Norwich bulletin., 1912-09-11
UPON FOREIGN BORN OPERATIVES
Arthur Guver Presents Important Paper Before Cotton Manufacturers = Relation With Mill Management Dis cussed Fairness Basal Principal Y The Human Element to be Considered.

At the evening session Tuesday of the semi annual meeting of the Na- tional Association of Cotton Manufac- turers, in session at Eastern Point, paper of much importance and wide application was that by Arthur H. Gulliver of this city upon the subject, Present-Day Relations Between the Foreign-Born Operative and the Mill Management:
 Mr. Gulliver said in part: With the opening of the Panama canal in the immediate future the cot ton manufacturers of the United States are facing problems that up to the present have not been placed before them for consideration. The control of the markets that will be supplied by the tonnage which will use this canal as a highway is already largely in the hands of our manufacturing competi- tors.
 The English cotton operative of Lam cashire possesses not only his own cul- tivated manual and mechnical skill, but also inherits what has been bequeath- ed to him by generations that have been obliged by the class distinctions of the country to continue without
  emperor of Germany has devoted the ability of his statesmen as well as his manufacturers to secure cultivated brains and muscle to acquire the skill requisite to make Germany Englands most formidable competitor. It is useless for us to expect that the conditions of thirty years ago in this country, with intelligence as well as industry the characteristics of our cotton operative. can be secured with the pauper labor of Europe, which has thronged our shores and gradually crowded the more intelligent immi- grant to pursuits mere cengenial to his tastes and more remunerative to his purse, can be. in the short time possf- ble between his arrival and the neces- sity of his earning living wage, molded into the shape that will pro- duce results in the operation of ma chinery at the same time economical, intelligent and satisfactory,
 The decision as to the means and methods requqired to make our opera tive live competitor of our foreign friends will depend on local conditions that each one of US has necessarily to solve for himself.
 To Be Broadly Considered.
 A tions which the recent unfortunate, and in some cases disastrous, strikes in our own midst have brought very clearly before us; among these the fact that we have not the chance to put off longer the decision which win meet and prevent such unfortunate oc- currences in the future.
 At the basis of all successful work in any industry is the condition of abso- lute fairness between the workmen and manager, mutual understanding of the relations that each hold to one an- other.
 This can only be obtained by a change in the consideration of the hu- man element which must enter into successful manufacture
 Employ Capable Heads. It is necessary that we employ in positions of sufficient trust and respon- sibility men and women who consider that the amount that they receive and the duties that they perform are suffl- ciently valuable to continue in our ser vice. and who are able to interpret without misunderstanding all orders and directions given by the manage ment that have to be carried out to the l letter by each operative to insure the success of the plant. The old, trite saying that satisfied operative is the only valuable one holds in this case 1 perhaps as strongly as in any other. It is fully as important that the minors and low priced women in our employ, as well as the dollar day men, should feel that the amount they take weekly from their envelopes should not only be what they under stand we agreed to pay, but that this amount should be regular and it's re- ceipt should be certain.
 Checking Dissatisfaction. We also require continuous employ men of the same working force to meet on a fair basis the competition of our foreign competitors. We can never hope to establish in republic sta- tionary class of operatives with no changes to better paid industries.
 The greatest security today of our mills located in the country is the fact that on account of concessions in non- essentials, such as gardens, location of houses, and certain farming privileges, the regular dissatisfaction which breaks out during the spring and sum- mer in our city mills is almost wholly prevented.
 Gentlemen, I feel so strongly in re- gard to tnlS point that wish 10 em- phasize the fact that our considera- tion, continuous and earnest, is reduir- ed to so combine our suAvity with our business acumen that each of us as managers and guardians of stockhold- CTS capital will be considered by every man, woman and child in our employ as personal friend and counsellor whatever the exigency. whether 1t be sickness or death, loss of property, or change of residence.
 Scientific Management
 It is a very important matter that scientific management should be applied not only to the. building but the operation of every department ot a good textile plant, but we are sure that such methods have been used not
 only within recent years, but in the lpast; that such methods are contin-
 ually employed subject to yearly oi
 more infrequent change as economy o1 space, economy of labor and economy
 of time demand.
 In this connection we all today should
 consider very carefully what can be
 done in this direction for our foreigr
 born operative.
 We should consult his comfort aS
 well as our profits in all our arrange
 ments.> Far be it from me to say here
 that the time has come for any brand l 1F ioli T. nd