At the very outset of our investigation, we found that the foreman of the composing-room purchased type, leads, and slugs, furniture, cases, and all of the other materials used in his department.  The foreman of the press-room purchased paper, ink, rollers, twine, and other things.  The foreman of the shipping-room purchased packing-cases, wrapping paper, twine, nails, hammers, marking ink, and other materials he used.  The foreman of the bindery purchased glue, cloth, leather, boards, paper, and wire.  The office manager purchased typewriter ribbons, carbon paper, clips, paper fasteners, pins, mucilage, rulers, pens, and pencils.  The foreman of the electrotyping department purchased copper, acids, metal, and tools.  We were rather surprised to find that the coal and lubricating oil for the engine room were purchased by the manager himself, but not at all surprised to learn that he had never heard of such a quantity as a British Thermal unit and that he had absolutely no records to show the kind of coal most efficient under his boilers.  A little further investigation showed that each head of department had charge of the stores of materials and supplies for his department and gave them out to employees upon a mere verbal request.  We were not long in discovering that the foreman of the composing-room received “tokens of regard” from salesmen; that the foreman of the press-room was regularly on the payroll of several companies furnishing inks and rollers, and had a brother-in-law running a little print shop around the corner and spending very little money for ink, paper, and other such materials.  Each head of a department also had full power to “hire and fire,” as he called it.  The foreman of the composing-room said to us, when we questioned him in regard to this matter, “Why, if I didn’t have the power to hire and fire I could not maintain discipline in my department; rather than give that up, I would resign my position.”

As a result of this state of affairs, we found a brother of the foreman occupying an easy position in the composing-room, a brother-in-law, two nieces, two nephews, and a son occupying easy positions at good salaries in the press-room and various other nephews and other semi-dependents working away under foremen who were related to them in the various departments.  In the composing-room, also, we found, upon careful investigation, that several of the employees were very heavily overpaid at times and that they divided the surplus in their pay envelopes with the foreman.

When we called these things to the attention of the manager, he was deeply surprised and pained.  “Why,” he said, “every head of a department in this printing and publishing house is a personal friend of mine.  I have the highest regard for them and have held their honor and uprightness so high in my estimation that it has never occurred to me to investigate their administration in their several departments.  You know, of course, that