Head Miller, Foreman, or Superintendent, etc., from Milling and Milling Engineer.
The most important feature in the correct running of a mill is the head miller, foreman, or superintendent, and upon him generally rests the responsibility of making a mill a success. Any mill with a capacity of 200 barrels upward should employ the very best miller possible to obtain. He should be placed in full control, receive sufficient compensation to make him satisfied with his position, and he should be given to understand that he must render faithful service. The head miller must be such in word and deed; he must have good executive ability in order to rule the men placed under his supervision; he must give his orders and see that the men obey such orders; he should be conscientious, painstaking, civil, unselfish, gently, considerate, very intelligent, and know his business to the uttermost in order to rule men and make a mill thoroughly successful. Millers are not made in a day, month or year, and in order that a man may rise to a higher plane in his profession he must study constantly, read all the milling journals and milling literature he can, and never miss an opportunity to gain any knowledge relating to his chosen calling. It is a simple matter to run a mill when one is competent, but my! how hard when one does not have the knowledge, and how soon the mill is running the miller; and to see a miller in this predicament is very amusing, and there are thousands of such millers, and more is the pity. The head miller should at all times show consideration to those under his care; he should never use profane language, and if he does he deserves a whipping; he should never shoe a jealous disposition; he should give civil answers to his men when asked regarding information relating to milling, for it might be of lasting benefit to the apprentice, himself, and the mill owner. A head miller ought to give the best and purest advice to those under him, for kindness in this respect will linger with them the rest of their days, and how much better to be remembered as a good man in after years and get good words than to be thought of as a bad, domineering spirit; and how much better to be philanthropist than a misanthropist. Avoid making enemies; it does not pay; it is often dangerous to life and property, and to study revenge is foolish and a waste of god's precious time, and always revolves on you own shoulders. When I was a superintendent over six mills it was always a source of the greatest pleasure to give advice and instruction to those working under me, and I have had some of the most pleasant reminders from those whom I have assisted in that way; and only a year ago I received a beautifully pleasing letter from a head miller who said in part: "If it had not have been for your friendly advice I would have been a laboring man today;" and such words are well worth all the trouble it gives one. Millers should at all times guard against the affliction known as self conceit, for we never know it all. I have received some very valuable tips from my understudies, not because I did not know how to do a thing, but he taught me how it could be done more expeditiously. Self-conceit leads many a man into the idea that he know all about the correct running of a mill just because all is running so smoothly under his head miller, and at the first opportunity he risks his reputation and accepts the head millership, only to find that the mill is running him instead. My advice to such men is to stay under a good head miller until thoroughly competent to operate a mill correctly. To gain a higher position a miller must attend strictly to business, have your employer's interest uppermost in your mind at all times; study all possible in the time that others are wasting foolishly; keep eyes and ears open to gain every advantage possible that will spell advancement in your chosen field; know the why and wherefore of every machine in the mill and how to adjust its every part; never think you know everything is to know, for therein you fail in ever being a competent miller. Should you at any time desire an advance in salary, take that desire to the mill owner, superintendent or manager; place it before him in a mild and concise manner, and in turn give them time to think it over carefully before deciding, and invariably it will be forthcoming; but should we go to them in a blustering manner and demand an advance or we should immediately resign, in all probability the resignation would be accepted, and often taking effect at once. Unless you have made up your mind to sever your connection with your firm, do not fly into a tantrum and say, "If so and so is not done I will resign," for you might be let out at a moment's notice, which might prove very inconvenient in many ways, and