Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-12-17
SHOP SURROUNDINGS.
Employees of Plant Combining Beauty
and Commercialisn.

and CommerciaIism.
The appearance of many towns and
cities is spoiled by unkempt surround
lngs of business sites, and seldom is
any attempt made to improve and
beautify these places. The plan is
being tried in Brooklyn, N. Y, how
ever, to interest the employees of a
company in improvement work, and
the story Of how an esprit de corps
came to replace a don't care feeling in
the personnel Of one of the largest sin
gle traction concerns in the country is
an interesting one.
Some time ago the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit company adopted a policy of
identifying as far as possible the diff
ferent portions Of it's property. 1t was
a pet idea Of Mr.. Winter, it's presi-
dent, that the mere fact that a struc-
turs Is built for commercial rpo
Is no excuse for it's being hideously
ugly.
This was quite a reversal of old ira
d1tions, but it has already gone partly
into effect. The great new Williams
burg power station is the company's
most striking exposition of this new
policy.
Beginning was made at the construc-
ton shop Of the elevated lines at the
foot of Thirty-ninth street. The ward
that surrounds this shop-formerly a
passenGer terminal station-was clean
ed of the litter Of old locomotives and
discarded coaches. These were sold
whan possible and given away for fire
wood In other cases.
Last spring the shop foremen were
Informed that the railroad would pro-
coed to lay out the edge of the yard
With grass plots and flower beds. Sim
liar steps were taken at the other ele.
waited shops at East New York, Fresh
Pond road and at Thirty-sixth street.
h same methods Of decoration that
proved SO successful on the company's
property at Brighton Beach We're put
In effect.
Then came the surprising part of the
programme. Shopmen displayed an
astonishing amount Of interest in the
plans for identifying the property,
They organized into bands and early
on summer nights reported after hours
for work on the shop grounds. Theirs
was entirely a voluntary procedure.
They showed an interest in the whole
project. 1t was a new spirit showing
itself.
Nor vas that all. The men from
lathe and plane and drill press worked
alongside the laborers, and then they
got together with the shop foremen
and made a new proposal.
Lets buy big ~hags-big, fine Amer
lean tlags-to float over every shop of
this company and show folks when
they go riding by that there are good
Americans working under the roofs"
So the big movement started. The
men all wanted to subscribe-nickels,
dimes and an occasional quarter were
the order of the day-and when they
were done the foremen topped off the
list for the big flags. The railroad
company put up high steel poles. and
there has been a series of flag raisipcs
all summer.
Every elevated shop now flies it's flag
as regularly as a military post. Out at
the newest shop in Fresh Pond road
the transportation men watched the
big pole and flag of the shopnen
ascend. So the guards. motormen and
conductors of he trains running there
bought a flag and had the company
erect a second steel pole for their flag.
Other plans of the same sort are under
way.