(Registered with U. S. Patent Office)
Volume VII
HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, MARCH, 1954
No. 16
MESSAGE
EROM THE
PRESIDENT
TO MY FELLOW WORKERS:
Strange how the purposes and
uses of things change with the
passage of time.
Handkerchiefs were once ex
clusively a bit of decorative finery,
not for use. Belts were worn only
as a means for carrying daggers
or swords. Rubber originally was
regarded as good for little except
to make bouncing balls. And even
up to World War II detergents
were used almost solely as indus
trial solvents and cleansers. Yet
where is the household without a
detergent now?
When we think of Anvil Brand
as a trade mark of today, it is odd
to think that a thousand years ago
shippers put their names, initials
or symbols on bales and packages
simply to identify their goods in
case of confusion in transit.
Later, certain industries re
quired manufacturers to put iden
tifying marks on their products so
makers of inferior products might
become known and legally
punished.
What a difference between the
purposes of a brand mark then and
today. For companies now adopt
brand names proudly. All who play
a part in producing such goods
feel personal pride in their associ
ation with merchandise of merit
and popularity.
Nor is this such a long-tima
practice. Only eighty-five years
ago there were but 122 trade
marks registered in the United
States. That was only thirty years
before Anvil Brand came into be
ing. We could say properly that
the “Hard to Beat” brand is
among the country’s older marks.
But knowing our chief brand
name so well, sometimes we are
apt to lose sight of its deep signi
ficance. And it has many
meanings.
To the prospective wearer of an
(Continued on Page Two)
Hammes Speaks
To Supervisors
G. K. Hames explained some of
his duties at Anvil Brand when he
spoke to company supervisors at
last week’s meeting and his re
marks revealed some of the many
problems management must deal
with. Hammes serves as secretary,
treasurer, and comptroller of the
company and he also is a member
of the Board of Directors. How
ever, in his remarks to the super
visors he placed emphasis on the
comptroller phase of his work
which, briefly, consists of being
responsible for the company as
sets, for all accounting records,
and managing the company of
fices.
He explained the need for com
plete insurance protection and
told of the various types of in
surance which is carried—fire,
liability, and business interrup
tion insurance being the major
classifications. Fire insurance on
fluctuating inventories purchased
on a reporting form policy is
cheaper on an annual basis, he
said, as the company pays on in
ventory values at the end of each
month and does not have to pay
for peak inventory values on an
annual basis—as is the case when
specific insurance is purchased.
Another interesting phase of in
surance protection which Hammes
explained is the “business inter
ruption insurance” which provides
money for watchmen, key per
sonnel, and other necessary ex
penses for the preservation of
the means to re-establish opera
tions after a serious loss by fire.
Hammes discussed the factoring
arrangement with William Iselin
and Company, Inc., of New York
City, and explained the many ad
vantages of this important busi
ness implement. He also touched
upon the necessity of accurate and
up to the minute accounting rec
ords and the fact that tax laws
require certain procedures and
records be maintained to permit
proper tax reporting.
In explaining the company
budget, which is set up three times
a year and is computed six months
in advance, he pointed out that it
gives us a “goal to work toward”
(Continued on Page Ten)
PROMOTED — John Edwards,
Jr., has been transferred to the
White division and has been made
an assistant to Purchasing Agent
Earnest H. McCall. The work is
entirely different from his former
duties as an order picker in the
shipping department but he is
well qualified for his new post.
John first came to Anvil Brand in
194.5 and then left long enough to
complete a two-year course at
High Point College in business ad
ministration. He left again at an
other time—to answer the call of
Uncle Sam. After serving two
years in the U. S. Army, a large
part of which was with the Army
of Occupation in Germany, John
I returned to his duties in the ship
ping room. His new duties in the
office of the White division were
effective on March 1. John is a
brother to Charles Edwards who
is also an order picker in the ship
ping department.
Blood Donors
Dorothy Brown and Ila Luther,
both of the dungaree department,
should have been included in last
months list of volunteer Red Cross
blood donors. These two girls took
it upon themselves to volunteer,
got their own ride to the armory,
and failed to report their good
deed to the personnel office. They
bring to 39 the number of Anvil
Brand volunteers during the last
visit of the bloodmobile.
Shipping Depl.
Gets Finished
Goods On Way
This month Sew Is Seams will
attempt to explain some of the
operations in the company’s traf
fic department, the shipping end.
Last month we saw how orders
were received and processed
through the sales department and
now we will follow those orders
through the operations that get
them on their way by both motor
and rail carriers to all parts of the
nation.
Paul Frye heads Anvil Brand’s
traffic activities, which includes
both receiving and shipping. He
started as a pants presser with
Anvil Brand back in 1933 and then
moved through every operation in
the shipping room. He set up the
company’s first ware'house and
warehousing system which is still
in operation.
Frye’s assistant traffic manager
is Roy Rickard who came with An
vil Brand in 1927. In the past he
has bundled shirts, inspected both
shirts and pants, worked at the
cutting table, and worker at all the
various jobs in the shipping room.
He was in charge of receiving until
the two departments were thrown
together to make what is now
called the traffic department. At
some time during his many years
here he found time to court and
marry an Anvil Brand girl, Flor
ence Jones who worked in the pants
department.
Traffic Manager Frye and his
assistant have a lot of responsibil
ity in their supervision of ship
ping activities alone, to say nothing
of the receiving end of the busi
ness. It is quite a sight to walk
through the large shipping room
at the Hudson division and see all
sorts of work and play clothing en
route to the stacks at one end—
and hundreds of boxes and pack
ages stacked ready for shipping
at the other.
When Anvil Brand orders leave
the sales department they are tak
en to Frye’s desk in shipping.
There they are an-anged by states
by Max Weavil, Frye’s secretary.
Max is a business administration
major at High Point College and
(Continued on Page Three)