especially financially, and as a little example of the way such matters turn out I relate the following: The superintendent of a large factory would, upon the least provocation, fly into a tantrum, rush to the office, and even curse the proprietor and say if so and so was not done he would leave at once, and being a valuable man, the proprietor would pacify him and all would be well. One day he did that very thing, when a son, just out of college, happened to be in the office, and after the superintendent had gone into the factory he said to his father, "Father, what would you do should that man die, for I know that this factory could run without him?" The father answer came immediately, "How strange I never gave it a thought it that light. Call him and pay him off forthwith," and his place was filled at once. Always remember that a man is never so valuable but what another can be found to fill his place, and very often for the better. A head miller ought always have something to say in regard to the men who are to be his assistants; and should really be allowed to hire his own men, and should be held responsible for them and their work. In American mills, generally speaking, there is an insufficiency of helpers allowed, and the head miller is often called upon to do work that would be more profitable to be left to cheaper help, and the mills are run with much less help than mills of like capacity in the old world. Mill owners should not expect their millers to be responsible for their mills and the products, and at the same time expect them to attend to customers, oil the mill, do the cleaning, grinding, grading, purifying, and dollar foolish policy, and everything generally become as it out not to be, and the result generally a mill that is a failure. The miller that is running a mill under the above conditions is never satisfied with his position if he may be called a miller; and should a good customer happen along when the miller was in the midst of a choke, and had to wait an hour, or until his patience was exhausted, he would undoubtedly leave not to return, which would cost the owner the price of another hand to do such work. Millers should never undermine their brother operatives; it is cowardly, dishonorable; it never gains them anything, but on the contrary they are invariably out of employment. They should at all times lend their brothers all the assistance they can, and should they get out of a position take the next best thing to be obtained until such time as an opportunity presents itself to reenter the mill in an honorable manner, but not to go and undermine your brother by offering to run the mill at so much less salary, and many do this very thing. I know of an instance where the superintendent of a large mill was sent on a visit to Europe at the mill's expense to gain all the knowledge possible, and while he was absent his head miller undermined him completely, and he stepped out. There are head millers that deserve all that can possibly come to them, and there are some that really know so little about milling that deserve all they generally do get, and should a man come along at the time they are going to be let out it is no fault of theirs if they secure the position if offered them. It was my lot when starting up my second roller mill to have a foreman that was one of the meanest men it has ever been possible to meat anywhere. It was impossible to get out of him a civil answer; would sneak around to do dirty mean tricks, instead of being a man to stand up and tell what he desired, and such a man ought not to have charge of men. Again there are a class of men in mill that will stoop to the most dastardly meanness that is possible, and will resort to anything in order to get even for what are often imaginary wrongs, and I have hand men that I have assisted in many ways and who were jealous of me, throw off belts, place obstacles in spouts, perforate bolting cloths, etc., and were sometimes found out and discharged. There is in a mill a place for every man; every man should be in his place and know that place; and that man should have a place for everything, and everything should be in its place; and always remember that if anything is worth doing it is worth doing well. If a man is a miller in every sense of the world he will be able to fill any place in a mill, and patience and study will assist him in gaining the summit of his profession. To get the best there is in the workmen it is well to be kind and affectionate one to another at all times. God is a loving father and will always help those who are ready to help themselves, but he has no use for an indolent person, for he give up our time and expects, us to make the best use of it; therefore a head miller must be on the alert at all times in order to be a successful man.
