Reviewing Argus Progress

Our 25th Anniversary iswell under way. Most of us at Argus are familiar with our history during the last quarter century. It seems appropriate, however, to review brief - ly some of the more significant events . Argus started under unusual conditions during the height of the depression. A group of Ann Arbor businessmen pooled their money to créate jobs in the community. William E. Brown, Jr., still one of our directors, and Roy Hiscock, who is presently employedat Argus, were among those businessmen. Starting as a radio manufacturer and later changing to the camera and projector fields, Argus has grown f rom a very modest beginning to become the world leader in the manufacture of 35 mm cameras and projectors. This did not happen without recognizing the fact that we are meeting the needs of many groups of people. As employees, most of us realize that Argus must meet our desires for good pay and benefits and good working conditions. At the same time, I think we realize that our products must also meet the needs of our customers and that the share owners must be satisfied with their

investment in the Company. Sometimes we forget that, in addition to these three groups, we also have to secure the cooperation of our vendors who supply us with parts and materials, as well as our dealers who sell our products. Then, of course, there are our neighbors in the community who work with us in many different ways, providing a favorable atmosphere in which our Company can grow. The combined efforts of all of these groups has been especially notie eabledur ing recent years with the growth of employment from several hundred to more than a thousand, and with the growth of sales from less than $6,000,000 to over $20,000,000 a year. Our payroll now exceeds $5,600,000 annually. We do not plan an extravagant anniversary celebration this year, but we will, of course, invite our families and friends to visit our operations. We will have a Family Night Open House on May 18, and an Open House for the general public on May 24 and 25. At that time we hope to have as many operations running as are practical so that our visitors can see the types of operations that we perform.

Vacation Dates Set

The plants will close for vacation and inventory this year at the end of the last shift on Friday, July 20 and will reopen at the beginning of the first shift on Monday, August 6. All Argus employees take their vacations during this period unless the nature of their work necessitates different scheduling.

About The Cover

The Easter cover photo was submitted by Loretta Dupuis, Optical Assembly. Loretta took the picture of her children at Easter church services with her C-3, using Tri-X film. She received a $25 savings bond for winning the cover contest. Last month's skiing cover girl, Jesse Forshee, is now at home with a fractured leg. Not too long af ter last month's cover picture was taken, Jesse encountered one hill she couldnft master at the Caberfae ski area near Cadillac. While she is recuperating, she is busy studying "The Art and Skill of Skiing. "

You Asked Andy

Could it be that Spring is finally heading in Ann Arbor's direction? Or maybe that's too much to hope for. Anyway, you're still making my job easy- only one question again this time. Argus Employees1 Insurance "Why don't we set up our own insurance company within the company?" Torn Spitier told me that this suggestion was considered by the management and it was decided to continue our group insurance with the Metropolitan Insurance Company. Actually, we have done business with Metropolitan for quite a long period of time and, as a result, our reserves have been established. This is important since a period of heavy costs can be offset by the money in the reserve before any increase in premium is required. It would be some time before the company could set up an equivalent reserve. Also, our cost of administration is relatively low. To insure our employees of the best possible program, it is necessary to have actuarial, legal, claim and other type insurance technicians, which would be costly for us to provide for ourselves. In other words, there probably would not be any financial advantage in becoming self-insured.

Our sincere sympathy is extended to Rose Hubbard whose husband Louis died February 22. Rose works in Mechanical Finishing.

Fifty Gather In Chicago For Salesmen's Meeting

Argus' growth in recent years was pointed up recently by the magnitude of the meeting of those people who are directly responsible for the sale of Argus products. Approximately 50 people we re present at the annual Argus salesmen's meeting last month. The group included, in addition to 24 Argus salesmen, representatives of the home office from the Sales and Advertisihg Departments and members of Young & Rubicam, advertising firm. The four-day meeting took place at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. Bill Spicer, Argus salesman in the Southeastern states, was named Salesman of the Year at the meeting. Vice President Dudley Scholten presented trophies to Bill and to salesmen Dave Carto and Jack Pelton, who were runners-up for the award. BillTs name has been engraved on a permanent plaque which bears the names of the men who are selected each year to receive the Salesman of the Year Award. A highlight of the meeting was the first presentation of a new award, the Annual Arlon Clark Memorial Award, to Robert Woolson, Field Sales Manager. Named in honor of Argus' first salesman, Arlon Clark, who died in 1953, the award will be given annually by the Argus salesmen "to that person in the home office whose talents, inspiration, and selflessness have made the Argus salesmanTs lot a happier one. " Woolson was presented with the award, which is a glass-encased, bronzed briefcase, by salesman Ted Humphreys.

