The Principles of Scientific Management

THE PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT 70 the time taken in disentangling the brick from a disorderly pile on the scaffold. This “pack” of bricks (as Mr. Gilbreth. calls his loaded wooden frames) is placed by the helper in its proper position on the adjustable scaffold close to the mortar box. We have all been used to seeing bricklayers tap each brick after it is placed on its bed of mortar sev- eral times with the end of the handle of the trowel, so as to secure the right thickness for the joint. Mr. Gilbreth found that by tempering the mor- tar just right, the bricks could be readily bedded to the proper depth by a downward pressure of the hand with which they are laid. He insisted that his mortar mixers should give special attention to tempering the mortar, and so save the time con- sumed in tapping the brick. Through all of this minute study of the motions to be made by the bricklayer in laying bricks under standard conditions, Mr. Gilbreth has reduced his movements from eighteen motions per brick to five, and even in one case to as low as two motions per brick. He has given all of the details of this analysis to the profession in the chapter headed “Motion Study/’ of his book entitled “Bricklaying System,” published by Myron C. Clerk Publishing Company, New York and Chicago; E. F. N. Spon, of London. An analysis of the expedients used by Mr. Gilbreth in reducing the motions of his bricklayers from eighteen to five shows that this improvement has been made in three different ways: