Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-24
CITY OF FINE WAYS
Model Homes Which Please
the Workingmen
IN PEERLESS PULLMAN, ILL
= Library Provided Where the Work
men Have Opportunity 70 Increase
Their knowledge

The conflict at Homestead between
the Carnegie company and their en-
ployes has been - serious as 10 call at
tention 10 the fact that the labor or
PLANTATIONS throag 10 at the country are
becoming more and more antagonists
- their employers IL has also been
observed thai these strikes seem to run
in periods One great strike Is general
~ followed by another. and so close Is
worhmen that . strike in any one
state - eagerly watched and support
ed by the labor Leaders throughout the
country
These conflicts coat great sums of
0ouey and often result - in Home
stead. In serious loss Of life Many So
lutions have been offered for the settle
msut of such Disputes Arbitration has
been often suggested But up 70 the
present time there II no authority high
enough To create boards Of arbitration
which would be recognized IL il pos
sibio that the matter will be taken up
~ Washington with the view of estab-
fishing government commission for
the settlement of labor disputes IL
would be an experiment worth trying.
Would il not be better IL such disputes
could be avoided altogether?
There Is most valuable lesson to be
learned in the study Of the affairs Of
the Pullman palace car corporation. Its
management never has any serious
trouble with its employees There are
few corporations In the world which
employ 50 many men There is no cor
porAtion In the world which has had
l~ss trouble than has this company with
the people employed by il. This is not
the result of mere chance, but the out
come Of . system. IL Is, therefore,
system worth studying. in view Of the
many possible disputes between labor
and capital which may follow the con-
pany employs In its works at Pullman,
III. on an average during the whole
year over q. 900 men. In addition to this
brigade of workmen the Pullman com
pany employs with its cars upon the
various railroads throughout the coun-
try and In its administration Offices
1000 more people. II has in all $4,000
employees Taking the average of the
families Of these people to be three,
this would make some 80. 900 people who
arc dependent upon the Pullman system
for subsistence.
IL " with the 9, 900 workmen of Pull
man that the most satisfactory results
In the way Of regulating labor have
been attained In the other branches
Of the service there is not the same pos
ability for strikes and for labor dis
putea- In tho shops At Pullman there
II employed . great variety of work.
men, Besides making its own palace
carr. the company manufactures all
kinds Of rAilroad cars, and has one of
the largest shops for manufacturing
street cars in the country. Something
of the magnitude Of the work In shown.
frat in the number Of men employed,
end second. in the enormous output Of
the shops. In the fret ht car department
one entire train of cars, forty in num-
Der. Is manufactured every day. Two
palace cars . week. which involve the
most skilled forms of woodwork, carv-
ing. painting and decoration. are made,
while the vast iron works are constant
ly going TO I'LL the orders Of all the
great railroad corporations Of the
country which pstronize this company.
IL u important To show the extent.
character and the variety of the work
of this company. for the reason that IL
has no disputes with its employees Of .
serious character and has had no strike
of any importance since the great gen.
erAl strike In Chicago following the es-
Enlistment Of the works at Pullman in
1880.
In the town of Pullman and In the
works there are between g. .000. 900 and
y. 600. 900 invested. The capital Of the
Pullman company Is now $50. 000. 600 It
has reserve Of twenty odd millions
IL Is one Of the few corporations Of the
country that has no great bonded i'm
debtednes& Its stock is quoted above
100. and il chiefly held by investors and
h not considered . speculative stock.
Neither II this stock the property of q
few rich people IL Is held by many
small holders whose principal income Is
dependent upon the dividends of this
stock. The stock pays ~ per cent
upon iss par value. IL has been pur-
chased by trustees Of estates. 80 that
very large holdings Of the stock repre-
sent ownerships of widows and or
phans. The stock il never unduly wa
tered and has always represented q good
investment so its holders This from
the standpoint Of . capitalist. The
iabcr~rs at Pullman are paid the best
current wages The average pay of the
eorkmen in the works is esoo a year
The pay ranges from 81 - day for un-
skilied isborers Co ~ and - day for
che work Of specialists. such a. decor
stx,r>. esrvers and the like. The pros
perity of the workmen is also shown in
she fact that I'm the local savings bank
there are deposits now reaching nearly
q. ooo. Geo
wish also to call attention 20 the
enct that there IL no assumption any
where in the management Of this com
rany that II Is playing the role Of =
philanthrcpist toward its employees.
The whole system IL business one. IL
was established BY George NJ Pullman,
the president Of the company. Mr..
Pullman has proceeded upon the theory
ths< erntensed. wei cared for workmen
win do better work than Discontinued,
urcsred for men Everything that he
las done for his men has been proiected
>n - - r