The
Company
The Fabric we sell must
cover cost of production and
the total operation—or we
“go broke.” The only way to
survive is to make a profit.
A firm meets competition and
succeeds in business through the
highest rate of production with
quality, per unit cost.
Neglect quality, and eventual
ly everyone in a company is
affected. For example, if Fire
stone carelessly sends below-
standard fabric to a tire builder,
we pay dearly for the error.
This through loss in original
production, plus our payment to
the tire builder for calendered
material “messed up.”
Not They’ But We’
THESE are among facts which
Firestone Textiles Company
president James B. Call brought
out at a series of weekly dinner
meetings in February and
March. His audience: Members
of the supervisory staff, Gas
tonia plant.
Mr. Call, on “facts of business
life and our work at Firestone,”
dealt with such subjects as costs,
productivity, quality, waste con
trol, absenteeism, salaries,
wages, taxes and other costs.
Taking the Gastonia operation
as example, among facts the
president emphasized were;
• We must keep pace with
Almanac
• • Change to Daylight
Time beginning April 29. Ad
vance your clocks and
watches 1 hour before going
to bed on the 28th.
Scrumptious
• • From the Coastal Plains
and Low Country of South
Carolina come two favorite
dishes, the recipes contribut
ed by Frances Fletcher,
senior payroll clerk at the
Bennettsville Firestone
plant.
ST. PAUL’S RICE
Toss and brown 1 pound loose
hot sausage. Drain grease. Boil
cup rice. Open 1 box (double
package) chicken noodles; A.V2.
cups water. Put rice and noodles
in water and boil 7 minutes.
Add browned sausage; chop
and add 1 stalk celery, 1 Bell
pepper, 1 onion; V2 cup slivered
almonds. Place in covered cas-
under
the
yum
yum
tree
serole dish and bake 1 hour at
350 degrees.
HOT FRUIT CASSEROLE
1 medium can sliced pineapple
1 medium can pear halves
2 cups apple rings
1 medium can peach halves
1 medium can apricot halves
2 tablespoons flour
Vz cup brown sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup sherry (sounds too much,
but isn’t)
Drain all fruit. Cut pineapple
slices in halves, also peaches if
extra large. Arrange fruit in
alternate layers in large, medi
um-deep casserole dish.
In top of double boiler com
bine butter, sugar, flour, sherry.
Cook, stirring over hot water
until smooth and thickened.
Pour over fruit in casserole,
cover and stand in refrigerator
overnight.
Before serving, heat in 350
oven until hot and bubbly (about
20-25 minutes). Scrumptious
with pork or chicken. Keeps
well refrigerated for several
days, to be reheated and served.
Servings; 12-14.
■mm
if-
the neofilE Ike
• • Lewis O. Cook, Benn
ettsville second-shift em
ployee, Is a member of plant
safety comniittee. Cook
wears a T shirt on the job,
proclaiming the slogan THE
best safety device is
rising costs of production and
competition by increasing pro
ductivity—more goods without
loss in quality, but at lower unit
cost. “Work smarter—not hard
er.”
• Equipment costs are rising.
Example; A twister frame costs
around $25,000.
• Waste in time and materials
could “ruin us” if uncontrolled.
An example of a “little thing”:
Last year the Gastonia plant
spent more than $89,000 for ring
travelers alone—and some $30,-
000 of this amount lost through
unnecessary waste.
• Absenteeism is a tremend
ous waste to company and the
worker through loss of earnings.
Some $454,000 went unearned
last year because people were
absent from the job without ex
cusable reason. Yet, those same
absent people continued to be
covered by worker benefits
which cost the company more
than $139,000 in their case. Had
those same absent people been
on the job, the plant could have
produced 6,000,000 more pounds
fabric than it did.
• The “Company” is people
who work with and for an es
tablishment producing goods and
services for sale. It is not “They”
but “We.” Facilities and materi
als without people are nothing.
Remember this.
I
sharp
on
the
job
• • Robert Parker paused to
whet finishing touches onto the
edge of his doffing knife, just
before going on his second-shift
job as ply-twister operator, Gas
tonia plant. Parker, employed at
Firestone since mid-1971, is
typical of the younger employ
ees who have chosen textiles as
a work career.
Doffing is a major operation
performed repeatedly by a twist
er operator. It involves stopping
off frame (machine), cutting out
yarn or cable ends (where the
knife comes in), and removing
full bobbins.
