New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1909-01-13

|
pulse in Great Britain, the speech of
ex-Premier Balfour before mentioned
referring to a number of new cooper
alive enterprises Of importance. Prof
it sharing has not gained so great a
vogue on the continent outside of
France, yet there are few concerns
in Germany Switzerland and else
where that are practicing the princ1-
pie.
Most Conspicuous Supporter.
In America this form of cooperation
is Of more recent date. The Proctor &
Gamble company, after suffering from
a great many strikes, adopted profit
sharing and has had no serious labor
troubles since About the same time,
1886, N O. Nelson, millionaire brass
manufacturer of ST. Louis, took up
the plan and has since been its most
conspicuous supporter in the country.
AS already stated, Nelson not only in
cludes his employees, but his custom
ers, in the division of dividends. He
has also given his wOrkmen an ever in
creasing share in the business, gradu-
ally withdrawing from ownership him.
self. The experiment has proved emil
nently successful. One of Mr.. Nelson's
innovations was to found a town in
Illinois, which took it's name from Lee
claire, the practical founder Of profit
sharing in France. It is one of the
boasts of this town that it has never
had any other government than the
state laws and yet has never known
| crime In it there is no renting, each
| workman owning his own home and
paying for it as he can. Nelson lives
| among his employees in a house but
| little more pretentious than theirs. One
of his cherished ideas is that it is a
bad habit for captains of industry to
get rich, since they have higher mis-
sion in serving the public.
4 used to know Nelson about the
| time he was in the st. Louis city
| council, where he had something to
do with inaugurating the reform wave
that finally brought Joseph w. Folk
to the front He is an unpretentlous
man, ever in sympathy with all adj
vanced movements and freely helping
| every worthy cause and sincere indi-
vidual that appeals to him. One OF
his pet ideas in the council was to sell
city franchises at public auction, but
in this he was defeated. He promoted
causes like the fresh air mission, free
steamboat trips for the poor, work
ingmen's culture clubs. travelling Ii
braries and kindred movements that
would add to the happiness and intelli-
gence of others. He once had hand
some home in st. Louis, but gave 1t
up to live among his own people at
Leclaire. Here he has established
clean social amusements, reading
rooms, literary and discussion clubs,
public lectures, and has encouraged
the people to beautify their homes and
: make an ideal village.
Nelson O. Nelson was born in Nor
way in 1874 and came to this country
+ in childhood He was educated in the
common schools of Missouri and served
as a private in the Union army during
the civil war He started life as 6
, he established his mandatory 0.
: plumbers and steam filters supplies
: which he is now turning over to hi
) employees.
j Methods That Have Succeeded.
Profit sharing has taken many form
: with us, some of which have not bee1
e notably successful The most commo]
! plan has been that Of selling stocks t
r workmen. Whether it is because Q
q suspicion of the stock market, lack Q
+ means or lurking enmity to their en-
I, ployers, the men have not fallen owe
o each other in the scramble to invest
/ The plan has by no means proved
n failure, but has gone SO haltingly tina
n there must be some inherent defect
It it. A method that has succeeded muc
a better has been that of pensions an
l. rewards for extra service. One fri
e divided its workers into grades accort
lie ing to efficiency To the most eficier
a large dividend, or rather bonus, wa
voted, to the next grade one-half 8
u much and to the lowest grade nOthin
es at all. Splendid results have attende
es this plan wherever put into force. Al
es other plan that succeeds well is to pr
G. sent the men stock in the company T,
e, meritorious service. This is one
it the methods of Mr. Nelson.
es Regardless of the paxticular form
as may finally assume, however, it is &C
x tain that the new idea of profit sha
d. ing will spread rapidly through all i
n dustries and will inaugurate new e
il IN the relations Of capital and labor