In the case of concreting, the minutes lost in the handling of a batch of material from the stock pile to its final position as concrete, often amount to a great deal. Suppose on a small job a half─yard mixer is being used, and it averages for 8 hours 30 batches per hour, or 120 yards per day. If it is possible to reduce the time of each batch 15 seconds, the output of the plant will be increased over 14 per cent; or, figured on a basis of 120 yards, there will be an increase of 17 yards, which──at, say, $5.00 per yard──would mean a handsome increase in the daily profits. And still, 15 seconds seems to be almost too trivial a matter for which to spend time and perhaps a little extra money in the way of time─keeping. Starting with the unmixed material in the stock pile, notice how long it takes the men to load their wheelbarrows with sand and stone; then the time that the material remains in the wheelbarrow, both at the beginning and stopping end of the trip to the mixer; and also the time in transit. If the material is dumped into measuring boxes, note the time that it remains in the boxes. If it is dumped directly from the wheelbarrows into the mixer, it is necessary to take the time of mixing from when the first wheelbarrow was dumped until the batch is dumped. The mixer may be said to be the governor of the whole operation; for the men handling unmixed material can handle it no faster than the mixer takes it, and the men handling the mixed concrete can get it no faster than the mixer furnishes it to them. For this reason the observation of the operation of the mixer should be made with special care. It is not our intention to tell how, or to give advice concerning the mixing of concrete; but it is desired to show how, if any time is to be saved, it will be through the saving of seconds in each operation. If the mixed concrete is to be dumped as a batch into the hopper or hoist, the question of time saving is much simpler than if portions of the batch have to be dumped into wheelbarrows. If, however, it is necessary to dump into wheelbarrows, a basis for the time necessary to empty the mixer can be found only by careful timing and noting the action of the men during the timing. The time between the filling and the emptying of the wheelbarrow of concrete, will of course vary greatly according to the haul; but here again, careful timing and observation will soon establish a basis from which the most economical manner of distributing the concrete can be made; and exactly the same thing is true of the return of the empty barrels.