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Editorial
June 8, 1931
Seward Daily Gateway
Seward, Seward County, Alaska
What is this article about?
Editorial satirizes the enforcement of an age limit on the Alaska Railroad, demanded by 1930 senatorial investigators, defending older Alaskan workers and criticizing the policy as bungling efficiency. Manager Ohlson notes preference for locals and need to avoid pension issues. Compares to Henry Ford and Hoover's approaches.
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AGE LIMIT FOR VISITING SENATORS
The only place where we have noticed criticism of the age-limit regulation now actively in force on the Alaska Railroad, aside from what has been published in The Gateway, appeared recently in an advertisement in a Fairbanks paper; we have since learned the advertiser's copy has been censored.
It is true, there is such a regulation in force on the railroad; in fact there always has been such a ruling, but it took last year's Solomons from Washington, the so-called senatorial investigation (wrecking) committee, to demand its enforcement. Manager Ohlson states that men between the ages of 50-60 and up to the 70's are on the railroad payroll and performing their labors well; however, physical examinations occasionally exclude some fine, old pioneer or oldtimer from obtaining a position for this is the only safeguard the railroad has, he said, from developing into a pension bureau, via the compensation route. This number already, he added, was large.
One thing Colonel Ohlson emphasized; whenever and wherever possible, Alaskans, young or old, will be given first consideration.
But to get back to the destructive policies instigated by the 1930 investigators. It may be recalled Henry Ford "fired" his very efficient general superintendent for insisting on the age limit. Seems as though that is efficiency to the nth degree. Apparently there is something to this numerology and astrology business. Give us the date of your birth and we'll divide by your telephone number and get your efficiency quotient. So simple, Agnes. Of course, more accuracy if you use the exalted freight rate as a divisor. This seems a test of the Hooveran system. He also had a mathematical algebraic solution of the navy disarmament problem. Peace by calculus. Prosperity by the cube root.
The men of 50 and over, generally speaking, blazed the trail for the railroad, apparently so that they could starve to death. But those visiting senators were so observing. They adopted the Eskimo method, pushing the aged out of the igloo and letting them starve. It's safe to assume that the Eskimo wouldn't do this when they got too many seals, though. An age limit should be made for visiting senators. Should be low, too, as they suffer from premature senility. If the "brains" at the top could solve the problem of superabundance which the efficiency at the bottom has produced, we wouldn't be bothered with such tragic bungling as age limitation.
The trouble is too much efficiency in the wrong place.
The only place where we have noticed criticism of the age-limit regulation now actively in force on the Alaska Railroad, aside from what has been published in The Gateway, appeared recently in an advertisement in a Fairbanks paper; we have since learned the advertiser's copy has been censored.
It is true, there is such a regulation in force on the railroad; in fact there always has been such a ruling, but it took last year's Solomons from Washington, the so-called senatorial investigation (wrecking) committee, to demand its enforcement. Manager Ohlson states that men between the ages of 50-60 and up to the 70's are on the railroad payroll and performing their labors well; however, physical examinations occasionally exclude some fine, old pioneer or oldtimer from obtaining a position for this is the only safeguard the railroad has, he said, from developing into a pension bureau, via the compensation route. This number already, he added, was large.
One thing Colonel Ohlson emphasized; whenever and wherever possible, Alaskans, young or old, will be given first consideration.
But to get back to the destructive policies instigated by the 1930 investigators. It may be recalled Henry Ford "fired" his very efficient general superintendent for insisting on the age limit. Seems as though that is efficiency to the nth degree. Apparently there is something to this numerology and astrology business. Give us the date of your birth and we'll divide by your telephone number and get your efficiency quotient. So simple, Agnes. Of course, more accuracy if you use the exalted freight rate as a divisor. This seems a test of the Hooveran system. He also had a mathematical algebraic solution of the navy disarmament problem. Peace by calculus. Prosperity by the cube root.
The men of 50 and over, generally speaking, blazed the trail for the railroad, apparently so that they could starve to death. But those visiting senators were so observing. They adopted the Eskimo method, pushing the aged out of the igloo and letting them starve. It's safe to assume that the Eskimo wouldn't do this when they got too many seals, though. An age limit should be made for visiting senators. Should be low, too, as they suffer from premature senility. If the "brains" at the top could solve the problem of superabundance which the efficiency at the bottom has produced, we wouldn't be bothered with such tragic bungling as age limitation.
The trouble is too much efficiency in the wrong place.
What sub-type of article is it?
Labor
Partisan Politics
Satire
What keywords are associated?
Age Limit
Alaska Railroad
Senatorial Investigation
Older Workers
Efficiency Policies
Visiting Senators
What entities or persons were involved?
Colonel Ohlson
Visiting Senators
Henry Ford
Hoover
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Criticism Of Age Limit Enforcement On Alaska Railroad
Stance / Tone
Satirical Criticism Of Senatorial Investigators And Efficiency Policies
Key Figures
Colonel Ohlson
Visiting Senators
Henry Ford
Hoover
Key Arguments
Age Limit Regulation On Alaska Railroad Has Always Existed But Was Enforced Due To 1930 Senatorial Investigation
Older Workers (50+) Perform Well And Are On Payroll, But Physical Exams Exclude Some To Avoid Becoming A Pension Bureau
Alaskans Given First Consideration For Jobs
Senatorial Committee's Policies Are Destructive And Akin To Eskimo Method Of Discarding The Aged
Age Limit Should Apply To Visiting Senators Due To Their Premature Senility
Efficiency In Wrong Place Causes Problems Like Age Limitation Despite Superabundance