Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-05-10
TOMAKETOWNHAPPY
THAT QUALITY LACKING IN A PENN
SYLVANlA VILLAGE.


Discomfort Among the Citizens.
Expert to study Needs of the Peo-
pie.
How to make workingmen contented
and happy and thereby increase their
usefulness is the problem which the
Westinghouse Airbrake company of
Pittsburg is attempting to work out at
its model town of Wilmerding, IA miles
east of Pittsburg, on the Pennsylvania
railroad. The residents of that town,
where the great works of the company
are located, are dissatisfied. The COM
pany is trying to discover how to make
them happy.
With this end in view, John F. Gavit,
formerly of the Commons, one of the
social settlements in Chicago, has been
employed at Wilmerdng as secretary
of the Y. NJ. c. a. He is to make a
thorough study of the situation and re-
port to the company what is needed for
the social Letterment of the town.
When Wilmerding was first built and
the Westinghouse works moved there
from Pittsburg, it was thought the
Withdrawal of the employees of the
company from the larger city would
result in the general Improvement Of
the class. The town contains popula-
ton of G,000 or 1000. 1t is entirely de-
pendent on the Westinghouse works.
The company owned all the land, built
the houses and sold them to the en-
ployees. Those who rent do so mostly
from the land agent of the Westng-
house company.
Houses are rented under Westing-
house rules. The leases are of the clos
est character and provide for a system
of inspection by the owners, prohibit
the use of any other fuel than gas and
provide for electricity as illuminant.
The Westinghouse Gas company, West
1nghouse Light company, WeSting-
house Water company and several 9TH
err strictly Westinghouse corporations
furnish the necessities and luXuries for
the town. There is no Westinghouse
store.
The first step in the plan is the or
ganiZation of the Westinghouse Social
union, which is now under way. The
Westinghouse Social union will be an
organization composed of residents of
Wilmerding and all the section of coun-
try about the town which is dependent
on the Westinghouse works. 1t will be
the main, or parent, organization, and
from it will grow musical clubs, art
clubs, literary clubs, women's clubs,
whist clubs, athletic clubs and all man
ner Of social organizations, which will
be under the control of the main body.
A handsome clubhouse will be pro-
vided for the association, and rooms
will be furnished in it for the various
branches. There will be large thea
ter and general meeting hall with a
spacious dancing floor and an armory
and drillroOm for the Westinghouse
militia company, which is now in proc
ess of formation. A cafe will be a
prominent feature of the clubhouse,
and an effort will be made to give the
wOrkingmen something which will sue
cessfully combat with the saloons of
the town. Nothing will be overlooked
which will provide for the social, moral
and intellectual Improvement of the
employees Of the company. No man
will be overlooked, and anything that
any man, woman or child in the town
wants will be provided for. There will
be night schools, kindergartens play
grounds for children, athletic grounds
and every form of amusement that a
human being could want. In the sea-
son there will be entertainments of diff
1t 1.
to attract tie lovers of these amuse-
ments.
The organization is to be practically
self sustaining. AS yet the Wssting
house company has made no offer as to
what it proposes to do. So far it has
confined itself to studying through Mr..
Gavit what is needed to make the
town a more desirable place of resi-
dence and to make its inhabitants sat
isfed to remain there. Mr., Gavit's or
ders so far are simply to study the sit
uation and suggest a remedy. 1t is
understood, however, and there is no
hesitancy on the part of the company
in allowing it to be understood, that
Mr.. Gavit's plans for reform will be
carried out.
That there is dissatisfaction in Will
merding is apparent on every hand,
and that there is room for improve
ment cannot be denied. The town is
an ugly little collection of houses, not
homes, clustered down in narrow
valley, where the only outlook is to the
smoke begrimed sky overhead. The
houses of the residents are perched
along the hillsides, the vast airbrake
works taking up all the available level
ground.
Nothing had been provided for the
entertainment Of the thousands of en-
ployees who were brought out from
Pittsburg to locate in this little town
In the Turtle creek valley. Their hap
piness was entirely overlooked in the
real estate speculation which resulted
On the building of this SO called model
town.
Unlike the town of Pullman, the
tWQSfinQhOuc a nOmD apv co]lc tho boucaS