18 Miscellaneous Circular 39, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture 
instance, there were 66 different sizes energy and material. The amount of 
of vitrified paving brick being manu- waste everywhere depends mostly on 
factured. After three revision confer- the health and normality of the 
ences with manufacturers, this num- human machine. - For this reason, 
ber was reduced to 5, which fills all medical departments in our industries 
needs. Like reductions were made in should be equipped to function effi- 
hundreds of other articles. ciently. 
Great loss to capital and labor ac- Preventable disease exacts a heavy 
crues from restrictions on trade coop- toll from industry. The Surgeon 
eration in mining and manufacturing, General estimates the cost of such 
resulting in overproduction, followed diseases to be $3,000,000,000 a year, 
by shutdowns, liquidation, and unem- and half a million human lives. This 
ployment. entails loss of production, loss of 
Mishandling of machinery, im- wages, medical services, and other 
proper lubrication, poor material used direct outlays; all reflected to a more 
in construction, scrapping of parts or less degree in excess cost, or, in 
which might be economically repaired, other words, industrial waste. 
all cause unnecessary losses. Labor disputes, strikes, and lock- 
Distribution costs are excessive— outs cause large losses, much of which 
inferior type of personnel—square could be avoided if we understood 
pegs in round holes; too many sales- each other’s problems better and in- 
men ; unnecessary traveling; * beating dulged in greater mutual respect. 
the bushes” for small orders; useless In doing away with some of the 
telephoning and wiring ; needless and waste in industry it is necessary to 
long-winded letters; too great an ex- study the make-up of the materials 
tension of the credit system with in- handled and ascertain their extreme 
creased accounting, collecting, and possibilities in manufacturing and dis- 
bad-debt liability. tribution. This can be done in the 
Fire kills 15,000 Americans a year private research laboratory through 
and destroys more than $500,000,000 the industry maintaining research 
worth of property. This is an aver- facilities jointly or in cooperation 
age of $4.50 per capita. The average with Government and State research 
per capita fire loss in Great Britain, laboratories. Much work has already 
France, Italy, Germany, and other been done and a great deal of data 
European countries is less than $1. are at hand, if we will only make use 
Our traditional carelessness, types of of them. Some of us may be in the 
construction, and lack of personal lia- frame of mind of the farmer who 
bility for negligence are the main con- wouldn't subscribe to an agricultural 
tributing factors to the enormous paper on the plea “I haint afarmin’ 
losses in this country. now half as well as I knows how.” 
How much of this is preventable is The examples of waste mentioned 
problematical ; certainly a large pro- are typical of all branches of industry 
portion. Better electrical and heating and all lines of human endeavor. The 
installations and insulation; better human element enters into the problem 
plant sanitation and inspection ; better in the most vital way. The entire 
types of construction ; better design in personnel must be educated to the fine 
hazardous occupations; all these will points of the question involved. Exec- 
go far toward removing this unneces- utives must be made to realize the 
sary menace to production. necessity for the conservation of our 
The public building fire’ loss (schools, material resources. Superintendents 
churches, hospitals, hotels, and thea- and operation directors must be made 
ters) for the first 10 months of 1924 to recognize the necessity of carefully 
was $26,280,000. In this figure no following the plans and outlines of 
loss of less than $10,000 is included. technical specialists. The mechanic 
The traffic accidents in this country and laborer must be made to see the 
last year were responsible for 22,600 cost of wasted endeavor, whether it 
deaths, injured 678,000 people in addi- be in spoiled material or in useless 
tion, and caused over $600.000.000 labor. Only by having all thoroughly 
property damage. appreciate, as far as they are able, 
The owner and worker jointly may the relationship of each step in pro- 
do much to conserve our natural re- duction to the final cost of the end 
sources and to prevent waste. The product, can the facts be driven home. 
human machine is our greatest asset. Disinterest and indifference may rep- 
When it is in prime condition there is resent an actual loss of 25 per cent 
a minimum of waste. When it is in direct labor. - ) 
crippled in any measure there is cer- Aside from any material results for 
tain to be a larger waste both of present generations, a debt is owing