Business screen magazine (1942)

■nii-Y *Jt^lgK» (CONTINUED FROM PREVIOLS PACE I the cruiial nature of the problem for America was spotlighted as long ago as 1942, in the .N.A.M.'s pamphlet. "Food. Work and War." This film does as much as a whole book to show how Britain tackled the problem. Other films on industrial welfare are: I\o Accidents, on accident prevention: and Men in Datiger, a film made some lime ago by the famous documentary director, Cavalcanti, and now a classic of its kind. Lately, there have been some more specialized developments in the form of instructional films for various types of workers. The farmers have been well catered for from the start, but the industrial worker comes right into the picture in a long, new film. Boiler House Practice, in which the man in the boilerroom is shown how to make the maximum use of his coal. (This film was recently shown with great success to tliree hundred .American industrial engineers.) The Wider .Message Shown Finally, tw o of the most important films currently being distributed bv the British Information Services have special interest for all who are engaged in production. World of Plenty, a five-reel fihii, discusses the entire field of food production and distribution, both now and after the war, and emphasizes the need for planning on a world scale if the coimiion man is to be a.ssured the proper nutrition without which he cannot fully develop his inherited capacities. Lord Woolton. former Minister of Food, has said: "1 believe it to be one of the most im|)ortanl factual films made since the beginning of the war. dealing as it does with a subject which directly concerns everv one of us." INDUSTRY'S SECRET WEAPON By Paul A. McNutt, Administrator, Federal Security Agency fin an sddrets oiven Dec. .''3 1941 '.r. 'vV^shington, D. C.l A "secret" tkai.mnc weapon, which puts war industry workers on the production line in one-fourth to one-third less time, has been developed by the I . S. Office of Education of the Federal Security Agency in cooperation with the Vi ar Man])ower CorTimission. This shortcut to war production is a new type of training film. Educators tell us experience with these new films shows that they not only cut training time, but also substantially increa.se retention of what is taught. Nearly 100 fihns to speed up the training of workers in the most critical manpower shortage areas have been completed and are in daily use in factories, schools, and by the Army and Navy. One hundred additional films are in production, and another three hundred are in the jilaniiing stage. These war training films, designed as a new type of teaching "tool" for instructors, are making educational historv by teaching workers essential skills motion by motion. 1 ha\e been interested to learn, for example, that engine lathe training alone requires 17 films: and that there will eventually be more than .30 films on aircraft manufacturing skills. Another distinguishing mark of this new training weapon is that production is handled on a selfliquidating basis. There are no free prints. More than 30.000 prints ha\e been sold b\ the Government, one-third to industry, one-third to schools giving war training, and one-third to the .Vrmy and Navy. I ntil recentl) . the films were sold for the cost of film stock. Now, at the request of Congress, they are being sold at a rate expected to return to the Federal Govermnent the full cost of production. ' Congress first appropriated Sl.000,000 to the U. S. Office of Education for war training films. For this fiscal year. Congress increased the appropriation to .S2.000.000. These war training films are not Hollywood productions. Thev have been made locally by 23 different film producers in 8 states. All the producers are small businessmen. One concern has the contract for sales distribution, thus relieving the Government of that responsibilitv. Every film is outlined bv a technical expert and a visual aids expert. Production is supervised by a committee named by the director of vocational education for the stale where the picture is made. This committee usually includes industrial experts, shop teachers and union workers, and. since it is a local group, its advice and guidance is readily accessible to safeguard the accuracy and effectiveness of the training film. To many industries and vocational schools, the Federal Government owes a debt of gratitude for generous help in creating the fihns. America's new training weapon is also being released to our .Alli l Canada and South Africa have rai i-ll (jurchased over 1.000 prints. Tw|. i ' ty films were recently flown , Soviet Russia. Audiences for tli. war training films are already e-. mated to exceed 1.5.000.000. Practically all the great war ind ■ tries now use these films to speed i our war machine. We are sleppi; up manpower utilization. We ; • getting more and more produilii Education, industry, and the gri>ii of small businesses which prodi the pictures have joined hands wi the Federal Government to ni.i possible this effective high-sp.training. il4'|M»rlN from lla<> Fieli ♦ Here i? wh.it umts sav abtthese war training films: "Viewii the films, when closelv followed 1 supervised applicalion of the pti ciples shown in the films, we fin is an excellent wav of acceleratii and improving the training of u skilled workmen." — John If. Co verse, director of training personne The Baldwin Locomotive Works. \ ♦ "For the past year the Navy h^ been using, in increasing number' various training films produced I' the U. S. Office of Education. ThI material has been found to be high! effective in 'stepping up" the spec of training NavT personnel." — Ra^ dall Jacobs, rear admiral. l'.S.A' Chief of .\aval Personnel, I. ' .\av\. ♦ "All of the films in our possessiol have been of great value to us i training green help as machine "i erators and also in upgrading ■" employees to higher skills." — /. / Miller, traininfc director. I'ickei Incorporated, of Detroit, Michiga^ \'i^mm-mtt'Mt^at SikllSaxk' (<>■• ■*<»*:#«>-•>■• UiikiisattKfei* Hroducl exhibitions in tlie local dealer's salesroom will be enhanced bl V 'w I»»ll€lllZ«>U »«>lllll^ l«r ■ <»!«l\\«ir nU!»inf5tM. the use of modem visual materials (below) a pre-war caterpillar exWbl |W<, in Uusin4's.s .^«T«'«'fi Magazine