The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-30
SHOPS AND METHODS
to the View of a British
 Manufacturer.

Alfred Mosely in Cassier's Magazine.
 Why Is 1t that the workmen in America can much better wages. and the manufac- turer can make large profits. and can yet com pete in the worlds markets with his products? :? It is 8 very important question. I think the lies largely in the system of piece work. which the American manufacturer views from a broader standpoint than the English operator. He says:
 Earn. gentlemen. all you can. We will set a price. a fair price. and the more money you earn as workmen the better we are pleased You taking up certain portion of space in factory; that portion of space repre- sents capital. because the fixed chai ges are the same whether you are doing much or little; therefore, the more work you perform the better it is for you and the better 1t is for me
 In Great Britain do not think themanufac- turers have adopted that attitude. They say that a British workman is entitled to earn about such and such an amount. and IT, through his energy and his enterprise he suc- ceeds in earning larger wages. the manufac- turers begin to say: 'These men are earhihs too much. Good gracious me- this sum or money is hardly fitted ot their position! we must cut the price" and the price is accord insly cut And that system has gone on for generations, with the result that heart IS taken out of the men and they do not today. I believe, put forth their best energies be- cause they iceland rightly feei-that ther treatment has not been generous.
 Another point is ths--the encouragement that is offered by the manufacturers of the United States to the brains and the initiative of the workmen They say to the workmen;
 Tell us all you know. Do you see anything that you think can be improved? If so. send in those improvements to us and we VIII recognize them by payment either of premium or by giving you share in the saving that you make or p emotion. some other re- muneration which shall be equally satisfactory.
 The result is that they have many brains aQabinR improve the methods of their manufacture, seeking to give the manufacturers the benefit of their experi- ence and only the man who Is working daily at the machines and who Is continually In touch with the practical part of the business. really sees what is going and has the op- portunity of improving the methods of manu- facture. The man sitting in his counting house as administrator cannot improve. It is the body of the workmen that one must look to for suggestions and inventions.
 The American manufacturer. recognizing that encourages the initiative of the men and rewards it. In Great Britain I am sorry to say I do not think manufacturers have taken that broad-m'nded view They stand fin the position of saying: We know our business; we have nothing to learn; we require you there to do your work; do as you are told We ask nothing more.
 There Is another point that also initiates against the initiative of the workmen, and that is the jealousy of the foreman The con sequence Is that the p ogrcssive wHfkman is smothered: things are made too warm for him: he leaves And it Is such things, the i'm possibility of closer touch between the manu- facturer and his worknen. the want cf touch that Americans do not suffer from. that has brought about state of specialization 1T may so put it. between the manufacturer ana his employees It is a bad state of things. II is one that will have to be altered in Great Britain if we are going to hold our position in the markets of the world