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Oshawa Daily Times, 14 Mar 1931, p. 10

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7 By © 4B i ts i : v OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 1931 + i" Ai (From Business ! ook) observing the polite warfare een' General Motors and Ford is interesting to note that the ! represent opposite theories in management. Ford's organiza- \ is an unquestioning depotism. eral Motors is a mosaic of mittees under which scores of ' 'executives pursue a bewildering 'Warlety of activities. Both are dramatically successful. Of the | General Motors is the more 'miraculous since its output is "widely diverse, while Ford focuses on a single product, President Since 1938 One of the greatest single fac- tors in the development of G. M. 'to its present effectiveness has Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr, president. While William po Durant was shepherding ttered corporations into the neral Motors corral he brought in Mr. Sloan as head of an acces group. The 1920 debacle forced Durant from the presi- "dency. During that hazardous per- " jod the duPont overlords looked ~ upon the works of Mr. Sloan and gaw that they were good. From operating vice-president he went © to the presidency in May, 1923, "Durant was one of the amazing onaliites of the automobile's ern beginnings. Short, thick- est, powerful in body and brain, he strode up and down the industry like a hard-bitten admiral on a quarterdeck. His mind encompas- sed the details of all his deals. He 'loved the possession and display of power. Transition from the Durant re- gime to that of Sloan must have been something like passing from the tumult of a battlefield into the quiet of a library. There were no more shouted commands. "We never give an order In General Motors," says Mr. Sloan. "We 'sell' the idea to those who must carry it out." Durant left a group of compan- fes. with tremendous possibilities. But as a composite machine there was much clanking, pulling, leak- age of power. It has been the work of Mr. Sloan to redesign and re- tune the entire corporate mech- anism. The present model is as "intricate as the old one but it "functions in sweet silence. Power Fis delivered at the desired point; HC © speed; bumps are negotiated with- ¥ v gears do not clash in changing out discomfort to the 285,000 stockholders. Mr. Sloan has observed that the most important thing about man- agement is to make men cooper- 'ate while acting = with individual seal and. initiative, That principle "We Never Gwe an Order" = Says The President of the General Motors Corp. wills, decided opinions, This, in the Sloan philosophy, is the most difficult of all problems, He meets it by isolating real issues from pre-conceived prejudices, and considering subjects so denuded with an open mind. Says he: "Differences in opinion are often differences in conception as to what is the vital point; one man argues for, another against, and all the time they are talking about different things." His distaste for prejudices is equalled by his contempt for blind routine. The fact that a process has been performed a certain way is no guarantee for its continu- ance. This scientifically receptive approach to problem is the surest guarantee against hardening ot the mental arteries among G. M. executives. Cooperation is achieved through committees. "Decentralized opera- tions and responsibilities with co- ordinated control," is the. way it is referred to. Over-all control centers in an executive committee under the board of directors (of which Lam- mot duPont is chairman), But there is no committee management, President Sloan is the chief ad- ministrative officer and a connec- ing link between policy and actual control of operations. Below hiwm, each manufacturing division fp a complete entity with an uutram- meled operating executive, Five Inteér-Divisional Relations Com- mittees keep these officials from losing touch or stepping on each other's toes. These include Gen- eral Sales, Works Managers, Gen- eral Purchasing, General Techni- cal, Public Relations. Thus if sev- eral divisions using the same ma- teral can profit by purchasing a~' a unit, that is the way it 1s han- dled, through the proper commit- tee. If nothing is gained, buying is independent. Responsibility Remains In no case, however, is the re- executive of the division, Perhaps sponsibility taken from the head he has a pet sales scheme which the committee turns down; he still can put it into effect. What manner of personage is this Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.,, who has created the paradox of a complete organiem with independent parts? His appearance is as remarkal'- as his achievements. Mr. Sloan