The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-07

/" o'clock there is no hurrying and
rushing about Everybody cleans
ISGytSSI himself up in one of the numerous
Mushrooms and goes leisurely 10
the dining room on the third floor. This is
the way the noon hour is ushered in at the
establishment of the T. b. Laycock Spring
Bed Manufacturing Company on West
Tenth street When one walks into the din
ing room it has more the appearance of
some sort of a social gathering than
place where the people are engaged to work
and are there simply to eat their noon
lunches. This room is large and spacious
and will easily accommodate 200 people. The
room is filled with small tables, and when
one sees the employees seated around them
it reminds him of a number OF small ram
lilies
For the dining room there Is competent
cook employed, and number or olnlng
room assistants, who act in the capacity
of walters II an employee so desires ne
can eat dinner that is prepared at the rae
tory, or, if he prefers, he can bring his own
lunch. and coffee is furnished free. Inc
factory meal costs 16 % cents, and is much
better than could be bought at restaurant
for twice that much. The menu Is not elab-
crate. but there is plenty of good, whole
some food. and it is served in an appetiz-
ing and homelike manner. "he bill OF fare
consists of two kinds of vegetables, besides
potatoes. meat coffee, pie and biscuits and,
of course the menu changes each day. Inc
meal Is not served in small dishes. as is
done in ordinary eating houses, but large
dishes are nut on each table we'll filled, and
every person helps himself
The cooking is excellent, and the biscuits
and pie appeal TO every man. taste like the
ones mother used to make" as one of the
employees says. The whole affair has
the appearance of home, and there is
feeling OF goodfellowship existing there
which is readily apparent Everybody, from
T. b. Laycock to the poorest salaried man
In the establishment-that is, with the ex-
ception of the foundrymen-eats In the din
ing ROOM For those who bring their
lunches there is a large coffee tank sitting
in the middle of the room, and each table
has an ordinary-sized coffee pot on IL which
is filled by one of the persons at the table.
After lunch is over small cigars are furn-
ished to those who smoke, and the re-
mainder of the noon hour is spent by men
discussing different affairs. At one end of
the room is a photograph. which is kept
going and also a piano, which is owned
Jointly by the officials of the factory and
the employees. The girls who can play do
so, and the rest sit around and enjoy the
music until the whistle blows for 1 o'clock.
when everybody goes back to his work.
The foundrymen have a dining room of
their own, and the reason for this is that
they have only half an hour for dinner, be-
| cause they cannot leave the hot metal for
a longer time, and by the time they could
| clean themselves up sufficiently to come to
| the big dining room their lunch time would
be over with. They. however. are provided
| for very conveniently. and have everything
arranged for their own comfort.
PROMOTES SOCIABILITY.
One of the officials of the factory, in
speaking of the dining room, said:
II consider this one of the greatest social
| features that we have, because ii puts ev-
| erybody in the factory on an equal basis.
| All who take the meals prepared here at the
factory get the same kind of food. 1t
| doesn't matter whether you are president
| of the company or an apprentice in the ma
| chine shop the same rations are served to
| all. The charge which we put upon these
meals does not by any means make them
| self-sustaining, but what extra expense is
incurred is borne by the company. To IL
| lustrate this: One year that L know of the
| dining room cost the company $500 besides
the revenue derived from the employees who
| bought their meals. We think one reason
| why this is a great social feature is that it
brings the people of the factory together
| each day for an hour, and thus gives them
| a chance to get better acquainted. There
| are people who are employed in different
| departments here who would never meet
| each other if it were not for this dinner
| hour; and then it makes the people feel as
| though they amount to something, and that
| they are not merely part of a great ma
| chine. They come TO the dining room, where
| it is warm and comfortable, sit down to
| tables as they would If they were at home,
and this alone excites feeling of personal
pride in them. They sit here and talk and
| have a general good time until the hour is
| over with, and when they go back to work
| they are rested and feel more like doing
| their tasks.
| This large dining room Of ours has only
| been in operation since last summer; before
| that, however, we maintained dining
| room for the girls employed here in the
factory on the top floor of the building.
This had kitchen attached and everything
was conducted just the large dining
| ROOM At that time there was an organiza-
| ton called the Officers Club, and they had
| their dinner furnished them, but the gen.
| eral run of employees did not have a lunch
room. 1t had always been our intention to
have a general room for the employees,
and when we saw the great success with
which the girls lunchroom met we did not
lose any time in establishing this large
lunchroom. And L believe that 1t is thor