school or college training should be encouraged to prepare for business, but it does mean that those who lack this educational background should be willing to devote a longer time to training than may be required of those who have been more fortunate in the matter of educational advantages.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

It is highly desirable that every man cash in on his previous experience as far as possible. For example, a man who has been identified with the telephone business and who, by reason of a disability caused by war service, finds it impossible to continue in his former occupation, may be trained for a different position in the telephone business where his disability will not be a handicap. The general knowledge of the business, gained through years of contact with it, will be helpful in his new work. Then, too, his old employer will be likely to find a place for him in his organization where he can render excellent service, though it be of a sort entirely different from that which he was rendering prior to the war.

Business training prepares for positions in every kind of business organization. Whether the man’s previous experience was in the telephone, railroad, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, or mining business, it matters little, since training for an office position will open the way for him to gain a footing in any kind of business, and will put him in the way of promotion providing, of course, he shows that he is entitled to it.

REALIZE YOUR AMBITION

In the selection of a vocation a man’s personal preference is quite as important as his previous experience. Many men have found their work uncongenial and have desired to make a change, but the opportunity to do so never seemed to come their way. Such men may have hoped for training that would fit them for another type of work. This vocational education offer that is made by the Government may be just the chance for which they have been waiting. It is to help men plan wisely for the future that this monograph is written. All men may face the future with full confidence that the right kind of training will insure for them an economic status equal to or better than that from which they enlisted for their country’s service.

EMPLOYMENT POSSIBILITIES

Since business training fits for occupations common to all lines of business, it is not likely that there will ever be too many men available for high grade office positions. The danger is that men will be satisfied with inadequate preparation for growth beyond the routine or clerical types of positions, and will thus continue in competition with younger workers in this field. It is only by taking full and complete training not only for immediate employment but as well for future promotion, that men can hope to avoid this competition.

PREFERENCE AS TO LOCALITY

No locality is without need for men with business training, hence men so trained may hope to market their services wherever their preference may dictate. Certain types of commercial education have of course a better market value in one section of the country than in another, and men should have this in mind if they are willing to work only in some one particular section. In the main, however, business opportunity is universal.

MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE MADE GOOD IN SPITE OF HANDICAPS

At the end of this monograph is a tabulation showing the case histories of 133 handicapped, or rather disabled, men and women who have made good in business. These individuals were trained by the same schools that are being used by the Federal Board for Vocational Education in its commercial re-educational work for disabled soldiers and sailors, and they represent only a fraction of the hundreds of victims of industry who have been retrained for success in life, regardless of seemingly unsurmountable obstacles. All disabled men should study this tabulation carefully and emulate the plucky people whose cases are reported therein.

PLAN No. 1083. PART 1.--COMMON COMMERCIAL EMPLOYMENTS--BOOKKEEPING

Among the oldest and most universal of office positions is that of bookkeeper. For men who require work that does not call for physical activity this vocation offers excellent opportunities of earning immediate incomes while at the same time paving the way for advancement.

REQUIREMENTS

Men who elect this calling should be able to write a good business hand, be accurate and rapid in handling the usual arithmetical computations, be neat and painstaking in their work, understand the fundamental language of business, be familiar with the common business forms, and possess a thorough understanding of the universally employed double-entry system of bookkeeping.

LENGTH OF COURSE

The time required for completion of a course of study that will insure the possession of the above qualifications will depend upon the man’s previous education and experience, but should generally be kept within a period of six months. Many will make adequate preparation in much less time.

WHERE TRAINING MAY BE GIVEN

Excellent courses are to be had in a large number of approved private business schools, and men may be trained in their home environment or in large commercial centers where employment is to be sought, as they may elect.

WHY TAKE TRAINING?

While many so-called bookkeeping positions are open to men without training, it is highly desirable that a comprehensive knowledge of bookkeeping be secured, as it is only by this means that promotion can be expected. The posting clerk, or entry clerk, will always remain an unskilled laborer in competition with untrained boys and girls unless he is fortified by such a knowledge of the science of accounts as will enable him to become the head bookkeeper, the cost accountant, or the auditor. Such a man may, by additional training in evening school, qualify for the profession of accountancy and establish an independent business of his own.

SALARY

Men who know accounts and possess the other desirable business qualifications can be placed in positions with a salary range of from $10 to $30 a week.