Photo Coupon Name Dept. No. of Prints

Suggestion Awards Total $1,123

Argusites crashed the Suggestion Award market last month to the tune of $1,123.60- a very tidy sum! Winner of the biggest award for the month was Bernard Merritt, Camera Assembly, who received $194. 72 for his suggestion concerning the use of the flash contact in place of photo tape to prevent light leak f rom the jack holes. Jim Sieloff, Production Control, won $144. 93 for his suggestion that the C-4 and C-44 clutch píate be made with an undercut to eliminate a burring operation. A check for $138. 29 went to Kathryn Frasier, Projector Assembly, for her suggestion that the plastic bag on the Super 75 color gift package be eliminated. Peter Opple, Machine Shop, received $135.25 for suggesting a change in the drilling operation on the C-4 and C-44 case. A suggestion award of $133.26 went to Gene Rohde, Machine Shop. Gene's suggestion concerned a method change in milling on a power shaft. Bruce Junod, Machine Shop, collected $131. 34 for a suggestion

cerning the elimination of stripping lacquer f rom turned parts before they are re-diamond turned. Wilhio Kelly, Raw Inspection, received a check for $49.49 for his suggestion concerning building adaptors for the Hunger spring checker. Other suggestion awards were as follows: Virginia Brumley, Sales- $19. 50; Walter Hubbard, Paint Shop -$19; Charles Weir, Paint Shop; Jerry Patterson, Production Control- $15 each; Norman Treadwell, Cleaning-$14. 50; Paul Myers, Engineering - $13; Robert Bultman, Polishing-$12. 32; Ed Makielski, Production Control- $12. 50; and Anna Thorsch, Camera Assembly- $12. A $10 award went to Emil Johnson, Maintenance. George Jordon, Optical Assembly; Elton Guenther, Pol is hing; Joann Salyer, Paint Shop and Chuck Weir, Receiving received additional awards of $25 savings bonds for their bonus week suggestions. (See pictures in column 3.)

Burmese Lecturer Visits Argus

Daw M y a Sein, lecturer in history at Rangoon University in Burma, was ArgusT guest for a plant tour last month. A participant in the Foreign

er Program of the International Educational Exchange Service of the Department of State, Daw Mya Sein began her ten-month series of lectures on Burmese culture at American universities with a visit to the University of Michigan. She began her six-week lecture course at the University on February 21. The Burmese educator will give similar lectures at other universities throughout the country.

Argus Scholarship Winner Receives Freshman Award

Beverly Gray (daughter of Wilmot, Sales) recently received an Oreon E. Scott Freshman Prize at the University of Michigan. The Oreon E. Scott awards were made to those freshman students whose academie performance

ing their first semester on campus places them in the top 10% of their class. Beverly was one of the four students who received Argus scholarships last spring. The only girl in the Engineering School to win the award, Beverly was presented with a book bearing the University of Michigan official seal and an appropriate bookplate.

Women Golf League To Begin Play Soon

All Argus wives and women employees will be interested to know thatthe Women's Golf League schedule will be: Two practice rounds: May 2 May 9 League Play- May 16 through August 22 (excluding vacation in July) Field Day- August 29 Information and application blanks will be in the MenTs League golf boxes or may be obtained from Helen (Mrs. Carlos) Chapman, NO3-4434, or Margaret Hardy, Purchasing.

Scholarship Winner

Thomas Piatkowski, son of Stephan Piatkowski, a former Argus employee, and nephew of Zygfryd Piatkowski, Production Control, was a winner of the coveted four-year Ford Foundation Scholarship. Torn competed against 620 students who were children of Ford Motor Company employees in 21 states. Seventy-two scholarships were awarded and Torn was the only winner f rom Ann Arbor.

