The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-01-03
NO BONUS SYSTEM
Mitchell Opposed to Brandels'
Economy Plan.
Specialization Of Work and Payment
Of Premiums Tend to Mental and
Physical Deterioration of the Toiler.
Bad Business Policy.


| American Federation of Labor. now
member Of the executive committee Of
| the National Civic federation and one
| of the most prominent labor leaders in
| America, opposes what he believes 10
| be some Of the means advocated by
| Louis y. Brandois to save 81 10000
day for the railroads of the country.
Mr.. Mitchell in Il recent interview
said he held Mr.. Btandeis In the high.
| est esteem, that he was valued
friend of labor that he was a deem
thinker and 4 man possessed Of pro.
found economic knowledge He did
| not want TO misinterprct anything Mr.
Brandeis had said, ana il lie said any.
thing not justified by what Nj. Bran.
deis had adyt Gated it was because he
had misunderstood It:
'A1r. Brandes has been saving that
some S30000o,000 d wear could be saw
ed by the railroads in the cost Of
transportation, according TO the news.
papers. There il a general beief that
he advocates as q means to thar saving
the premium or bonus system of pay
Ing the workmen and further spcciali.
cation in work. | do not believe that
the workmen employed by the rail-
roads should do ANY more work than
they are now doing. l do not believe
that anything can safely be saved ON
them and that If there Is d waste of
$500 100000 a year it lies outside the
sphere of cost occupied by the work
men. And / am against the premium
or bonus system and against too much
specialization,
First as to specialization. The
thought should not be so much about
the machine as about the man in front
Of the machine. There is n point in
the specialization of work beyond
which it is not safe to 20 because Of
the deterioration of the workman AND
ultimately of the kind of work he does.
! think that point has about been
reached in the railroads and in most
of the other large industries.
Speaking recently to an interview
er, DR. William Mabon superintendent
Of the Manhattan State TTosnitai Ear
Let me read you what he said.
The article quoted DR. Mabon as
saving. for example that in a shoe
factory one man has machine 20
nunch holes in strips of leather TOT
the laces; that all day long for SIX
DAYS in the week he punches holes.
That kind Of work gets to be apso-
lutelv automatic, and many workmen
deteriorate while doing 1t. The praln
cells that are not used in the piece OF
snecialized work. which is most OF
those in the brain, finally 90 deaa
from lack of use, and then the worker
is ready for the insane asylum
'erhis horrible monotony of speclal-
, lied labor" DR. Mabon was quoted rs
saving sis doing q great deal to IN
balance the minds Of the workers"
sit is best that the workman use 81
tba knowledge he has, went Oh MI
Mitchell. "Therc Is nothing so rcStfu
as variety. Even If the wcrE itse't i
Enot intrinsically hard, it deteFiola'e'
the workman if it is always one i'f'''
piece of the same kind.
~ don't know whether or not NJ
Brandeis is an advocate OF the plee
system. Organized labor is agalns
thot because it speeds the men MP %
fast and causes deterioration IN "
man. who should always be the hrs
concern.
at is sometimes charged that the !.
bor unions tend to level down Wofi
\" mon This Is not true Labor niloi
l, 10 not say that an employer slail ~
nav an especially competent anu 9
IT, fectlve workman something ~ ade
lion TO what he pays the others Th'
are but fiehting for at least a far ~
ia for nm honest days work by the ave
,E age workman.
-, "Organized labor is against the pl
~ MUM or bonus system of payment
The workman because that IS design
to speed up the workman beyond I
or safety line That is bad econon
Q The employer who uses the syst
1an NAV notice an advantage at hrst'
led it is not long before the Wofhinah
rial gins to deteriorate under the s'ta
IN tben his work deteriorates also I
II presently the loss In his prodnctiV
amounts to much more than the t.
porary gain.
"of course there could not pc
e''s oreat deal more specialization in
aug actual running of the trains 7
,he there now is, In the very nature
u % the occupation man must 40
of considerable variety, but ~
he shops there is opportunity for mil
the specialization, as in the case OF
eed shoe factory used as an example
Dr Mabon. There the fpeclaliza
has already been carried 70 the
of the danger line, and 10 shouie
carried no further Organized I
TIT win oppose any attempt 70 carr
|Tt further.
H. "The men who do the work OF
railroads, both outside ana ID
shops. are doiue all they shoul'
now. They are the fastest ana
efficient of their kind In the worlf
nan. there he any waste, then, In the
], IN. roads Of the country it is not i
,rona mon. / have no criticism 70 ma
Mr.. Brandeis' recommendations 4
r..,..t,n,. aonupmins in the