i . Came to Lawrenee in December of 1°35

Prior to coming to Lawrence we had been printing circulars once a
month and after finishing the job in November in Liberal, Kansas
we had just a month to tear down our press, move it to Lawrence
and have it in operation in time to get out the Dee mber run of
a million eireulars, With both ends of the building open to
the zero weather exeept for canvass to keep out the cold the
Christmas run was finished and printed on sehedule even though all
men had to wear overcoats waile working.

About a year after operating in Law ence the firm secured a
contract to orint a million e2talogs which would requige a large
quarter page folder to be instailed on the press. The manufacturers
of the press could not furnish the folder for 2t least six weeks
and the firm had exactly 12 days until the press was to start
producing so Diek figured out a way to build a folder and with
the nelp of a local machine shop this folder was built and
attached to the press. It worked and tne job was completed on time, .
The engineering and building of this folder is still @ wonder to
the press manufacturers themselves. It required steady work,
day an night without any sleep, Diek worked the last two days
and nights and until 3 o'eloek of the third morning without andy
sleep. What thag accomplished led igi to future work far in excess of
anytning they nad even dreamed existed. A FAILURE ON THAT CONTRACT :
WOULD HAVE PROVED DISASTEROUS TO THE FIRM. THE SUCCESS 8) THE ™
ENTURE LED TO PRINTING OF MORE THAN 200 sition CATALOGS. =
M
| Many handicaos have been confronted in converting fpom printing to
war work, Starting in a small way ech contraet was fulfalled on
or ahead of sehedule, New equipemnt could not be purchased so they were
forced to buy used equipment and rebuild this equipment while the
employees who were not mechanically minded availed themselves of the
op ortunity to go to 2 machinest's school af er work. Following the
schooling 211 the used machinery that had been purchased was rebuilt
by tuem end put in good running order, There never has been 4
machinest by trade in the employ of the KansasColor Press, Hverytaing
ws done without outside help.

First contract was small but tae delivery on time which led to tne
second, third and fourth contracts. Hach new contract presented a
new problem yet at no time were the Prime contractors ever waiting on the pa
parts taat were being machined by the Lawrence war plant.
Soon after Sontraet was started we were notified thet.all
castings being michined by us hed to be acid kastudtrested. Getting
in touch immediately with manufacturers of rubber tanks we learned
that none of them could supoly any tank sooner tuan 5 to 6 weeks.
The Prime contractor tried frantically to get three of the

argest manufacturing coneerns to deliver 2 rubber insulated tank
in less than 6 weeks but. none could be secured, This meant tying
ud production for the same period so we bought the rubber, all
the necessary materials snd after six lmmg days and part of the
nights we had the tanks built, the exstings being acid trezted

ond our production schedule , on VD Pvol

£,