Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

i .■ "THE BIG splash" AS MRS. LENA RETT- BERG (ABOVE), INSTRUCTRESS AT THE RCA VICTOR PLANT AT HARRISON, CHRIS- TENS THE S.S. ROSEBUD AT MOBILE, ALABAMA. MRS. RETTBERG STANDS WITH ROBERT YOUNQ (RIGHT), CRYSTAL PROCESSOR IN THE CAMDEN PLANT, WHO CO-SPONSORED WITH HER THE NEW 21,600-TON TANKER. RCA WORKERS LAUNCH SHIP Suijgestions for Speeding War Production. Conserving Mon-poioer and Critical Mofer/als Bring Special Honors to Contest Winners. PRESENTING a new way of stimulating and rewarding em- ployees' sugge.stions for speeding war production, the RCA Victor Division completed early in Septem- ber a five-day series of special events in honor of six RCA war workers. The program was one of the most comprehensive yet developed in rec- ognition of the contribution of workers to the war program, through suggestions for speeding production and conserving man- power and critical materials. Packed into the five days were a variety of entertainment in three cities, official receptions by munic- ipal authorities, presentation of the contest winners to top officials of their company, participation in sev- eral radio broadcasts including an international hookup, tours of home plant and headc|uarters offices of both the division and the corpora- tion, and, capping the climax, par- ticipation in the launching of a big Victory ship at Mobile, Alabama. Those honored were top place plant winners in suggestion con- tests sponsored by labor-manage- ment production drive committees in RCA plants at Camden and Har- rison. N. J.; Lancaster, Pa.; and Indianapolis and Bloomington, Ind. Conducted through a two-weeks pe- riod under the slogan "Don't Miss the Boat," the contest resulted in 3,.500 employee suggestions, a sub- stantial percentage of which were found practicable, and adopted. All workers whose suggestions were adopted received awards of war bonds and war savings stamps ill varying amounts up to $1350. The top winner for each plant received, in addition to these awards, a trip to Mobile to share honors in the launching. Visits to Camden, N. J., headquarters of the RCA Victor Division, and New York City, home of the Radio Corporation of Amer- ica, were made enroute to Mobile. Converging at Camden from their several plants, the honor group, in- cluding five men and one woman, were presented to Robert Shannon, general manager of the RCA Victor Division, feted at a luncheon, and conducted on a tour of the plant. Continuing to New York that afternoon, they were quartered at the Governor Clinton Hotel, and re- ceived at City Hall by Newbold Morris, President of the City Coun- cil, who presented the top winners with a silk American flag. They made guest appearances on several radio programs and were enter- tained at a Manhattan night club. The following morning, they were presented to Lieut. Gen. James G. llarbord, chairman of the board of Radio Corporation of America; and then taken on a tour of Radio City. Arriving at Mobile, the party of war workers were accorded an old- fashioned brass band station greet- ing. On hand were the Mayor of Mobile, officials of the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company, from whose ways the launching was scheduled, a band, and a turn-out of Mobile citizens. The local radio station, WMOB, broadcast a 15- minute on-the-spot program. At night, the workers w e r e guests at a traditional Mobile "shrimp dinner." The following morning, they were escorted on tours of the shipyards and various points of interest in the city. The crowning event came Friday night at the shipyards, when Rob- ert Young, of Philadelphia, crystal processor in the Camden plant and top winner for all plants, cut the rope that released the S.S. Rosebud, 21,600-ton tanker, and Mrs. Lena Rettberg, of Newark, instructress in the Harrison plant and only woman among the winners, smashed a bottle of champagne against the ship's prow as it slid down the ways into Mobile Bay. Adding color and significance to the occasion, the launching was broadcast over the nation-wide Blue Network. On this radio program, RCA Victor workers joined with workers in Moscow, London, and Chungking in a salute to war work- ers of the United Nations. Edwin C. Hill, world-famed news commentator, directed the radio program from New York, while Ben Graucr, noted announcer, described the launching and introduced the RCA Victor workers, from Mobile. Rear Admiral H. L. Vickery, vice chairman of the U. S. Maritime Commission, was cut in from Cleve- land to pay tribute to the workers. Robert Young, who is 26, won his honors, including a $350 war bond i [32 RADIO AGE]