Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-04-25
AWARDS FOR WORkNEN
RECOGNIZING TIE MERITS OF PAINS
TAKING AND INGENIOUS EMPLOYEES.

'FNNfNo GNifS lNNIiNlCOO INlE ~ 49,
The System Established In a number of
English Works-Gratifying Experience
OF = Ship Building Firm The Plan in
Vigorous Operation.
By his observation and every day expert
ence i'll the workshop. an intelligent work
man will be constantly discovering better
ways of doing the ordinary work about his
bench or lathe than he was tauL ht to do. or
his fellow workmen continue IN 40 n. 1t
may not reach the dignity Of a pItentahle
| improvem- mt that lie has conceived. but II
is a wrinkle which increases thu workman. :
value to his employer AMI at the tine time
enlers his labOr les, irkSomr to himself
II is not the most ori anal inventions that
always pay the best. but 1t Is the little
things the aggregation Of useful iIeas, like
those suggested 10y the different workmen
that increases the capacity Of a machine
shop, and gives il a reputation for good
work And it is but right thrt the work
man who suggests these improvements
which are bene Icial to the mauula turrr
| hOuld be rewarded by his employer and i.
It was made the pra, tice in large establish
most painstaking AMI ingenious w,rkmen.
we believe the employer would derive much
greater benefit than the MONEY outlay, re
sides, he wouli have tha gratIti.auon every
one feeI5 in according a helping hand to n
worthy per on
\ REGULAR SYSTEM OF AWNRDS
To encourage their workmen to Ire con
stantly on the watch for any p,S,ible i'm
proyementS, a guIar system of awards has
been esta lshed in number OF EuglI-h
works, an /, after i've ' ar trial has Ju,t
met with Il success that has more than JulstI
fed its adoption The ship building firm of
Denny n Brothers, at Dumbartou. inaugu
rated such a system in the summer Of $50;
and in recording their very gratifying eN-
perience, We do 50 in the hope that Am,ri
| can firms will be more generally prompted
TO undertake a similar enterprise
The committee Of ndepeHd Mt judges who
decide upon the awards have NV iss ned
their sixth annual repo. I, and placed 1t in
circulation among the workm n. to stImu.
late them to renewed effort Originally the
awards varied from so 10 80, according to
the worth of the improvements for which
tie claims We're lodged with the committee
After years trial, the Mes-rS / eHuy au-
thorized the committee To iucreIse the
award where they saw 1T, or, il the WORK
III II preferred, oil, red, in alutiOu to tine
award OF so to take out a provisional pat
ent at their own exI elise, III which ,a~e the
firm reserved the rlgLt to use the improve
ment at its own works, but lett the further
disposition Of the pa, mt with the inventor
In 1873, the minimum and maximum
awards were Increase / to 80 and o re
specify ely. Still a lite later, It was init
mated that premium OF SluO would be
pai / to ca h workman when be had received
as many as five awards Wien he had re
ceivei ten. this would b. increased TO Sl2p
and 20 ON, ~ extra being added to the or
iginal pI IemIum with each i've awards The
report for the year l~~D to IN~4 inclusive
shows that abOut S'tsu was dIsburs II in
this manner, 81, 40 being paid out during
the latter year OF this sum, ; 600 went
in payment o. the regular awards and
800 as four premiums
THE SCHEME N VIGOROUS OPERATION.
Up to this time. four inventions had
gained the maximum award One Of these
an improved method OF laying the Decau
vile railway across the main line. gain ii
sn additional rewarI Of 80 from the
'p,tentee of the railway Dne-halt of the
rewards given were galnel uy workmen in
the joiners' and carpenters department
An arrangement was a - made with an
other firm which had adopted a similar
system Of awards, 10y which any improve
ment introduced in either work, could be
utilized in the other by the payment of
duplicate award to the inventor During
the past year, the scheme has been
in vigorous operation, ami in spite
of the large reduction in the number
Of men emp.oyed the total of the awards
has been q eater than lie ore. The mini
mum reward has been reduced a a-ain t. SlU,
So as TO permit a larger number t. tie gi, en-,
hut the maxim I'm award has b en- increased
to s1h The system Of premium, has also
BEN reIrranged on a fairer basis When "A
workman has ed five ava ds his pre-
MUM is made Iual 10 their total value
The 81, however, Is added successlyely as
before
The decisions of the committee have
proved remarkably just, for Of the improve
nents Cepted nelrly every one has turned
out of practical value. They cover a wide
range OF sub Jects, from me hunisms Of gen
eral application to tine detailed arrange
ments on shipbOarl In number OF eStab-
lishments in this country, tn, wurkmen are
financially encouraged to make improve
ments in the machines and Processes IL use,
but in none Of them, We beIeva, has the
scheme been so thoroughly systematiled as
among the English wO! kerS Scientific
American