Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-02-14
MILLIONAIRE AUTO MANUFACTURER, HENRY FORD,
DIVIDES $lOOOO,OOO AMONG HIS EFlPLO YEES
Says He Would Rather Make
20, 900 Contented and Hap
ply Than Mi|IionaireS
Il Ell personal IDEAS

|dh'tS NCuE''nS, III -" prime ~
! lie, but hard hcTiGu !. Gcterniuei a
man Of energy and action. sat in his
luxurious office in the colossal Ford
Motor Company plant one day when
{ the stacking up season" c0mptlled
the firm to lay off some thousands of
employees. He locked oar and saw
these crowds Gf men. who had given
their laGOr in exchange for their liv.
ing. moving away from tn" shops anf
melt away toward the city.
Asked what is Wrons?"
Many times has such a sc"ne taken
place about an American factory. Mr.
CouZens exclaimed: THAT is wr0ng."
and said It with all his characteristic
yigOr. He turned to friend.
There is something wrong when
| these thousands of men can depend
on the Ford Motor Company for their
livelihood for months, and then can
be turned oalt at the beginning OF Win,
ter" he said
The loss OF work means anxiety,
! perhaps actual want Here | am. |
don't have to be anxious. | had my
car before the slack time came. |
shall have il yet My wife doesn't
/ give up her limousine because the
shops are running light. Our life goes
On as before. THIS burden falls hard.
est on those Who are least able to
stand it."
Mr.. COuzens is student Of sOciO-
logical problems. He makes hard
fight for practical solutions. A few
days after the laying Off fiend
met him and exclaimed:
Say. CouZens, Why did you cut
down the price CT The Ford car? Why
don't you give that money to Che men
| instead?
lou can't supply the demand FOR
fears even at present prices. Why not
let those who want the cars pay for
them and let the men have the differ
ence?"
Mr.. Couzens rose up at once IN OPP
position The idea was so revolution
airy that he resisted it, But the idea
! went into his mind along with the idea
of all those men suddenly deprived Of
their livelihood through no fault OF
their own.
He made his .charaCterist' e fight for
practical solution. He did not want
To see other crowds Of men laid Off
without prospects. At Che same time
he knew that no business institution
could become a blind charitable insti-
luton His problem was the problem
OF a man with ideals and also wIh
practical sense;
He was appointed street railway
commissioner by the mayor of Detroit
last summer. 81 Within a few days he
accomplished what for years had ap-
Feared impossible, the negotiation. OF
q new working agreement between the
city and the street railway company.
Bought Whole Bend Issue.
A few months ago Wayne county
had difficulty IN disposing Of some
good. roads bonds because OF the low
interest rate. Mr.. CouEens took up the
Whole issue. These things are CharaC-
teristic Of his abundant action, and
Of his ideal note, of his energy mixed
with personality and patriotism.
He and Henry Ford debated the
rroblems before them. Henry Ford,
the Michigan country boy who arrived
IN Detroit in 1887 and became in time
chief engineer of the Edison Illumin-
ating- Company, has had many talks
with James Couzens. who began his
career in life as a railroad employe
With a salary Of So a month.
Henry Ford was working on his car,
tinkering and hoping. while James
Couzens was working in a coal office, !
where his services were valued be-
cause of his knowledge Of railroad |
Ing. CouZens was advised to invest |
his savings, the dollars he had heaped
together one by one in the savings |
bank. in the Ford enterIrise.
He put into It the whole amount, an !
amount small indeed compared to the .
$2,O00,O00 or $3.000,O00 annual diVi- /,
dends he has drawn from the Ford
Motor Company, but Mr.. Couzens'
greatest investment Was his energy,
his zeal and loyalty which he put
also into the solution Of the now I,
problem Of justice.
Did Not Forget EarINlife.
Mr.. CCuzens never forgot the DAYS !
when he worked with his hands. Mr.
Ford never forgets any living Crea-
ture. He is a lover Of wild life. A
few years ago he imported a large
COlloCJlCU vi "llu VII 10 II UNI In INiiH
to be acclimatized, if possible, on his
large farm near Dearborn, and thus
to increase the bird population OF
America.
We believe" said Mr. Ford, in
making 10000 men happy and prosper
ois and cOntented rather than follow
the plan of making a few slave drivers
in our establishment multi-miIiOn-
aires
I'VE want those who have helped US
TO produce this great institution and
are trying to maintain it to share our
prCspcritv." said Mr.. COuzens. I'VE
want them to have present profits and
future prospects. Thrift and good
service and sobriety all will be en-
and recognized Social JUS
tice begins at home. We wanted our
employees to be really partners in our
Follow Impulses of Justice.
The plan Mr.. Ford and Mr.. Couzens
have worked out together is intended
10 follow the impulses of Justice which