Winchester's use of "Contractors"|Page 2|Winchester Rifles|Forum|Winchester Collector

I would add that in Williamson’s book, he devotes an entire chapter to the subject. Chapter 12 "End of the Contract System" pages 131-138. Williamson basically states that with the election of T.G. Bennett as president in 1890, that "One of the most important managerial problems affecting the internal operation of the company during the 1890-1914 period involved labor-management relations." He goes on further stating, "This problem was brought on principally because of the necessity of absorbing a rapidly increasing labor force and by a growing dissatisfaction with the system of inside contractors."

Later in the chapter he states, "It was not until about 1904 that the scale began to tip in the other direction. From that date on, the Company moved to reduce the number of contractors, and by 1914 the system had been virtually eliminated in both gun and ammunition production."

Also there is the Chapter Seven "Management, Labor, and Inside Contracting" which is a very informative read on the subject.

Basically majority of the Historical development of the Winchester Company from the 1850s to the 1950s is in Williamson’s book, sometimes things are only briefly mentioned but they are there. It is a good read for those of you that don’t have it, I recommend it.

Sincerely,
Maverick