The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-25
Big Corporations Are All Talk
 ing It Up,
SOME OF THE PLANS
Grocery Trade Amused at Some of the Recent Developments in the Con- sumers' Efforts to Protect
 Themselves
BY PRESTON c. ADAMS

| rloyes is very live one with the great employers of labor In some quarters 1t is not alone considered as matter of fairness to the employees. but 1t has It's selfish side also in being if not preven- effect of minimizing the danger of dis astrous industrial conflicts.
 1 The most recent recruit to the ranks of I tle big employers of labor who have de- cided to make the workmen share in the property is the Edison Electric Illuminat- ing company of Brooklyn. The plan adopted by this company provides that at the end of the year 1910 employees of that company shall be credited with a sum out of the years profits in accord- ance with schedule under which em- ployes who have been in the service two full years will receive a percentage of | their salary or wages for the year equiva- l lent to a quarter of the rate of dividend paid on the capital stock during the year. Employees who have been In the service of the company three years will receive a percentage equivalent to one-half of the rate of dividend paid on the capital stock. while four-year employees will receive three-quarters of the rate. and five-year or still older employees will receive per centage equal to the full rate paid on the stock. The plan also provides for pen- sions for employees who have reached the age of 65 and for those who have become unfitted for full duty. | The United States Steel corporation, in addition to it's profit-sharing, places it l profit-sharing plans to pension its faithful employees. The pension fund has been raised to s12,000.OO0. It will be admin | istered by board of F trustees, through l 8 manager appointed by the board with such powers and duties as may be given 1 him by that body.
 | Under the rules governing the pension | fund. as adopted by the board of trustees, three classes of pensions are provided, as follows:
 l First-Pensions by compulsory retire. ment. granted to employees who have been | 20 years or longer in the service and have reached the age of 70 years for men and l GO years for women.
 second-Pensions by retirement at re- quest, granted to employees who have been | 20 years or longer in the service and have ' 50 years for women.
 Manifestations for permanent incapac- | ity. granted to employees who have been | 20 years or longer in the service and have | been permanently totally incapacitated through no fault of their own.
 | The monthly pensions to be paid from the income of the fund will be made up on the following basis:
 For each year of service 1 per cent of I |. NtrrnI y the last 10 years of service; provided, however, that no pension shall be more than S100 a month or less than SIP a month. For example--an enploye who has been 25 years in the service and has re- | ceived an average regular monthly pay | of s6O a month will receive a pension ad- l lcwance of $15 a month.
 It is explained that this fund Is en- tirely distinct from the voluntary acci- dent relief plan put in operation on May 1 of this year. No contributions to either of these funds from employees themselves are involved
 The grocery trade has been amused at several phases of the agitation that have | recently developed side by side. Con | sumers' buying clubs are springing up l thicker than ever. Their purpose to eliminate the retailer by going to the | wholesalers. Just at present there IS much talk of further organizations of re- taiers to eliminate the jobber by going direct to the manufacturer Secretary Wilson has just added the capstone by suggesting that consumers cut out both the retailer and wholesaler and buy joint ly of the producer.
 The middleman. therefore. is again brushed aside by these theorists as fac tor of no utility. But as one observer has remarked, if there were no consideration except that of money some of these state ments might be of no value. Other things | to be considered, however, he says, are l conveniences of time and place in pur- chasing, and likewise of variety of choice and of quantities in which to buy. Can one imagine a group of consumers living in New York apartments getting together and buying a carload of potatoes of a Maine producer?
 The Transvaal production of gold for | the full year 1910 promises to exceed 7,600,- coo ounces, thus reaching a new high
 record. The yield last year was ', ,O0t ounces; in 1908 7,053, 900 and in 1907 6,552, GOO For the Il months of the present year
 the output has totaled 6,893000 ounces,
 and as December should add at least 650,- GOO ounces the grand total should, as al ready stated, pass seven and a half mill lion ounces Treating the position in dol lars instead of ounces, it is found that
 last year the total value just fell short
 of s155 00O, 600; in 1908 s150. .000000 1907 $137. 00o,00o, ,0O0 and in 1908 $f23, ,000, 900. To dats
 thls year the output has reached upwards
 of $14s, 900 900 and about 1eo.0Oo,0 900, or some | 60 per cent greater than the gold mined
 annually in the United States.
 The capital of American corporations is
 being distributed among the public. Off
 cial returns supplied to the Journal oi
 Commerce by 116 railroad and industrial
 companies having a capitalization of T,- 0e7, ,000, 900 show that there are 746,220 stock
 holders. Last year no corporations had G26,9s4 stockholders. The average amount held by each stockholder is only $94s1
 whereas last years records showed that
 the average was $11, $50, while in 1908 the
 same companies had capital of $6,901,-
 e00,000, with the average holdings amount
 ing to $10,7S7. This year 49 railroads, witf
 a capital of $4,023. 100000, report S0,5st
 stockholders, against 279,4 owning s..
 TAT, ,OO0, 900 last year. The capitalization oi
 67 industrial enterprises, amounting te
 8, 042 ,00O,O00 is held by 435,640 stockholders
 year ago the same companies had 6
 capital of s29e0, 100000, held in the names
 of ss9,15e stockholders.
 Interesting changes have taken place
 during the current year. increases by
 certain companies being offset by de
 creases on others. A glance at the in
 dustrial list brings out the fact thai
 the Steel corporation easily leads al
 others with 115.000 stockholders. gain oi
 about 15,O00 over 1909 and by far thu
 largest number ever recorded. The Amer
 ican Telephone is second with 4,284 against 31 .702 last year. a gain of S5S2 : due in part to an expansion in the com