is tall (almost six feet) and thin to the point of lankiness. Probably he is the most impeccable dresser in the industry. A distinguishing feature are hig collars, which are of an arresting height and as stiff as a Buick mud guard. The con- president, ALFRED P. SLOAN, Jr. i Always in High Menatlly Mr. Sloan is always going at high speed, physically he is seldom at rest, Even when talk- ing to anyone in his office. A char- acteristic movement is to draw one of his feet into his chair and sit upon it. Perhaps that is to keep ils restlessness from taking him on roaming jaunts about the room, Curiously none of this unrest is communicated to the visitor, His bearing is simplicity itself and everyone is able to tell him some- thing. Without knowing why, the visitor soon discovers that he Is telling Mr. Sloan all about himself and later reflection forces a con- vietlon. that the interest is genuine. Hig volce is a mild drawl which rises in pitch if the subject is par- ticularly interesting. He Works a Long Day A work day from 9 to 6 with night conferences for good meas- ure {8 not' unusual for the G. M. His year is divided so that about half is spent away from the New York office in the plants and with the sales force. He never seems to tire. By some mysterious mean he is able to draw on vast resources of nervous energy, He seldom exercises--probably doesn't know a mashie from a divot. A yacht {s his nearest approach to 2 hobby. Mr. Sloan is 55, married, has a home address on Fifth Avenue, He was involved in the beginnings of the automolble industry. Sloan, Sr., was a New Haven wholesale merchant. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in '95, young Sloan went to work with the Hyatt Rol- ler Bearing Co. of Newark, N.J. in which his father was interested. Alfred P. Jr., became president in 1897. Folks were beginning to talk about the possibilities of a horse- less carriages and a few years later Durant was to raise derisive guf- faws in Wall Street by predicting | sJoan convinced the early build- irs that his bearings were better than the greased axles that some thought good enough, He gained an intimate knowledge of produc- tion, management, sales, and ad- vertising while marketing the Hyatt products. He delights to tell how he sold Ford his first ordey of Hyatt bearings, They are still friends, Mr, Sloan is anything but 'backward in acknowledging anci- ent debts. . "Mr. Ford became our best cus- tomer," he said recently. "As a matter of fact, my start in lMfe wus greatly helped by the support Mr. ford gave -our little business at that time." Durant gathered the Hyatt com- pany to the General Motors bosom and Mr. Sloan along with it, The newcomer was made president of the accessories group---proof that the daring organizer sensed the power that was in Sloan, But he could not have foreseen that Sloan would fall heir to the presidential shoes, CANADIAN CLUB FORMS COUNCIL, TO STUDY TRADE New York "Branch Under- takes an Interesting Departure New York--(By The Canadian Press)--The Canadian Club of New York has established an Internation- al Trade Relations Council, with Basil C. Walker, as director, The Club has initiated this new activity as the most practical contribution which it can make to hastening the return of prosperity. - The International Trade Relations Council will function from the Club's quarters in the Bi'tmore Hotel in New York City, until the Club moves in October to the New Waldorf As- toria. To its members, both in Canada and in the United States, the Council will offer an organized, authoritative source of information regarding trade and financial conditions in important Canadian export markets, I co-operation with the New York representatives of Canadian banking railway and industrial interests, and with Canadian - trade associations, chambers of commerce and others of the Club's numerous connections in Canada, the Council will act as a clearing house tor information re- garding Canadian finance and trade, for the benefit of United States busi- ness interests which may desire. data regarding such matters. Members of the Club will receive special studies on various phases of international economic affairs, pre- pared under the auspices of the Council. The first of these contem- Tells What Einstein, Has Been To Science TELLS WHAT EINSTEIN (By Frederick H. Seapes, Assistant Director of" the 'Carnegie Institution of Washington Mount Wilson Obser- vatory, at which Albert Einstein has been studying new revelations about the universe.) aa Pasadena, Cal,--The qiiestion has Kean put to me of what the visit of Albert Einstein means to us. In a. sense, scientific investigation is a game. The physicist must as- semble. his protons and electrons