The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-11-10

paying off it's hands monthly, semi monthly, or by checks at more frequent intervals, or daily, it concluded to pay in cash every night. It employs a time keeper for this special purpose, who makes his rounds twice . day, finds out who is at work, and promptly at six O clock, on the blowing of the whistle, is behind his window, with his payroll and cash before him, ready to attend to the men. III this particular mill, whose crew is large, about four-ffths appear every night for their money. The only exception as to the daily pay- roll is Friday night, when, in order that the weekly payroll may be figured out properly, no payment is made. On Saturday night Fridays pay is handed out except to those who have not work ed Saturday. They must wait until Monday. On Monday night payment is made for both Saturday and Monday.
 In abandoning their former system of payment this concern thought it wise also to abandon it's store commissary, although now it's members say that if they wished to run store they believ- ed that they could do it as successfully as under the old system.
 Such a radical change in handling the payroll will probably be looked up- on with scorn by most of our southern readers, yet the members of this con cern profess themselves to be not only satisfied, but highly pleased with the results. All around them their neigh bors are complaining of lack of help. Many mills are running short handed and there is a constant struggle to get hold of what men are available and willing to work Efforts are made to import help from other states. Yet this concern turns away men every day. It loses very fewe oef It's men, always has full crew and has its pick Fur thermore, 1t is able to run every day in the week. It is not troubled by men laying off to recuperate after Sunday or after the first of the month.
 This is the way that one of the mem bers of this concern explains the hap py effect of the innovation
 'The negro Is curious creature. He Is utterly improvident, and when he gets money he must spend 1t at once. The less he has to spend the less chance there Is for him to get drunk and unfit for work Then he is more contented when he can jingle money In his pock- ct every day. As he is improvident, he must have either the money or credit to buy the few things that he absolute ly needs. By our method he has e. nough money to supply his daily wants but never accumuiates enough for a spree Consequently he works practie- ally every day and works cheerfully and faithfully"
 Experience is worth any amount of mere theory and there may be in the above outline of this method of handl- ing the payroll of 8 southern lumber manufacturing institution suggestions of value to some of our readers. It is true that one of the chief advantages secured-being given the preference of labor--would not accrue if all adopted the same methods. But there is little danger that this will be the case.
 In addition of questions of expediency the policy of doing some things that would not be desirable or appreciated with a better class of labor rests in this instance on a real benefit not only to the institution itself but to the em- ployed. It is an adaptation of means to ends and of policies, to conditions that is worthy of consideration.-Am erican I,IIn1berman