Argus Teen Group Meets, Plans First Dance

The family atmosphere which is so much a part of Argus is expanding now to include teen-agers from Argus families. (Above) The teen-agers meet for the first time with Argus representatives to form their initial plans. (Below) By attending the meeting parents, too, showed their interest.

age sons and daughters of Argus employees met on March 19 in the Argus Cafetería to make plans for the organizing of a teen club. This group plans to hold a series of dances and parties for sons and daughters of Argus employees who are between the ages of 12 and 18 and their guests. Dick Leggett, Production Planning; Art Parker, Jr. , Suggestion Plan Office; and Amos Kline, Tool Room were on hand to supervise the first meeting. Dick is serving as chairman. Amos was instrumental in forming the group. The teen-agers plan to hold their first dance in the Argus Cafeteria on Friday, April 13. Each member will be permitted to bring three guests. Music will be supplied by a three-piece band and by recordings. The Recreation Club has offer ed to lend a hand in the financing of this first dance. The teen group will meet again some time after the dance to elect officers and to set up more specific plans for its organization.

New Products Take Spotlight Of Mpdfa Show

The Argus display was once again the high spot at the Master Photo Finishers and Dealers1 Association convention. Trade exhibits filled the ballroom of the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago last month. Thousands of photo dealers and manufacturers' representatives viewed the Argus exhibit, whose modern theme appropriately displayed new products as part of our 25th anniversary celebration. These new products were the C-44 camera, the two new 300 projectors, and the L-44 light meter. Many Argus people, representing several departments, were on hand during the show to enjoy Argus' success. Discussing the new Argus C-44, which was introduced at the convention, Argus President Robert E. Lewis said, "The C-44 is produced by craftsmen in our plant at Ann Arbor. Our facilities there are now complete- from lens grinding by newly-perfected techniques to ultramodern die making machinery. There you have the reason why such a camera can still be made in America for under $100."

Argus Stock Enters New York Exchange

Congratulations! On Your Argus Anniversary

Birthday

Carolyn Fritz' (Tabulating) daughter Debra Marie was born February 7. She weighed 7 lbs. , 9 oz.

Don Adams, Machine Shop, has a son Garry Douglas, born February 27. He weighed in at 6 lbs. , 12 oz. Grandfather Ted Adams also works in the Machine Shop.

A daughter, Janice Marie, was born March 9 to Marilyn Jaeger, Accounts Receivable. She weighed 7 lbs.

Dave Blattenberger, Standards, has a daughter B o b - bette Lynn, born March 24 weighing 7 lbs., 11 oz . Grandf ather Ed Blattenberger, Engineering, tookthe picture at left when Bobbette was 2-12 hours old.

Farewell Party

Lawson Hobbs Retires

A farewell party was held in the canteen in Plant II last month for Lawson Hobbs, Maintenance, nights. Co-workers presented him with an ice chest and a jacket. Lawson retired to his home in Campbell, Missouri where he plans to do some hunting, fishing, and gardening.

Thank You

Margaret (Lens Cleaning) and Howard (Machine Shop) Crumley wish to thank the many fellow employees from Plants I and II for the lovely "house warming" parties which were given to them when they moved into their new home.

When You "spring Up" Your Car

When you have your car serviced for Spring, spend your money wisely. Here are a few authoritative suggestions on how to do so. Spring is a busy season- cleaning, painting, planting and all the other chores that come af ter the last tháw. Far f rom the important of Spring duties is a trip to the local service station, with a blanket request, "Fix Ter up for Spring, please! "Fix fer up for Spring. ..." What a multitude of services that can cover! Anything f rom