in a world=--not any world, but one which has the properties of 'the phy- sical world about us, ; As with all games, there are rules, Some of these are predetermined, for example the fundamental rules of thinking. Others we choose for owr- cil will also sponsor discussions on similar matters by qualified author- ities, Interviewed in connection with the work of the Council, Mr, Walker said : "Today Canada's commercial and financial interests are worldwide, The leading: Canadian banks have branch- es, agencies of subsidiaries in the United States, England, France, Spain, Mexico, the West Indies and in many countries of South America. Through correenondents they ocnduct an extensive business with the Far East, with Australasia and with Africa, Vanadinn shins and Canadian ierchandise are known in every im- portant port of the world, "I'rade in the classical age was based on the Mediterranean. After the discovery of the American con- tinent, trade shifted to the westward and, to this day, the Atlantic carries the richest commerce the world, al- though there has been a distinct in crease in the relative importance of the South Atlantic trade, Farseeing business leaders know that a new tide in the currents of world trade is gathering force--that the Pacific epoch has begun. The widespread interest in the disturbed state of the silvar market and its repercussions of our Far Eastern trade, is a concrete example of the rising importance of this new force. "The importance of the Pacific trade is of vital interest to Canada, for she is one of the major trading sationg of the Pacific basin. Believ- ing that the next great movement of international commerce will centre around the South Atlantic and the Pacific, both of which areas Canada is well placed to cultivate, the Inter- national Trade Relations Council will devote special attention to assisting Canadian trade interests in those areas." Mr. Walker also pointed out that, while the Council had been organized primarily for the benefit of the members of the Canadian Club. of New York, it is intended, to be a definite instrument of public service. To this end, it will welcome inquiries from non-members also, and will selves; and in this choice we have Astonishing freedom, 1f I wish to arrange a shuffled pack of cards in sequences according to the four suits, you know the/scores of solitaire gam: es, each with its own set of rules, by which this may be done. But it is not obvious that the game of world building may be play- in more than one way. It remained for Einstein to show us that such is the case, and that if we judicious- ly change the rules we may still win fairly, with a greatly increased score, As a matter of fact we have un- consciously been revising the rules of the game ever since men began to think in a scientific way; but we didn't realize it until Einstein drove it home in a way that could not be ignored, Thus with our notion of space. Tt may seem to you queer that space, which probably you, thiink of as an empty void, should have an¥thing to do with rules. But the space of physicics and astromomy is not the empty void which senarates objects from each other, The physicist never thinks of space apart rom objects within it; in his mind is always the idea of the dis- tance of these objects from each other. When he saya that space has certain properties he is not talking about the void, but only how he makes measurements to find what these distances are, But you ask, is he not obligated to measure distance in a definite way? The answer is, no. He may measure in any way he likes, along what we call a straight line, for example; or, if he finds reason tor so doing, he may measure along some curve con. necting two objects and call the re- sult distance, The physicist"s space is therefore essentially a set of rules for measure- ment. These used until Einstein sug- gested a change were unconsciously adopted by Euclid two thousand years ago. Until Jess than a century ago no one realized that by accept- ing one of Euclid's postulates we had committed ourselves to making measurements in a definite way, or that measurements cotld be made iti any other way. Even then we looked upon the matter. as a geometrical curiosity, withohut practical significance; and by the time Einstein suggested the advantages of a change and we be- gan to hear about curved space, our long-held ideas had become go fixed that we could not at once readjust ourselves. For the layman it was even worse He had in mind the empty void, and how could such a thing as a void be fiat or curved? But if we say that curved space means only a new sct of rules which require that measure ments be made along curved lines, the idea at least makes sense, even though