Spindles are re-supplied with
empty spools, travelers and ends
positioned before re-starting ma
chine. Thus continues the wind
ing from major yarn or cable
source, usually a beam mounted
on top of twister, or a creel.
• Fishing for you this sum
mer? A new free bulletin on
information, North Carolina
mountain trout season has been
prepared by the Wildlife Com
mission. Included is a listing of
streams that are stocked, and
the bait-fishing regulations that
apply to them. All “native” and
“trophy” waters are also listed.
Get copies by writing Fisheries
Division, 325 N. Salisbury St.,
Raleigh 27611.
O. M. Taylor
Funeral for Oliver Monroe
Taylor, 67, was at Gastonia
Beech Avenue Baptist Church,
and burial in Westview Gardens,
March 15.
A Baptist evangelist for many
years, Taylor was retired from
Firestone after 35 years service
at the Gastonia plant.
Surviving are his widow, 5
daughters, 2 sons and a stepson,
4 sisters and 16 grandchildren.
Two Service
Records
Two employees at Bennetts
ville had service anniversaries
in March. Rufus W. Sellers,
cable twister operator, received
his engraved watch commemo
rating 20 years of service.
Charles Goings Jr., ply twist
er operator, completed 10 years
service. Both “longtimers” re
ceived lapel pins engraved with
their length of service. Their
anniversaries were in March.
MY
VIEW
On Food Costs
UGF
From Page 1
A CAREFUL MAN. He’s
photographed under the
plum tree in springtime
bloom. The pretty landmark,
known as the “Yum, Yum
Tree”, is outside plant main
office.
who worked in the various di
visions. The plaques are in a
real way symbolic of the work
all volunteers did.”
Willock pointed out that the
campaign has netted more than
$164,000, about $8,000 more than
in the 1971 effort. He said a
follow-up campaign will con
tinue to collect donations.
Referring to the 1972 drive,
Willock added;
“Our campaign organization
worked hard. But in the final
analysis, it was the 5,600 con
tributors who really made it all
‘tick’ ”.
Quite a few of these contribu
tors were Firestone Textiles
people. Contributions at the
Bowling Green plant reached
$17,710 shortly after the close of
the 1972 campaign.
Soaring costs of food, particularly meats, lead people
to shop smarter, buy less, substitute less-expensive items;
plan wisely and “waste not—want not.”
Gastonia Firestone employees suggest some ways to help
against soaring food costs:
Go vegetarian—or almost so. Have more fruits and
vegetables. And as many as you can, eat raw. Cooking
wastes vitamins unnecessarily. Sparing on sweets. Make
legumes a stable part of your diet, especially pintos. Get
extra protein in nuts (peanuts about the most reasonable in
price). Carefully plan your buying—make as few trips to the
market as possible. Frequent trips for “this and that” add
costs fast.—Ida Byers, Working Recreation Supervisor
Eat more grain products, fruits and vegetables. If you
must eat meat regularly, stick with hamburger. Learn new
ways to “dress it up”. Discover new dishes making use of
ground beef.—Bernard Aim, Carpenter
Compare prices. Watch for advertised specials. Know
what you’re buying, especially in grades of meats. Learn
about quality and other factors in food items. Buy foods
with minimum of waste. Stock up on items that will keep.
Save leftovers and make them into something good.
—Pansy Fans, Payroll Clerk
“Specialize” in beans and potatoes one day, and make it
potatoes and beans on alternate days. Seriously, this does
not have to be monotonous, if you vary beans between pin
tos, great northerns, yelloweyes, soybeans, blackeyes and
others. Chick peas are mighty good, too. Re-educate your
taste in foods—learn to like what you didn’t. Learn variety
ways with all those potatoes. Pamper yourself with a little
fatback now and then—but careful. It’s expensive.
—Harley Pickelsimer, Carpenter
We used to have steak quite often, also other choice
meats. But we’ve cut down on these because of price, and
are substituting vegetables, especially those that are good
sources of protein. I’ve heard that cooperative buying with
neighbors allows for wholesale purchase of foods, thereby
saving some costs. Another way to save: purchase directly
from producer (as eggs, poultry, vegetables and fruits from
the farmer.—Linda Sudduth, Observer, Methods- Standards.