The Helena independent., 1893-05-24
Plan OF pROF|T-sHARlNG
visitor From St. Louis Who Be-
gan the Experiment Eight
Years Ago
II Has Worked Successfully and
Now It Will Be Carried
Farther.
rSvc.,,n& a Bov and Teaching Him =
Trado at the Same Time-Iho Ades
at Leclnire.

N. q. Nelson. Of St. Louis who mas peeh
F.. v;.;tor in Helena for couple of days. has
probably given che proft-sharine system
4 more thorough trial than any one eise III
the country, and 40 result he declares
10 be a success. both Hs regards employe hn"
amnlovsr. Mr.. Nelson is the head or she
firm Of N. o. Nelson Il Co., OF st. Louis
monufa esure,s Of plumbers and steam
6ttinp supplies. The hrm operates nve
factories. three in 81. Louis and two OUT
side OF that city, employing altogethef
about 500 men the year round. Eight years
AGO hs iuaueurated the profit sharing sys-
Asm in his business. The subiees had oeeh
carefully considered and thought ous IN all
It's bearings, SO that when the system was
nut into operation the minutsss oe1"is
had been considered. In many cases wns'e
the system is In vogue tho manager mas
Discretionary power in the minor aesahs OF
The plan; in the system an practlcso oy 'ns
Nelson company. the manager, wnlis nc
has full power in regard to the condue' OF
tho business cannot, without the consen'
of all, make the slightest change IN sne
syssem. The profits arc shared IN
by every employe, from She appfeh-
tics, who receives small stipend
each week to ths employe receiving $3.ooo
mar annum, II not only includes the men
in tho factories, but the salesnen in tho
house and the men on the road. since the
Arst year the dividend paid each year has
averaged eight per cent on the saIarles
earned. That 10. the man In the factory
who has received during the twelve months
$3.50 in wages. gets in addition $50 in dlvi-
dends. while the So. 900 man receives AZ n
dividend $4OO. Finding the system worked
we'll, that every one took personal interest
IN the business, the next move was to re-
duce . days work from ten to nine hours.
vhile the rate per day remained the same.
This has continued for quite while now
and Mr. Nelson said yesterday that he knew
The employees were doing just as much work
now in nine hours as they did under the
old system in ten. "Of course," he said.
lit is not TO be supposed that men never
orit our employ; in such large number
there are svre to be some who believe that
variety 10 the spice OF life. and these leave
our employ Just the same as they would any
other establishments. But the large ma
iority keep right along, and we all have
special interest in the success OF the onsi-
ness"
Finding the profit sharing System worked
20 suocessfullr, Nelson Il Co. determined to
10 a step farther. About three years ago q
traot Of land. of several hundred acres. was
pu, chased about eighteen miles from 81.
Louis. The location selected was a slightly
one, elevated above the SUR oundinR coun-
try, and an ideal place to carry out the
ideas that co ltroled in its purchase. Here
the company established . new factory. anc
laid out a townsite. eome OF those inte' r
estsd desired to call the town Nslsonvllle
after the originator of the project. but he
kod n nj d0alrRd
petuate. and not a name. 80 the place Wat
christsnsd Loo aite. II is now place OF
several hundred people. and all, or nearly
all. dwell under their own vine and fig tree
Each lot contains about third of an acre
the yards being intended for flowers and
trees. The company has 125 acres which
the people of the town can use without
charge on which to grow vegetables fol
their own use if they so desire. There IL a
billiard. reading and lecture room. all free,
save q nominal fee in the blllia:d room,
to keep it going. During the winter
there 10 regular lecture course, among th.
lecturers the past season being Edward Ev.
erett Hale. Water is furnished free. as vel
as electric lights for street purposes. while
incandescent lights for residences cost q
cents month q light. Those who have
homes pay for them on the installmen
plan, at the rate of from SIS to $50 Pc
month. the loans being carried at low
rate Of interest. In addition there Is FREE
erearten and public school.
The plans outlined when Leclaire wa
started have worked SO we'll that ME- Nelson
ts now going step farther and will see If a n
other idea be has will work out successfully
Next year he is going to add to the kinder
RaYten a domestic training school for girl
and manual training school for bows
These will be free, aud the girls will b
taught to sew. to cook, and all the other de
tails of housekeeping. The manual train
hno nj vii n
while In it will be taught the usual thing
in which instruction is given in such an in
stitution, those boys who so desire will b
taught trade completely and practically
and then given position at full wnge
when they have completed their time
MIR. Nelson's plan in ths latter re
gard 10 this: When a school boy a
Leclaire, who desires to learn the trad
taught in tse Nelson factory. reaches tn
age Of IL he will be required to work al
hour day in the factory; this hour vii
gradually be heightened until. from tn
18th to the 18th year the boy will spent
half a day in school and the other half II
the factory. When he is eighteen be viii
have completed common school educa
sion, and also be master of a trade. AM
better still, he will tie given em ploy ment Il
the factory at ful! wages. During the tim
he Is leaning his T. ede he Will be paid pro
portionately with the apprentices who wor
full nine hours.
In explaining his reasons for introduciu
this system, Mr.. Nelson said he had in th
course of his life ran across thousands
men, young and old. who were what /
termed odd -jobbers;' people who had II
regular occupation and vino were willing
do anything they could find. but not expe
In anything. "lhese people," he ait
come from that class, as rule. who 90
school until they arc 19 o:
yeas of age, and are then compele
to work. They are almost too old
start in TO learn trade, and the
must End something that will pay them @
the start So or $S week anyhow. Many
thrm go from small towns to lnrge one
into the employ Of street car companie
work around stables, or take up any of u
thousand and one odd jobs that are to
found il a big CITY And with few exec
tions they continue to be odd jobbera" q
their lives. | want the Lselaire boys to fe
when they reach the age of 13 that they kno
something worth money to them and tn
they know ii we'll. and in addition they W
have good. fair education-sach a o
that amy young man can use for a found
tion to build upon if he SO desires. The
Is no compulsion. or hint of it. at Leclnil
Every one Ia free to do az he peases,
long as he does not interfere with his neip
bors, and no boy will be expected to go in
the factory unless he SO desires. But II
does and stays the allotted time we "
guarantee him work at full wages when t
period expires"
The capstone of his enterprise Mr NJ
son says he will Put on later, when he
all the factories of tho company conso
dated at Leclaire, all under the control