, 1874-12-13
INDUSTRIAL Partnerships,

| ~ T~s~~S*
| ended tho auit.
INDUSTRIAL Partnerships.
To The Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
| 1t is good time, between Thanksgiving and
Christmas, to lay plans for the coming year. It
| is good time. this year, when reports Of tho
closing of factories, the discharge OF working
men. and the increase OF crime burden the mails
and wires, for employers to bcthink themselves
| whether they cannot do something which shall
make the lot OF their employees, hard at the best,
little lighter and pleasanter. Cannot they give
their men Christmas gift which shall bless the
receivers aud the give1s alike? We are not
pleading for charity. That too often par
alyzes the hand that receives it. It
is the prolific parent Of pzuperism. We
have in mind 3 nooler and better
thing than this We would hive employers form
industrial partnership ps with their men. The
phrase may give the wrong idea. The manufac-
tnrer might ask: ''Am to let Tom the team
ster and Peter the porter help manage my buai-
ness ?" An industrial partnership does not in
volve this at all Its main plan, susceptible Of
modification to meet the recullarsties Of any form
OF business, il this: The employer averages his
profits for d term Of years. He turns his busi-
ness into joint-stock company, and aliots about
one-tlird Of the STOCK at par, to bis employed
Their shares eau be paid for III certain fired in
sta!luents. The employer then fixes q rate Of
prott somewhat above the average rate already
found and announces that the surplua Of the net
profits, over aud above the amount needed TO
pay this fixed dividend On ali the stock. shall be
divided into two equal parts one OF which shall
go to him and tho other shall be divided among
all tho ~orkingmen, whether rha,eholders or
not, in proportion to the amount Of wages each
has earned during tho year.
This plan, which has been in successful
operation 10 England slnce 1865. has these adj
vaptages: The employers absolute control Of
tho management ia In no way interfered with,
for he still holds tsgo-thirds OF the stock. He
runs no risk whatever. For tho stock he has |
equals, At par, the whole value Of bis investment
at the time when the e1tra shares were issued, and
he must get on them a better return titan he has |
hitherto had before the non-8ilarehoflafs get !
auythlng. Thus, if his Investment has been
yielding him MI average OF S6,0J0 on 100000
or per cent, and he hxes the new rate at 10 per
cent. and keeps two-thirds OF the S150, ,0G0 stock
issued, he cleats $4,000 before the working
men: as such, get anything; In other words,
which labor, working under such system. will
secure to capital. Thus the plainest se1f-in:er-
est dictates the adoption Of this plan by the en-
ployer. As for the men, they get profitable in
their labor. Their condition is amazingly bet
tered. Thus the rule OF well-doing works both
ways.
1: may not be apparent. at first, how these ex-
tra profits. which give capital more than its
PREVIOUS profit on more than its previous amount
ind then pay bonus to labor besides, are to be
realized. The explanation il simple. The ar
makes the prosperity Of I'll directly
nvolve that Of each. Hence each strives for
IL because ne knows that in SO doing he is |
making money for himself. Strikes do not oo-
Tut. Mooted points are settled By mutual con-
:ession or by arbitration. There is no waste OF
material or time- The men will not allow it. !
Thew supe1insend each other and they demand
"oils tho income Of every one OF them In
act, this plan effects the Hished-for end of !
nakine the interests Of capital and labor iden- ),
lcal. In sketcnlng its advantages, ne have
sS5, the Briggs Brothers, 3 firm owning two or r
hree large collieries in Yorkshire Eng, we're at t
aggers drawn with their men. The latter had I
saying, "Al coal-owners is !;
npt ng$a We Prince Of ndc
rmed terrorism- There Was misery, dissipation. Q
nd hate among the men, and the g
lasters did not make over 8 per cent on b
's1r Ihsy s}s adopted tue
zetched followed Trouble ceased The best lt
,eng prevailed. In the first year, they cleared y
per cent on the whole capital, and divided a q
lrpus Of I'll, 900 among themselves aud their ;"
len. In the third year. the bonus to labor was !. +
nee. on this system. Other large English firms a. ~
ave adopted Substantially the same plan. Among II
lem is that OF ". II. Smith !; Co.. who have Il Il
:actica monopoly Of the business OF book and Il q
,per~sclling at the railway stations and tho ~
aims throughout England.
VIII not American employers thing OF this "
ing? They eau benefit themselves and their "
3rkmen if they will but try it. It the men ~
lo are reducing production in tho iron, and ~ y.
,tton, and wool Industries would but form i'll ~
,strial partnerships with their men. they could ~
obably run on full time through the winter, "a "
ep all their workmen and workWomen busy, VI VI
d undersell all their competitors in the mar M au
t. It is not likely, indeed. that the employees 81, 81
any firm would lake up the stock offered N "i
EN- rs soon as they had the chance. They ~ ~
ght have eaved no money hitherto, and they al an
uld distrust Dandos e. dona fsrentes. But ea ea
is feoling would soon disappear. Their 10 10
wnes5 70 take shares would not hinder ~ ~
, SUCCESS Of the experiment.; however. The o. o.
,mised bonus on labor would ettl spur them ~
to honest work. 1t is important to remember ~ ~
1t there is oil tho difference in the world bo- ~ o.
sen a drudge, who gets fixed sum Of money w.. w.
fixed number Of hours speut in work, Ap; TX
other that work ia good or bad. and a man ~
0 knows that every bit OF skill and ingenuity. H. ~
thoEoughness he can put into bis work will na1 M
represented n the dividend that awaits him e. :1
he end Of the year. In this simple fact, ~ ~
ch only needs to 10 mentioned 10 be xc- !as' a'
tod lies the great reason for the sure succeas ~
I'D industrial partnership. a.. ~
Gpe Rero TeI