PERMANENCY OF EMPLOYMENT

The all-round bookkeeper in any establishment is indispensable to the business, and is rarely released when business depression calls for retrenchment in the pay roll.

DISABILITIES

The possession of mental faculties and one hand, with fairly good general health are all that are absolutely essential to success in this occupation from the physical standpoint. Men with two artificial hands have succeeded in this work, but the absence of both hands is such a handicap that one so afflicted should rarely undertake work that requires so much writing. It should be emphasized, however, that no difficulty is experienced in learning to write well with the remaining hand, where one has been lost, regardless of previous habits in writing.

A simple device for enabling a man to do with a stump what he would ordinarily do with his left hand is available to all who care to use it. It enables one to hold a ruler or blotter; to steady a book or sheet in place while writing is being done; and to perform all the usual functions of the left hand. When the right hand is gone the left is trained to do what the right has done before, and the right arm stump becomes the supporting or auxiliary arm.

EVENING SCHOOL OR PART-TIME INSTRUCTION

Those who must get to earning at the earliest possible moment may be placed at the completion of the fundamental part of the course, continuing their study in evening school or in other types of extension classes where such are available. Or it may be possible in some localities to secure for such men half-day employment which will leave half of the day free for school work.

PLAN No. 1084. GENERAL CLERICAL WORK

Expert filing and indexing positions offer an opportunity for those whose handicap is of such a character that it is desirable for them to secure employment that will not require contact with the public.

QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING

The qualifications for this kind of work are accuracy, carefulness, and system in doing things. Training in the various indexing and filing systems in use is essential. Text material has been prepared by the manufacturers of filing cabinets, and courses of study, including practice, are offered by many schools in different parts of the country.

PROMOTION

Such positions rarely lead to promotion such as will appeal to the ambitious man whose handicap is of such a character as to warrant the selection of different and more promising occupation from the viewpoint of salary or independence.

LENGTH OF COURSE

Short intensive courses of from six to ten weeks will enable a man to qualify for this kind of office work.

CALCULATING MACHINE OPERATING

For a long time adding and listing machines have been in use in banks and large business offices. More recently calculating machines which are capable of performing mathematical work beyond the plain addition of the ordinary adding and listing type machine have been placed in business offices. The volume of figure work of this kind is particularly heavy in billing, cost, and pay roll departments in many lines of manufacture. Even small manufacturers regularly employ help for the figure work exclusively. Owing to the greater accuracy and speed made possible by the use of the calculating machine, such work is no longer handled by paper and pencil methods.

OPPORTUNITIES AND SALARIES

Opportunities for young men in this line of work exist in great number in all large cities, and there are many chances for positions of this kind even in the smaller manufacturing towns. The salaries for such positions range from $16 to $25 per week according to the degree of responsibility involved. There is an opportunity for advancement for young men of fair educational qualifications who possess a determination to learn the work which is just ahead and many young men aspire to positions as head of billing, pay roll, or cost departments, where the responsibility is considerable and the salary proportionate. Many such positions exist where a salary of $35 to $40 per week can be earned. Many large concerns have a practice of promoting men who show special aptitude for mathematical work in connection with the calculating machines to departments other than those mentioned.

QUALIFICATIONS

The necessary qualifications are simple for the clerk who is to handle figure work with a calculating machine. He should have a fair mental equipment with at least a common school education. A high school or business school course will be an advantage. He should also possess a natural liking for arithmetic. The full use of one hand, preferably the right, is essential to success in operating such a machine.

TRAINING REQUIRED AND LENGTH OF COURSE

To operate any key-driven type of machine speedily and accurately one must devote considerable time to intelligent practice. The process is not unlike that of learning to operate the typewriter. In the operation of this type of machine both hands will be required for the manipulation of the 81 keys. An intensive course of from 10 to 12 weeks is required to develop the necessary manual skill and master the special rules for performing the various mathematical calculations.

On the crank-operated calculating machine, all work is direct, i. e., all operations are handled exactly as they are handled with paper and pencil so far as rules are concerned. Anyone who can handle a pencil can readily operate this type of calculating machine. Speed and accuracy on this type of machine are largely independent of manual skill on the part of the operator. One who possesses a good common school education and some aptitude for arithmetic will need only two or three weeks of practice in order to handle successfully all figure work in the average office. Such machines have an unlimited range in practical work, handling such work as estimating, engineering problems, and statistics.

