White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-01-18
|EMPLOYES WILL
PROFITS
PRESIDENT OF MOTOR COM
PANY "BELIEvES IN MAKING
10000 MEN PROSPEROUS AND
CONTENTED.

The Ford Motor Company will give
to its employees during the year of
1914 the sum of $40. 900. 900 In ad-
dltion to their wages.
This will not be a wage increase,
but a distribution of profits. 1t will
be added, semi-monthly to the pay
envelopes of the men.
A minimum wage of So a day will
be established by the addition of the
profit distribution to wages. The
present minimum wage in the great
motor car factory Is 1924. From
next Monday to the end of the year,
even the lowest laborer and the man
who merely sweeps the floors will
get at least So a day. Further, the
e~ight-hour day is instituted. At
present the Ford factory has two
nine-hour shifts. 1t now will install
three eight-hour shifts, the factory
working continuously.
Between $4,000 and 10000 men
will benefit greatly by the profit dis
tribution.
Fifteen thousand of them now
work in the huge factory on Wood
ward avenue. Four thousand more
are to be hired there during the
present month, and will come under
the profit sharing plan. The others
who will share in the division OF
are scattered all over the world,
working in Ford branches in Canada,
Mexico. South America. Europe, Asia,
Africa and the Antipodes, even the
Fiji Islands being included.
Every male Ford employe twenty
two years old will share at once in
the distribution. About 10 per cent
of the employees in the factory are
women, engaged in the electrical
department or in Office work, and
boys between eighteen and twenty
two. The women will not share in
the distribution, not being consid-
cred the economic factors that men
workers are, but they will get sub
stantial wage increases instead. Of
the boys between eighteen and TWEEN
ty-two, those who support their fam
lilies or have others dependent on
their earnings will be included with
their older fellow workers In the
profit sharing.
No man will be discharged from
the Ford employ except for unfaith-
~fulness or proved ineficiency. Fore
men will not be able to discharge
employees. The employe will be Civ
en- chances to make good in one de-
partment after another until the
proper niche for him is found or his
complete in~efficiency is established.
If the factory is compelled { o shut
down for a time things will be ar
ranged to have the lay-off period
come in summer, when farmers are
calling for harvest hands.
The plan of profit distribution is
one of social justice. the Ford COM
pany declares. The extra money to
the employees will not come out of
the public, as prices of cars will not
be raised, but will be lowered when
possible. The money will be diverted
from the stockholders to the work
ingmen.
The Ford company's financial
statement of September 80, 1912,
showed assets of s20,S15. 1858 and
surplus of s14.745.Oe5.57. One year
later, September 80. 1913, it showed
assets of 35.933.919.S6 and surplus
of s2S,124,173.6S.
Henry Ford, president of the COM
pany. was looking out of the side
window of the Office when Secretary
James Couzens finished the an
~nouncement TO the newspaper men.
Three or four hundred men We're
in the streets and on the sidewalks,
some heading for the factory en-
trance to ask for work. others going
back.
There's the principal reason for
the e%ight-hour day" said Mr.. Ford.
with the eight-hour day and three
shifts we can put on 1000 more OF
those men who are anxious to work.
Eve believe in making 10000
men prosperous and %contented rath-
err than follow the plan of making a
few s~lave-drivers in III establish
ment multi-millionaires."
"The sociological side of profit
sharing is one of great Importance
said Mr.. Couzens.
"We have a sociological depart
ment to look after our employees wei