vou may not be convinced that such strange procedure should be advantageous. but if that statement brings no il lumination, let me ask you, what ns the distance from here to New York? Your answer: undoubtedly will be the miles measured over the curved surface of the earth, because that is the distance which our every day ex- periences make it useful to know. As with our ideas of space, so with a dozzen of our other cherished no- tions. Each has been transformed, and set before us in a new light. Quite apart from the intrinsic im- portance of the .results, is the re- markable fact that such momentous changes of viewpoint could be made, By teaching us that, Einstein has put in our hands new power; the value of this service, it seems to me cannot be set too high. The public itself would first catch the humor of a suggestion that it knows anything about relativity, and yet the warm interest in the man who has given us relativity continues. Part of this interest is our spon- taneous response to a gracious ~~r- sonality full of modesty and kindness and humanity. For the rest, it means, I think, that our imagination has in some way been touched, . Nevertheless, Professor Einstein himself would insist on the purely intellectual character of what he has fone. As he remarked the otier dav: "Relativity has nothing to do with the soul; it is a matter only for the head." HOWLERS IN EXAMINATION PAPERS A Birmingham schoolmaster has been engaged on the task of persu- ing many examination papers on hehalf of a Sunday school in his native town. He has had a delight- ful time because he has found some choice howlers, and these are as follows: Asked who was Jonah, one vouth wrote: "He was the father of Lot, and had two wives. One was called Ishmael and the other Hugh- er; he kept the one at home, and turned the other into the desert, when she became a pillow of salt in the daytime, and a pillow of fire at night." That bright youth's ef- fort was outdone by the following: "Moses was an Egyptian. He lived in an ark made of hulrushes, and he kept a golden calf and worship- | ned brazen snakes, and ate nothing but kwales and manner for forty years. He was caught by the hair of his head while riding under a bough of a tree, and he was killed by hig gon Ahsolom as he was hang. ing. from the bough." "I saw you in the theatre yes. terday. Was that your wife you had with you?' "Of course it was, you suspicious beast. But do me a favor and don't tell her so." If you think politicians have an easy graft try sitting on a fence and "eeping one ear on the ground. Morris--*If you refuse me, I shall never love another." Doris-- "That's all very well; but doés the promise hold good if I accept you?" that a certain man hasn't spoken to his wife for 12 years." paper, ZLE $12,500 GIVEN FREE he above amount of money been given away by us in CASH PRIZ $250.00 more will be given away as follows,- 1st. prize $100.00 3rd. prize $30.00 2nd. " $ 50.00 4th. * 20.00 5th. to 10th. prizes $10.00 en. in cash Z Solve this puzzle and win a CASH PRIZE Above is a picture of an old man, Concea- led about the picture is the faces of his 7 daughters, Can you find them? If so mark cach one with an X, cut out the picture, and write on a separate piece of paper these words, "Ihave found all the Ae and marked them" and mail same to us with your name and address. In case of ties hand writing and neatness will be considered fac. tors, If correct we will advise you by return mail of a simple condition to fulfill, Don't send any money, You can be a prize winner without spending one cent of your money. Send your reply to GOOD HOPE MANUFACTURING 00. 455 Craig St. West Montreal, Can. BRITISH HUSBANDS Passage MoneyAdvanced Without Interest or other charge, to assist you to bring your wife and family (or intended wife) from Brit- ain. If you have a steady job and your character will bear investigation, we will help you as we have helped many others in the 50 years we have been doing this purely British phil. anthropic work. Call or write for full inform. ation. British Dominions Emigration Society Room 723 67 Yénge Street Toronto, Ontarle Telephone Elgin 9714 Facilities also available for relatives and friends, Be Dai | os ten oo | rnd SP | nln SF" Ena AE or | a SS alin LE i ? 4 Margaret Widdemer's Latest Romance Should a girl marry for love or for money? This age-old problem is the theme of this C thrilling new serial story, by one of the best- | known of present day authors, starting in the { Oshawa Daily Times 408 ob | TTR | Monday, March 16, 1931 | ! ; LJ * i i Do Not Miss the Opening il J b J [4 | | | Instalment in Mondav's Times / : \ i ' 4 .~ Ra, Re sr rERaF TET ¥ a LF PS Yi

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