[Cz-L] The cemetery. What else?

Bravo, Czernowitzers! 
 
The current messages indicate a new awakening of interest and enthusiasm by=
 a greater number for clearing the cemetery.  Perhaps we’ll be =
able to raise more funds for the job within our list than I had pessimistica=
lly projected.
 
Mimi has her engine running, Hardy, as always, brings reason and reality an=
d must be encouraged to stay involved permanently.  Names unfamilliar t=
o me are speaking up.  It's all very positive.
 
A few observations:  The picture of the “jungle” is wo=
rse than I had expected but, at the same time, it indicates that some indivi=
duals or some organization must have been looking after the cemetery up unti=
l recent years.  None of the trees look more than 10-20 years old �=
�� at least not in the picture that I saw.  Considering that most o=
f us were out of the picture since the mid 1940s, some sixty years ago, if n=
o one had been caring for the cemetery during this period there would be hug=
e oaks and maples crowding out the gravestones.
 
It might be useful to find out who it was that had cared for the cemetery a=
nd, if they still exist, to get them involved as well.
 
It is good to hear that the tools will be provided by the organization that=
 is in charge of cemeteries of all denominations.  It would make sense =
to work with them since they would have experience and expertise that we sti=
ll need to acquire. 
 
Regarding costs, it should be remembered that the present average monthly w=
age in the Ukraine; the average including blue collar workers and top execut=
ives, is less than $200 U.S. per month. Recently, because of rough time=
s, all top civil servants and politicians have had their wages cut in h=
alf.   Manual labor would most likely be in the $100 per month ran=
ge or less. 
 
The trial clearing arranged by Dr. Bursuk will give us an idea of how long =
it will take to clear a hectare with 4-5 men whose cost would be in the rang=
e of $400-$500 per month.  We know more or less how many hectares we ha=
ve so it will be easy to project a total cost.
 
Regarding supervision, I am reminded of a lesson passed on to me by Sol Fir=
estone who was a fellow student at Lorne Greene’s Academy of Radio A=
rts in Toronto 1947-48.   When we graduated from the Academy many =
of us were shocked to learn that radio work in Canada paid worse than the wa=
ges of street cleaners and  many, including Firestone, sought other car=
eers. 
 
Firestone had been in the RCAF during the war and teamed up with another ve=
teran of the air force to become builders of small homes.  They learned=
 as they went along and, as he explained, psychology was an important aspect=
 when dealing with people who worked with their hands.  No matter how s=
killed they were, they often needed help with simple decisions. Sol fou=
nd that if they left a wood worker on his own to put in windows, he would ge=
t 25% less done than if they would come around every hour or two.  When=
 the man would finish a window, he might look around to decide which wall to=
 move to next. This would find him scratching his head and perhaps rolling a=
 cigarette.
 
Conversely if they told him to do a specific window and then came around ab=
out the time they figured he would have it done and say to him, “Gre=
at, you did a fine job, now move over to that one on the west wall,”=
 the man was relieved of making a decision, moved to the west wall and becam=
e far more productive. 
 
To get productivity in manual labor it is important to have constant superv=
ision, not once every two weeks or even once a day but every hour or two.�=
� One can do this by picking the brightest of the bunch and giving him a c=
ouple of dollars more for being the crew boss.  Perhaps even a producti=
vity incentive.
 
Let’s keep up the interest and enthusiasm for the cemetery clearanc=
e and let’s hear from our best financial brains for an effort to ide=
ntify all the potential outside funding sources to approach once we have a f=
ix on what it will actually cost.
 
All the best,
Andy
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Received on 2009-05-10 16:47:29