On the shoulders of the superintendent or manager the responsibility of the success or failure of the mill, and rather more of it upon the shoulders of the manager, or the owner if he should be his own manager. The manager should be a man of education, intelligence, great energy, good judgment, executive ability and a reader of men; should be kind and sympathetic but not easily turned from the path of duty; should be able to say no at the opportune moment; a good buyer, and knowing when he had just enough; must not be of a speculative nature, as it spells danger for any business. He should know that he is absolutely responsible for every pound of raw material entering the mill, and for every pound of manufactured product leaving the same. He should at all times to be impressed with the fact that he must put out brands that are neat and impressive, and behind those brands must be the goods to please and to repeat in order to build a business that will constantly increase, and at the least to not decrease. Unless the product is right and the manager is positive they are right he should not upon any account allow them to be shipped, for one bad shipment will destroy the work of a year's hard work to gain that same customer, and maybe the loss of others by that dissatisfied one telling it to them. The head miller and the manager should always be on the very best of terms, and should enjoy the confidence of each other in full measure, or the interest of the business cannot be carried out in full; yet how often you see this to the contrary, and it spells danger rocks ahead. To the manager I would say that goods well bought are goods half sold; ask a fair and just price for good goods; impress a customer or your salesman with the idea of the high quality of goods being put out, and get them as enthusiastic as it is possible when speaking of those goods, and the goods will be half sold. I once went out for a large spring wheat mill for which I had charge of three central states to represent them, and was given samples that were unexcelled in quality, and was guaranteed that kind of flour. I traveled for 90 days with such success that I had never experienced in my life, and carry a letter from the president of that company saying, "Keep up the good work; we never sold so much flour and at such prices; and you have demonstrated to me that you are an A No. 1 salesman." And really I never made so much commission in so short a time as that in my life. They simply fell down on the grades; they did not give what they had represented; some of the very best customers that I had sold for years absolutely refused to buy again; and it made it very disagreeable all around and lost thousands of dollar in business for that mill. A manager must be truthful or he should have a long memory so he can remember the lies he had told in the past; he should be absolutely faithful to a trust; he should give his salesman and his customers just what he guaranteed to give them; he should carry out a lawful contract to the letter or he will fail in getting and holding the trade. I always guaranteed my goods and would make just settlement to my customer in order that I might sell again, unless I saw deceit and falsification on the part of the customer, and many of them strive to take the advantage. A manager should be skillful, economical, of strong personal character, honest, trustworthy to the highest degree in order to inspire that same confidence in others; to give an order that will be obeyed; kind and considerate but yet dignified, and of manly bearing that will gain and keep the good will and opinion of the men under his guidance. There is nothing so absolutely disgusting to experienced employees as to be working under the guidance of a manager who is lacking managerial intelligence and experience, and which it has been my lot to witness many times in my milling career, and nothing is more detrimental to the success of a mill as a manager who is out of harmony with his position, his duties and his men. There are managers who are placed in that important position through relationship, pull by many strings, and favoritism, and more is the pity, for to say the least it is a pitiful sight. I had the misfortune at one period of my life to hold a responsible position under a manager who lacked experience, who listened to a woman who was unscrupulous in what she had to say and because she could not run things at my end of the line; who bowed and scraped around his superior like a lap dog in order to hold that which he was very much afraid of losing, and who was so bullheaded that he would not listen to reason or take notice of facts when presented to him. That same owner was a man of great means, a man who could not look a man square in the eye, would try to beat about the bush just as a bashful boy instead of being a man and telling you just what was his desire, and allow you to surmise what was his desire. I always as a manager wanted to be a man in every sense of the word - wanted to be true and without prejudice; would never serve as a lap dog to the highest of the high; always tried and wanted to be a man and a gentleman to those unfortunate enough to work under my charge; always tried to do my full duty to those who employed me, and that and the above are just what a manager ought to be; then he can stand firmly upon the ground at all times. He should employ good workmen, pay them just compensation and see and demand satisfactory results in return or know the reason why. When I was a young man I applied by wire to a large mill for a head miller's position upon the advice of a miller friend and received the following reply: "We desire a good, experienced miller who can make satisfactory flour out of slightly off-grade wheat," and I replied, "I fear I am not the man," and I often wondered who they did get to run that mill; but the least one could say was that the manager lacked good managership, or qualities for building a business on a firm foundation. A manager does no have to be a good miller to be a good manager, but he will be a better manager of a mill by being an experienced miller, as are many whom I know, and who are very successful managers. A manager should study grain and be a first-class judge of it, and especially wheat, in order to turn out satisfactory flour to the varied customers desiring flour so different in each case. I know a manager who could lie as fast as a horse could gallop, who thought it was good policy to have a wrangle with his salesman at every opportunity, and who at last was told by the salesman that he could lose the customers faster than he was able to secure them, and to take his position and go to. A good manager is tactful, resourceful, farsighted, very considerate of all with whom he comes in contact, always out for business, strewed in his selling in order that he may collect each dollar for goods sold, and must watch every avenue of the business in order that it be successful.
