Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-04-30
FINE LECTURE.

4
to Wausau last Wednesday for the pur.
pose of giving an illustrated lecture
partly as advertising feature and
partly as an adjunct to better civic
conditions here The advertising was
done for the National Cash Register Co.
of Dayton. o., by which firm he is
employed and the instruction in land
scape gardening, etc., was given in the
interests OF the Wausau Civic Improve
ment league. To Chas. M. Turner,
president of the league, is due the credit
for securing the lecture. The opera
house was filled to overlooking and the
speaker was given the best of attention
throughout his discourse, which was IL
lustrated by a stereopticon in the hands
of the assistant
The lecture was mainly on what mas
been done in the way of improving
conditions around the company's plant
in Dayton and in the surrounding
neighborhood. After giving q brief
history of how the cash register was
invented, the idea which caused the
inventor to direct his mind to it, and
details of the growth of the plant, he
launched out into what proved very
interesting story of the transformation
of an unsightly section into beauty
spot. This was accomplished with
little expenditure of money, but with
great effort on the part of the officers
and heads of departments of the COM
pany.
The plant was situated in a neighbor-
hood which was unsightly. The owners
of property made no efforts to clean up.
Their homes looked bad, the yards far
worse. Employees in the plant bought
property miles away from the plant in
stead of near to their work, simply be-
cause they did not like the unsightliness
of the neighborhood. This set the Off
GERS of the company to thinking. They
decided to change conditions. They be-
gan clean up around their premises
They interested other property owners
to do likewise. They sent to Brooklyn,
N. u, and secured landscape gar
dener and furnished him with shrub
berry, trees, vines, etc, to set out. He
did not confine his operations to the
company's plant alone but direct
ed his efforts to the entire neigh
borhood. A systematic campaign of
civic improvement was inaugurated
and the results attained were wonder
full. From a dirty, unhealthful, un-
slightly appearing part of the city that
section became park in its beauty.
Prizes were offered by the company to
boys in the neighborhood for best gar
dens, grading them into classes as they
progressed in their work. This started
many an idle boy on the path to useful
ness and industry.
The company realized that to get the
best work out of its army of employees
it must make their surroundings as
pleasant and enjoyable as possible.
Watching girls warming their coffee on
radiator lead to the idea of installing
gasoline stoves for their convenience.
Rooms were fixed up where they might
eat their lunches during the noon hour
and rest themselves. Arrangements
were made to let the girls leave their
work ten minutes earlier than the men.
Boxes were placed in various parts of
the plant as receptacles for slips of
paper on which any employe might
offer suggestions for the Improvement
of conditions and any which were
adopted were paid for in cash prizes by
the company. The result was that
every employe got busy and up to
date nearly hundred such suggestions
have been carried into effect All these
things have made the National Cash
Register Co.'s plant model one in
every respect, operated by most con-
tented lot of employees. who have had
the rough edges of drudgery hewn
from their work
1t was very instructive discourse on
the beautifying of surroundings and
aetterment of conditions and gave the
large audience many new ideas which
may prove valuable to Wausau in the
future. Chas. Turner introduced the
speaker and following the lecture made
a few remarks, asking for cooperation
in TIE work of the Civic Improvement
league. Membership cards were dis
tributed in the audience, with the result
that about IS additional memberships
were secured. The lecturer came
under guarantee that his expenses would
be paid and the Civic Improvement
league members feel that it was money
well and judiciously expended.