OTHER OFFICE MACHINES

Much important printing and duplicating are done on privately-owned machines, and skillful operators are always in demand for this work. Such an occupation may appeal to the man whose handicap makes him shrink from continual contact with the public, and who has his hands and fairly good general health.

Salaries are not large, usually from $10 to $15 a week and there is no natural line of promotion leading to more responsible positions. However, skill in this work, combined with a little capital, may enable a man to establish an independent business of his own by purchasing the necessary machines and advertising to do work for the general public.

Short unit courses of from 6 to 10 weeks will suffice to acquire the requisite manipulative skill for this work.

Where there are no schools giving instruction for this occupation arrangements can be made for securing training as an apprentice in the factory of the manufacturers, or in the offices of firms equipped to do this work for themselves, the training being under the direction of the Federal Board for Vocational Education.

Employment opportunities will be found only in the larger cities. However, an independent business may be established even in comparatively small towns.

The above statements regarding duplicating machine work apply to the operation of the addressograph and similar office devices, such as the Hollerith machine card puncher, the photostat, and the tabulating machine.

PLAN No. 1085. STENOGRAPHY

No less important than bookkeeping is stenography with its exceptional record for serving as a medium through which men may advance to high grade executive positions. Stenographic work requires somewhat more physical activity than does bookkeeping, but a skillful male stenographer, though somewhat physically disabled may count on employment owing to a constant demand that has never been fully met. In no other occupation is one thrown into such constant and close contact with the business executive to whose advantage it is to promote an employee who has shown capacity for more important and profitable work. As a stepping stone to big things a stenographic position has no rival in the list of business occupations.

Many prominent men might be named who owe their success to some extent to their ability to write shorthand. The list includes men high in official positions, and prominent railroad executives who have reached their high positions, through stenographic work. Their success gives conclusive evidence of the importance of this kind of training. In other lines, also as for example, in iron and steel, insurance, powder, electricity, and in fact right down the line of big business in America bright young men have, because they were shorthand writers, had the chance to go to school to the best teachers of the business in the world, i. e., the executive heads of their respective concerns. And instead of having to pay handsomely for their instruction, they received good salaries while they were learning and preparing to step up higher.

QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING REQUIRED

Taking character for granted, the necessary qualifications for amanuensis and secretarial work are:

Good general health, eyesight, and hearing. Ambition, enthusiasm, self-reliance, and determination. A mind of at least average activity and alertness, improved by a thorough high school education or its equivalent.

Training in English to the extent of becoming proficient in spelling and punctuation, and acquiring a good working vocabulary.

Ability to speak and write with a fair degree of fluency.

A knowledge of the more common business papers, forms, and customs.

Accuracy and reasonable facility in the use of figures; familiarity with the simpler methods of bookkeeping; and ability to write a presentable hand.

For the broader field of professional shorthand reporting, the requirements are more exacting.

The time required to master shorthand for amanuensis or secretarial work is from seven to twelve months; for professional reporting, from one to two years, during a considerable part of which time the learner is usually able to earn a comfortable salary while pursuing his course in advance shorthand.

WHERE TRAINING MAY BE SECURED

A number of good private business schools, located so as to be convenient for those taking courses, are prepared to give any training required under arrangements made by the Federal Board for Vocational Education.

SALARY POSSIBILITIES

The salaries paid to amanuenses and private secretaries range from $1,200 to $5,000 a year. Shorthand reporters, in law courts and elsewhere, earn from $2,000 to $10,000 a year.

HANDICAPS

The possession of both hands is essential to success in this work. Artificial appliances can scarcely take the place of the fingers in such rapid writing with both pen and machine. Good eyesight and hearing also are absolutely essential to success in this calling.

PLAN No. 1086. RETAIL SELLING

Large department stores and the chain stores offer opportunities for profitable employment at better salaries than were commonly paid a few years ago in the retail trade, and training for real salesmanship in this field is now available.

Men whose disabilities indicate as suitable for them physically more or less inactive types of employment, and who are not so injured as to make intimate contact with the public undesirable, may find in expert salesmanship opportunities worthy of their serious consideration. Positions as department heads or buyers are open to men who meet with conspicuous success as salesmen.

