Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-05-30

In New York letter, under date Of
Sunday last, Henry George Jrp son OF
the famous labor leader Of the same
name now deceased writes as follows;
A few days ago had talk with Il.
sidney Walker OF Bingham, England,
on Industrial conditions Ia this coun-
try and in Great Britain Mr. Walker
is a keen alert Englishman, IN the
early thirties. well educated and much
travelled, who In O directors capacity is
connected with several large manufac-
turing and banking institutions IN Eng
land, and who is associated with his
father, Thomas i. Walker, IN the man
ufacture Of Walker ship log Invented
by the father Of the latter and the
grandfather OF the former gentleman,
y, Sidney walker Is extremely liberal
IN his views and, returning to England
on the same ship with j. Plerpont Nor
gan and Andrew Carnegie. he carried a
fund Of information about American
industrial conditions that would be most
interesting to compare With that pos
sessed by the more widely known men.
COMPARISON OF CONDITIONS
Mr. Walker talked to me somewhat
freely about his observations and the
Impressions he obtained during a
months tour OF inspection through the
larger cities from Boston to Chicago.
That which most Interested me was his
comparison OF the tense conditions OF
labor here with conditions on his side
Of the water The conversation was
somewhat desultory, but what he said
was in substance this
IL have been amazed at the great
number OF young men ! have found
employed In your manufacturing plants.
The proportion to Old men everywhere
seems entirely out Of proportion TO that
which exists on our side OF the ocean.
Indeed, one might judge that there
We're no more old men in some of the
lines OF manufacturing In this country.
one Of the large concerns that | visit
ed--a very large establishment In New
England seems to employ only young
men, that is, no men older than 3D.
They were all In their, highest pro-
ductive power. | had come over here
TO look about ana especially to look
into the conditions OF Industrial c0mpe-
tltlon, for | wanted 10 see In what res
pect we have advantage over you and
where the advantage Is against US
Hence this matter Of age Of the work
men was something that ] took note OF
from the beginning.
OLD MEN DROPPED.
'In one Of the large manufacturing
concerns where | noticed this great
preponderance Of young men ! turned
to the gentleman who was conducting
me about and said How Is It that | see
so many young men? Are thre no old
men, or Il is that workmen here do not
grow old2' The gentleman said. on,
yes. men grow old here, but we Keep
only the younger men employed. we
drop the workmen after they pass their
prime, In that way VIC get the maxi
mum of efficiency out OF our labor
But | said. have you no sentl-
ment about the thing? How can you
turn man off just because he gets
old?
my conductor replied; There Is no
sentiment about H. II Is purely q mat
ter Of business. We have 20 buy labor,
So We buy the best We can get. ire
spectlve OF individuals. Young men are
more efficient than older ones; so we
select young ones out or the great num-
her that offer their services Sentiment
IS good in its place, but It has no place
with business. IL Is TO our interest TO
get the most alert. most vigorous, most
agile and most adaptive labor possible
There IL a strong competition among |
workmen for employment - that we
have no difficulty IN following the line
OF our highest interest and choosing |
young men,
"'Well, I observed that is hard on
the man who passes his prime, isn't |
it?'
"His reply was that II was hard.
AS TO BAD FAITH.
"'You see" / continued. the condl- |
ions with US are very different a great |
Of the manufacturing concerns |
with US are OF old standing handed |
down from father TO son, as Il Were.
all the other concerns are
governed by the usages OF the older es-
adjustments. Now suppose / receive a |
business from my father II ls quite i'm. /
possible for me to discharge the Old |
hands who have served my father 4
since they were very young |
men. They came along with the bust
ness TO me, and Il would be against the 4
strongest sentiment to throw any Of the
serylCeable Workmen out OF |
employment there for the mere reason
hat they had ceased to be young men. |
'hould deem such a performance an act
81 bad faith, a serious breach OF duty:
rot that any compact exists compelling
me to continue the employment Of men
iiter they had passed the meridian of
young manhood, but that sentiment
ma tacit obligation to deal fair with
me men who have given us faithful
service interposes and prevents us from !
'asting off as II they We're utter stran-
gers and had no claim upon US for rea-
ionable friendllness and protection.
II pointed an this out to my COM
lanion, His only observation was that
rom the American manufacturers
'olnt Of view the obligation to continue
O employ workmen after they had be-
,un TO decline in powers Handicapped
he British manufacturer In his COM
ietition with the American manufac-
uree who neither felt nor recognized
uch an obligation"
SENTIMENT Is ELIMINATED.
Mr.. Walker told me this story with
much feeling and then said
considered as 10 the element Of la