a lube job to a new set of tires or maybe seat covers, if you' re in a spending mood. But there are certain jobs which are "musts" on any car, new or oíd. They're essential to the continued economical and dependable operation of your car. To guide you in spending your money to best advantage, Purolator Products, Inc., leading manufacturer of oil filters, offers suggestions on the most important Spring services. These are: 1. Lubricate the chassis. This is normally done every 1,000 miles, of course. But af ter a winter of go cold weather driving, a chassis lubrication is especially important, regardless of mileage. 2. Change the oil. Modern motor oils, which are designed to clean the engine as well as to lubricate, should be changed regular ly. 3. Change the oil filter. No Spring servicing is complete without it. The oil filter may very likely be filled to capacity with accumulated dirt and sludge which, if allowed to pass through the engine, can cause serious damage. 4. Change the grease in the rear and in the trans mission. This is checked as a regular part of a chassis lubrication, but if it has not been changed within the recommended period, now?s the time to do it. 5. Service the cooling system. This includes draining the antifreeze, flushing the cooling system, filling the system with water and adding rust inhibitor. The hos es and connections should be checked, too. 6. Check the car f rom bumper to bumper. Tires, battery, spark plugs and the other components should be checked as part of the Spring service. Ask your serviceman to look over the car carefully; he'll be glad to give you a report on whatever repairs or replacements are necessary. Purolator summarizes its list by pointing out that a dollar well spent in preventative maintenance will be returned with interest in the form of troublefree performance from your car. These pioneers in the oil-filter industry sponsor National Filter Check Time each April, a campaign designed to remind motorists of the importance of changing the oil filter regularly. This adds emphasis to the meaning of seasonal service, since a fresh oil-filter refill is the basis from which you can start your car's Spring cleaning.

Vacationers

The caravan that headed Florida way in the last couple of months included several Argus people: Marshall Quinn, Accounting, and Cari Heselschwerdt, Quality Control, vacationed at Miami Beach. Donna Bisbee, Purchasing, acquired her tan in Winter Haven, Fort Meyers, and Naples. Ev Weindorf, Switchboard, and her husband enjoyed their stay at Miami Beach. Margaret Hardy, Purchasing, was another Miami visitor.

Mardi Gras!

Rachel Rodríguez, Accounting, and Dolores Helzerman, Purchasing, thoroughly enjoyed their trip to New Orleans for the last three days of the fabulous Mardi Gras celebration, February 11-14. The girls were fortúnate in obtaining tickets to one of the most famous balls- the "King RexM ball, to which one can go by invitation only. The festivities calming down in New Orleans, the girls drove along the gulf coast to Clearwater, Florida, where they spenc the remainder of their vacation sunning, fishing, and taking in the dog races and Jai Alai games bef ore returning home. Dolores proved herself a fisherman of some standing by landing a 17-14 pound 29-inch Red Grouperno small feat! See for yourself in the picture below.

Go West Young Man!

Emma Exelby, Paint Shop, spent three weeks in sunny California during the month of February. Emma traveled through thirteen states and covered some 6,000 miles. Points of interest on her trip included the Carlsbad Caverns, Rose Bowl, Farmer's Market, Grand Canyon, and Reno. The report is that her luck in Reno was fair!

Sports Review

In regard to the statement in last monthTs Argus Eyes about the playoffs between the Men's Leagues and Women's Leagues, there was quite a lot of interest shown. The playoffs will be as soon as the positions are established, and will be between the first five places on the MenTs Day Shift League and the first place team on the Night Shift League against the six teams in the Argus Women's League. The time will be Sunday afternoon and the place will be Hurón Lañes. Argus Mixed Doubles Tournament: The Argus Mixed Doubles tournament was won by Liz Clapham and Harold Bruetsch with a total of 1255 pins. They walked off with top prize and the trophies. Trailing them by 39 pins in second place were Hazel Kerr and Charles Renner; and Inez Flint and George Johnson, tied with 1216 pins. High single game honors (actual) went to Liz Clapham with 210 and Joe Jaroszyk with 231. High three game honors (actual) went to Sarah Bandrofchak with 572 and John Kendrovics with 575. Congratulations to all! MEN'S BOWLING LEAGUE (Day Shift) This time next month the 1955-56 Bowling Season will have been completed and the winners established. The first and second place teams will be bowling in the Hurón Lañes House Tournament and we certainly wish them luck. The first three places remain the same- Argus Q.C., Thirsty Five, and Tool Room. But these standings can change before the end of the season. This past month has been a month of high scores. Les Schwanbeck beat his previous high three game series of 600 with scores of 180, 193, 244- 617. Close on his heels was Don Zemke with scores of 199, 199, 213-611. Jim Fraser rolled the highest single game of the season (actual) with a roaring 247. During this past month there was only one bowler who qualified for the Honor Roll. This bowler was Dick Leggett with a single game of 234 . Congratulations , Dick ! There were three bowlers who raised their previous Honor Roll scores; they were Jan Gala with 233, Jim Fraser with 247, and Les Schwanbeck with 244. Standiners so f ar this season:

Highest single team game (actual)- Thirsty Five- 961. WOMEN'S BOWLING LEAGUE

High team single game (actual)- Ten Pins- 747. Strugglin' Five-738. NIGHT SHIFT BOWLING LEAGUE

Softball As soon as the weather permits, spring practice will start. Manager Joe O'Donnell urges all those who would like to play softball to turn out for spring training. If anyone knows of a pitcher who would like to pitch for Argus, contact Joe. Let's give the Softball Team all the support we can this year! Golf A meeting was held recently and the following officers were elected for the league: President, Les Schwanbeck; Secretary, Ray Clark. The starting date was set for the first of May, depending on the weather. Playing times will be 3:30 and 5:00. Days of play will be Tuesday and Wednesday at Huron Hills. Argus is noted for its fine sports participation. LetTs live up to this and have a big turnout for golf this year. NOTE: DonTt forget the Argus Recreation Club Dance, April 21, at the American Legión.

ARGUS BOWLING HONOR ROLL Men Jim Fraser-247 Nick Bandrofchak- 245 Les Schwanbeck- 244 Torn Knight-241 John Sartori-235 Amos Kline-235 Dick Leggett- 234 Jan 233 Chuck McClune-227 Eugene Kline-226 Jess Cope- 223 Ernie Billau-223 Max Putman- 221 John Braykovich-220 Women Rosetta Smith-213 Inez Flint-211 Mary Briggs- 200

Argus Eyes

Published monthly for the employees of Argus Cameras, Inc. and their families. Editor - Millie Haynie REPORTERS: Machine Shop - DOROTHY LIXEY, Camera Assembly - RUTH O' HARE, Purchasing - DOLORES HELZERMAN, Lens Processing - BETTY SHATTUCK, Maintenance - EMIL JOHNSON, Optical Assembly-Inspection, JEAN FITZGERALD, Engineering - JIM MELDRUM, Standards - VIRGINIA BIRNEY, Production Planning - PATT DUCHARME, Tool Room - BILL FIKE, Shipping - HILDA WHITE, Accounting - BEULAH NEWMAN, Service - TOM KENTES, Suggestion Office - ART PARKER, Jr., Govt. Opt. Assembly - THRESSEL CONLEY, Sales - IRMA VARNER, State Street Warehouse - BOB MILLER, Paint Shop - RON ARNST, Night Shift - GEORGE NAVARRE and LEO WIEDERHOFT. Feature writers: Robert Lewis, Andy Argus, Don Crump Photoprinting: Jan Gala

Argus Cameras, Inc.

ANN ARBOR. MICHIGAN Return Postage Guaranteed Wilmot Gray 306 Maple Ridge Ann Arborf Mich,

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No 'limit' On The Stream Of Production

No matter how hungrily the trout are rising to a skillfully presented fly, there is a strict limit to the number of fish you can keep. Fortunately, our American economy does not have any fixed limits, like a trout stream. One of the worst of many mistaken ideas the socialists spread is the theory that the only way any group can have more is to take it f rom some other group. But if you believe that, you have to believe that there is only a limited number of things to be done in this country-a limited amount of goods and income to be produced, and only a limited number of jobs that can be created.

If this were true, real wages of factory workers could not have increased by three and one-half times f rom those of 1900. Not even if owners gave up all of their share. Actually, the average percentage shares of workers and owners has stayed about the same. If machines limited jobs, we wouldn't have over 62 million jobs, because machines now do 95 per cent of the work. The f act is, the re is no visible limit to our ability to have more of everything, so long as we aim at producing more, not dividing less- and continue to invest in new ideas, new processes, and new machines, in an expanding economy.