Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-24

s-STT\~ throughout the coun
Fky try are becomin.
G-Sl more and more an
gonistic to their employers. 1t has also
zen observed that these strikes seem tt
IN in periods. One great strike is gener.
ally followed by another, and so close Il
le union now between all classes of work
en- that strike in any one State is eagerly
atched and supported by the labor leader:
lroughout the country.
These conflicts cost great sums of money,
Id often result, as in Homestead, In serious
lss of life. Many solutions have been Of
red for the settlement of such disputes.
rbitration has been often suggested. But
to the present time there is no authority
lch enough to create boards of arbitration
lich would be recognized. 1t is possible
lat the matter will be taken up at Wash
lgton with the view of establishing Gov
rnment commission for the settlement o.
abor disputes. 1t would be an experiment
-orth trying. Would it not be better if
lch disputes could be avoided altogether
A Corporation That Has No Strikes.
There Is a most valuable lesson to be
aarued in the study of the affairs of the
'ullman palace car corporation. Its man.
cement never has anv serious trouble with
; employees. There are few corporations
d the world which employ so many men.
here is no corporation in the world which
las had less trouble than has this company
With the people employed by it This is
.ot the result of mere chance, but the out
one of q system. 1t is, therefore, a sys-
em worth studving, in view of the many
.ossible disputes between labor and capital
7hich NAV follow the contest at Home
tead
The Pullman Company employs in its
orks al Pullman, Ill, on an average dur
g the whole wear over 1000 men. In ad-
tion to this brigade of workmen the
Gllmau Company employees upon the
ious railroads throughout the cauntry
IN its administration Offices 6, 900 more
Ole 1t has in all 10000 employees
King the average of the families of these
aeonle to be three this would make some
5000 people who are dependent upon the
Pullman system for subsistence. 1t is with
he 5000 workmen of Pullman that the
most satisfactory results in the way of regu-
sting labor have been attained. In the
other branches of the service there is not
yne same possibility for strikes and for
labor disputes.
An Army of Skilled Workers.
In the shops at Pullman there is employed
4 great variety of workmen. Besides max
ing its own palace cars, the company manu-
.actures all kinds of railroad cars and has
one Of the largest shops for manufacturing
street cars in the country. Something of
he magnitude of the work is shown, first
in the number of men employed, and. sec
0nd, in the enormous output of the shops
In the freight car department one entire
train of cars, 40 in number, is manufactured
every dav. Two palace cars a week, which
involve the most skilled forms of woodwork
carving, painting and decoration, are made,
while the vast iron works are constantly
going to fiji the orders of the great railroad
corporations OF the country which patronize
his company. 1t has had no strike of any
Importance since the great general strike in
CHicaZo following the establishment of the
y orks at Pullman in $780,
In the town of Pullman and in the works
there are between 5000, 900 and $4,000, 600
invested. The capital of the Pullman CON-
psnv is now $50, OO0, O60. 1t has a reserve
Of 20 odd millions. 1t is one of the few cor
rOrations OF the country that has no great
bonded Indebtedness Its stock is quoted
above 100, and is chiefly held by in
vestors and is not considered a speculative
stock.
The Stock Is in Small Holdings.
Neither is this stock the property
Of few rich people. 1t is held by
many small holders whose principal income
is dependent upon the dividends of this
stock The stock pays II per cent upon its
,-o1r,a II hos haan rnrnhacad hv
tees of estates, so that very large holdings
of the stock represent ownerships of widows
and orphans The stock has never been un-
duly watered and has always represented a
good investment to its holders. This from
the standpoint of a capitalist. The laborers
at Pullman are paid the best current wages
The average paw of the workmen in the
works is 5000 wear. The paw ranges from
81 IS day for unskilled laborers to 81 and
IS day for the work of specialists, such as
decorators, carvers and the like. The pros
l,eritv of the workmen is also shown in the
act that in the local savings bank there are
Z eposits now reaching nearly s., 600, 900.
/ wish also to call attention to thes fact
that there is no assumption anywhere in
the management of this company that it is
plaving the role Of philanthropist toward
its emploves The whole system is busi-
ness one 1t was established by George NJ.
Pullman, the President of the company.
Mr. Pullman has proceeded upon the theory
that contented well-cared for workmen will
do better work than discontented: uncared
for men. Everything that he has done for
his men has been projected upon basis Of
sound commercial principles.
Sound Principles From the Start.
When he planned the town of Pullman
he had it laid out in accordance with scien-
tific and sanitary principles. In the first
place, he began with a bit of virgin prairie
and established before he put up a single
building a magnificent and uniform system
OF sewerage. Then followed the roads.
Then came the shops and houses They
were all builtupOn a uniform system OF
architecture. The architect, Mr.. Beman,
il one of the best architects in the West
His good taste and practical abilities as a
designer nave given to the town thor
oughly harmonious appearance.
These houses are the best that workmen
have ever had They were built under
favorable conditions and so can be rented to
he workmen at cheaper rent than they
would be required to pay In the alleys or
tenement houses OF the poorer quarters of
Chicago. And yet the rent pays the cap
i.alist in the form of the company q per
cent return upon his investment, and so
both interests are well served. The work
man has a model house-clesn, we'll built,
we'll ventilated and with great foods OF
water furnished bv az admirable water sys-