Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-08-05
PERKINS IN RANKS OF T. R.
TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS

worked out an accident relief plan
for the steel corporation, and the
corporation provides an old-age
pension fund.
II have been interested in the same
sort of developments in the Interna-
tional Harvester Company. In that
company we have profit-sharing, in
surance covering sickness. accident
and death and old-age pensions. In
judgment the reasons why plans
been because they did not embody
a true spirit of cooperation. The
trouble frequently has been that
there has been a purpose-perhaps
almost unconsciously-to benefit the
business out of proportion to the
labor employed in the business.
"These are all business PROPOSE
lions, but they must be profitable for
all concerned-for the employee as
well as the employer-or they won't
work"
Mr.. Perkins has come to some very
definite conclusions on the subject of
trust regulation. That is one reason
he is interested in cooperating with
Colonel Roosevelt. The views often
expressed by the leader of the Pro-
gressive movement, in the Osawa-
tonne speech, for example, are shared
by Mr.. Perkins. They are along the
lines outlined by President Van Hise,
of the University of Wisconsin, in
his recent book, Concentration and
Control" although Mr.. Perkins would
make some reservations about the
length to which it would be possible
to go in regulating prices.
Must Control Trusts.
The Roosevelt trust proposition, in
opposition to that urged by Senator
La Toilette and now being pushed
with more or less display of ear
nestness by the Taft administration,
is hat the big corporation is the nat
ural development of industry. 1t
can't be broken up without vast
waste. So it must be controlled. SEN
ator La Toilette, on the other hand,
has adopted the view that has been
best urged by l.. d. Brandeis, of
Boston. that the only hope of getting
fair treatment for the consumes is
to keep business in small units and
trust to competition.
~ a NooV liaN lioC GOlliC likidS
my observation" Mr.. Perkins said.
When | was with the New York Life
| had a notion that I desired to have
it accredited to do business in every
civilized country in the world. Incl
dentaliy, I succeeded. My business
took me often to Russia. | was great
ly impressed with the fact that the
peasants everywhere were using
primitive farm implements. Ar enor-
nous agricultural wealth was going
to waste for lack of modern methods.
AT h a time the various companies
manufacturing agricultural imple-
ments were doing a small export
business. None of them had the re-
sources to develop their foreign trade.
l was born in Chicago and was ac-
quainted with the McCormicks. When
l was with Mr.. Morgan Mr.. McOor-
mick came to me to help him finance
an extension of his plant. Tt occurred
to me that the thing to do was to
combine the various concerns into
enc great company that would have
the resources to go after the busi-
ness abroad. Out of that idea came
the International Harvester Com
Iany.
Regulate-Don't Break Up.
In the eight years of its existence
1t has increased it's. export business
from $4,000, 900 a year to $50, 900, 600.
But it has had to spend an enormous
sum to do it. For instance. it has
had to employ men to teach the
European farmers how to use our
implements. 1t has had to do demon
stration work on a vast scale. 1t has
had to build great warehouses and
develop a credit system.
mo small concern could have be-
gun to do what it has done in pro-
viding new markets for American
goods. Now that the foundation has
been laid and that it is in a position
TO make some money, the attorney
general Of the United States
along and proposes to knock it to
pieces. Could anything be more fool
ish? Really. isn't it Incredible"
1t was suggested to Mr.. Perkins
that the suspicion Of the people re-
garding the trusts was based on a
fear that they would charge excess
sive prices.
"Dangerous?" he interrupted. "Of
course hey are dangerous. So Isl
electricity. So is steam. We don't
forbid their use on that account. We
safeguard their use. 1t isn't sensible
to try to break up modern business.
What we ought to do is to regulate
IL.
sOficers OF great corporations must