WHY TRAINING IS NECESSARY

The man behind the counter is no longer looked upon as clerk whose sole duty it is to hand out that which is asked for. He is classed as a salesman who has it within his power to build up the business of his department by winning and holding good customers. Knowledge of the well-defined principles of salesmanship and of his wares is quite as important to the “inside,” or store salesman, as it is to the man “on the road.” It is only by the right kind of training that such knowledge can be acquired. For the disabled soldier to learn “by experience” would require too much time.

WHERE TRAINING CAN BE SECURED

Training for this occupation can be obtained through part-time extension day or evening courses in many cities. Then, too, many large stores maintain educational departments where training on an apprenticeship basis can be arranged for by the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Men preparing for this work have the advantage of being able to earn wages while they are taking training.

PROMOTION AND SALARIES

Success in this vocation will surely mean promotion. The usual promotion stream for men who have received good training runs from stock keeper, through junior salesman, salesman, assistant buyer, to buyer. Salaries range from $12 a week for beginners up to several thousand a year for department heads. It is also possible for men who have the necessary capital to look forward to establishment of a retail business of their own, if they prefer to be independent of an employer. Training for success in developing a retail business should be even broader and more thorough than that required for salesmanship in a store operated by others.

LENGTH OF COURSE

A short intensive course of three or four months will serve to place a man on an earning basis in some good modern retail establishment, and a further period of six or eight months’ part-time extension study will be needed to place him on a sound footing as a salesman.

HANDICAPS

A salesman should not be so wounded as to be repugnant to sensitive customers. Any disfigurement which will attract the customer’s attention will increase the salesman’s difficulty in making a sale. The loss of a leg will not interfere with success in this work, nor will the loss of one hand if an artificial hand is used. Cheerfulness, courtesy, neatness, and tact are among the usual qualities that are required in any occupation which brings a man into close contact with the public.

PLAN No. 1087. TELEGRAPHY AND WIRELESS OPERATING

While it is true that railroads to some extent are telephoning their orders instead of telegraphing them, there is still a real demand for men who are not only trained in telegraphy, but who have some knowledge of railroad accounting and general railroad practice. Such men can hope to secure good paying positions in railroad office work. There is always a demand for telegraphers to fill commercial positions and it is quite likely that this field of work may grow in the future. It should be added also that the development of wireless service, and the enlargement of our merchant marine will open up a new field for men who are skilled wireless operators and whose knowledge of the practical art of sending and receiving messages is supplemented by a good understanding of the fundamental principles of electricity.

TRAINING NECESSARY

The necessary course of training for this vocation will include theory and practice in sending and receiving telegrams and wireless messages; a complete training in spelling and business English, business writing, and business arithmetic--unless it is apparent that the man needs no further training in these fundamentals; railroad freight office business practice, including a thorough study of bills of lading, freight classification, rating, etc.; instruction in railroad practice with reference to freight charges, storage, and demurrage, and rejected and unclaimed freight; fundamental bookkeeping, especially in connection with the keeping of cash records, and the handling of collections and remittances; and the making of monthly reports and balance sheets. Practical work will be provided at first in connection with the school course and later in offices on a part-time basis.

LENGTH OF COURSE

While much depends upon the individual, it is safe to assume that a period of from 9 to 12 months will be required to master telegraphy and the necessary business training that must accompany it to insure the highest degree of success. For wireless operators more advanced instruction in electricity will be required and a correspondingly longer time will be needed. Those who wish to do so may, however, complete the telegraphy portion of the course, accept a position, and continue their study of wireless in extension classes. Men who have had railroad experience, or some business training, or good courses in physics including electricity, will be able to shorten somewhat the time required for completion of the entire course.

HANDICAPS

No man should undertake to prepare for this vocation who has not the use of both hands, good hearing, and at least a fair degree of general good health. The other qualifications required are much the same as those required for any type of office work.

PEN ART

Men who have special aptitude for penmanship and lettering will find a wide field for the practice of this commercial art. Sign lettering, filling in insurance policies, diplomas, and other important documents, engrossing resolutions, teaching the subject, and supervising others in this department of business education are among some of the occupational opportunities open to men who excel in this line.

Training can be obtained in special schools, and positions for those who are qualified will not be hard to find.