The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-19

pie. they then realized that the factory sur.
roundings aud the surroundings of the homes ot
the employees verc not rs beautiful as they might
he They cleaned up the factory lawn and later
invited Mr. ohmstcad, Of Olmstcad Brothers.
landscape gardnprs, Of Boston. who laid out the
Worlds Fair in Chicago. to come to Dayton
and make suggestions. which he did His sug.
gcstiois were adopted, and our lawns and the
homes OF our employees are like flower gardens
IN the season.
They carried out the simple \. D, Of land.
soapc gathering, which is that they should Keep
open spaces, plant for prizes for the best front
aud back yards window boxes, porch boxes, vine
planting, boys gardens, etc After tile com.
pany became interested in tli, work. and after
the employees had bcru interested. the great
question then was how 10 gain the interest Of
the people in the northumberland this was
ooue By means of these prizcs-,rntil now all oi
tho homes in that part OF Dayton which il
called South flrk, aud which reaches Tor a radius
oi ten blocks all around the factory is one of
lhc prettic,t spots iu the world
Nttcr an this had been done. the next great
step was that Of taking care OF our boys. and
to do that the Patterson Brothers set aside Two
ACRES Of ground south OF the factory and invited
forty boys to come and study vegetable garden.
ius under q competent teacher. The hrst year
IL was hard 10 get the forty boys. AZ the close
Of the first day OF the second wear we had That
Of last year we had the tull quota. 80 many up.
piled for space This year--each hoy having 1OxlG0
foot Mrssr,. Pattctsun have SET aside two more
ACRES Of land for this purpose, so they will
have cghly.tour boys at work there this year.
During two wears which these boys are allowed
to work there they are taught TO enrich and
iil the soil aud raise twenty two kinds Of vcgc-
tables. They mus take to their homes all which
the family may wish TO Use, aud after that they
can sell the product and pocket the money.
They arc paid so in prizes tor the best gardens.
PAY FOR SUGGESTIONS
After many things which have been done
by the company, one day man said to the
president that there were times when he would
IKE to make suggestions, but he supposed that
ii 10 done Il would he Of NO use to him,
and il would never reach the head of thc depart.
mcnt. II was not long until small autographic
registers were placed in every department in the
building, and the people were notified by bulletin
that they werc invited to make suggestions on
Improvements IS to the product the methods
Of the company, and advised that they would
D." paid tor the host one hundred sugges,io ions
which were adopted annually. The company now
pays $3.50 for such suggestions The first year
after making this offer the company received four
thousand suggestions, and during the past four
yolT, they have received average oi tWeuty.Six
hundred
The prize distribution is always 4 gala oCcl.
sion and is held in Paterson grove, just south OF
the factory. Last year there were moro than
10000 people present.
Annually the selling force is invited 10 Dayton
10 spend week, and the meetings are held in
a large tent in this same grove, south Of the
factory. Business is transacted during the day,
aud good time is had at night.
~ proof ot the idCt that we have gained tho
sympathirs OF our people, whenever the president
| and Ncc.prc,dcut return from Europe the people
make the request that they be allowed 10 give
them reccpton and this Is always granted.
Business men want To know what We accom-.
| plsh by this and we can assure them that We do
| not do it from phldnthropc standpoint, but
for the reason that it pays Us. Take. in one OF
our girls departments, comparison between
| the year of lS9i when or girls worked ten
| hours day, and 1897. when they worked eight
| hours day, piece work. and we are shown that
| where thirty girls were employed in this depart
mCnt in 1897 they had thrty.ninc in 1894; and
where those Thirty nine girls had worked Tor ten
! hours 4 day and the thirty girls eight hours a
| dN where tho lesser number Of employees were
working on shorter hUurS-thcy did almost double
| the wort, and each girl received almost double
| the amount "i pay, while the cost to the company
| VI each register, in far that department
| "Ls CoEec'i ed, was cut ij per cent We need no
| further proof at it pays to treat our people in
| tbs way Tho record Of the mems department
| shows that r"r good work has paid, also.