The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-30
WELFARE WORK
Some Interest.nE Facts Diselcsed as to

Some Interesting Facts Disclosed as to
 Work In South Carolina Mills.
 The following is from the pen of Mir Thomas F. Parker. President of the Monaghan Mills. of Greenville. S. C.:
 South Carolina Legislature in 1sO2 showing that sixty-five mills in the State were giving. annually $27.oo0 for sch ools and furnishing school build they had spent ss0, 900 for mill churches. (There were perhaps forty to fifty other mills in the State not mentioned In the report.)
 Some persons thought that an av- craze annual expenditure on the part of these best mills of the State of $500 each and permanent expenditure on their part of S3.000 each for school and showing, even If the other mills were not doing much. and since that time welfare work has been decidedly on the increase.
 during the last few years have erected. at their own expense. in their villages club houses hospitals, swimming pools and handsome school and church build cost $25.OO0; another cost $1s.60O. In the various South Carolina mills there are now perhaps fifty such mill build ings for the operatives. paid for en- bIl6Iy Dy IAC COIipdulGS dl COSl or from S6.O00 to slO.OO0 each. There are now between ton and fifteen sal aried welfare workers (not Including school teachers and minlsters). with salaries from $500 to $i ,000 each, paid entirely by the companies.
 Some persons ask What sh ould a plant, taking as far as possible every thing into consideratiol costing, say. which it's operatives live, costing $s5,- 000), whose pay roll. is $T0o0 a month, or $B4,OOO a. year, pay In permanent improvements and in annual eXpendit- and is a permanent investment of s. 900 in welfare buildings (ncluding a oh urch and scbooD and an annual ex = penditure of $500 in all welfare work adequate to meet the needs of tine op- eratives? Would not more liberal, progressive welfare policy be decided . ly to the financial beneflt of the stock holders asa well as to the benefit Of the operatives? With such large eXpen- ditures in other lines are not these welfare economics In present labor and political conditions on the same plane as buying secondhand mach inery to produce good manufacturing results?
 There are but few prominent mill men now who believe that it is pau periZinE to mill operatives to do more than pay them the market value of their labor and then leave them to light out their own destinies Mill managements realize that people can be pau perzed, but it is evident that the misman cement must be great if a family that works ten hours a day in a mill is pauperizod hy being furnish = ed rooms where they can meet in the evening and recreation grounds for Saturday afternoons and Sundays and welfare workers to lead and educate them.
 Ut has been said by some who ct least professedly advocate welfare work on the part of the mills. that 1t Ahould be remembered that there Is no necessity for such expenditures. and that every cent so spent by mill man agements should be considered by ev- nf the pockets of the stockh elders. one would not be surprised to hear this argument from 8 person desiring to through an appeal to thb pocket oi tirnld stoekh olders. but it 10 dlmenlt te