Every mill that can afford to keep a salesman should certainly do so, as there is nothing that insures the steady running of a mill more than the working of a good, conscientious salesman. A salesman is born, if he rises to a high position as such, but he may be made such according to the hose with whom he engages, for a great deal depends upon the house, the line of goods, method of doing business, and the amount of publicity given them. A salesman ought to be truthful, honorable, courteous, dignified, forceful, neat in appearance, very patient, as there is much to try the long-suffering, and enthusiastic to the highest degree in order that success be attained. If there is anything more disgusting than a hot-air, wind-jamming salesman it is difficult to designate, and I have met a few in my selling career. Some I have met that would after the greeting launch out into what wonderful sales they had been making, which upon their surface were imaginary sales, and such they would prove to be, as they would give them all away before leaving them if you allowed them to talk long enough. I have know salesman who started out selling flour and were regular whirlwinds upon the first and second trips, selling flour right and left, and all by making promises and contracts that were absolutely impossible of fulfillment unless the firm they were representing would stand to lose in the transaction. I am making my remarks now from the standpoint of the flour ill representative, having had about twelve years' first-class road work covering many states in America and Spanish counties. The type of salesman being put out by mills now are generally men of high education, polished, very neat, young and full of manly vigor, and who are generally capable of overcoming every difficulty, and many difficulties there are confronting them on the sides. The salesman to be a success must have a manager behind him who will give him the support that is absolutely necessary in making sales, or it is a fearful struggle to say the least. If the salesman himself is made up of those qualities that are necessary to success, and he is representing a mill that is noted for its honorable dealings and the goods it turns out, it is a tremendous help to the man representing them in getting the orders. . A salesman must do all in his power to take care of and assist in every way his customers, and there are many little things that go to get the customer in such favor that they will return the favors in orders, and many of those small favors are easily rendered. Salesman to succeed must having competitive prices with other mills if they are selling goods of equal grades, but how often men are sent out by managers who have no regard to their honor, with prices much above their competitors, and their goods inferior, all of which makes it impossible to establish a lasting business. If a man cannot look you square in the eye it is generally a sign to beware, for something is not just right in his life. I know men today with whom I had dealings that were dishonorable, untruthful, and had no scruples in regard to putting over a crooked deal at every opportunity. Enthusiasm is requisite in making a success on the road, for unless a salesman is enthusiastic, he cannot impress the buyer in taking on his wares. Be sure of the quality of the goods; be sure of the integrity of the house you represent; be sure of the customer you are after as your agent, then go after him with all the vigor, tact and honest intention and you will succeed in selling him if he is in the market, and you will invariably hold the trade. While I always made it a point to home my customer by great considerations, I never lost sight of the fact that my mill was paying the bills, and I always was particular to see to it that their interests were safeguarded at every turn, and would never take the least advantage of the fluctuating grain market in order to get a sale without first wiring them and allowing them to decide if they wanted to book the order. I have known salesman to hold up a message from their mill until they had made a sale that it would be better to turn down on account of the rising market that made the sale unprofitable, but I would never do that for anyone. Salesman work on salary and expenses; salary, expenses and commission; expenses and commission; and all commission, but of all, the expenses and commission basis is the only sensible arrangement, as the mill is putting their expenses against your time and salesmanship and will meet you closer on prices, etc., in order to do business and make it profitable for mill and salesman. The small or medium mill can use a salesman all or part of the time to the best advantage just as well as the large mills, and it is essential that they have one if they are desirous of building a trade that will insure steady and profitable operation.
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