The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-07-16
Her Manufacturers Could Learn
Something From Kansas.
Miss Lima BreSette Returns
From Tour of Inspection.
GOOD IDEAS FROM KANSAS
Care and Treatment of En-
p1Oyees Big Feature Here.
Talks of How Things Are Done
at the Ford Plant.

Some of the big eastern manufac-
turers can profitably come to Kansas
to gather ideas concerning proper
care and treatment of their employees,
according to Miss Lima Bresette,
state female factory Inspector Miss
BreSette recently returned from
trip through some of the big factories
in the industrial cities of the east and
she isn't as proud of the system of
doing things in the big sweat SHOPS
as she might be.
Recently Miss Bresette attended the
meeting of labor officials in Detroit.
Then she took little jaunt to some OF
the large manufacturing cities and re-
turned to Kansas with some brand
new ideas-and still proud of kansas.
Possibly some of the new ideas winch
Miss Bresette brought home will ne
tried on Kansas factory owners On
the other hand some of the ideas
which Miss Bresette distributed among
ca stern shop owners are already bear
Ing fruit
stitutions" said Miss Bresette, Ger
tainly they are great. But n their
greatness, they are not so far ahead
of Kansas in many things. In fact'
Kansas factory owners might give the
east some pretty valuable ideas in the
care and treatment of employees.
1t was the treatment of employees
which concerned the Kansas woman
extra thousand yards of cloth, Or fin
fishing a few extra shirts in a day is
one thing with Miss Bresette. But
huma nita rian treatment of employees
is quite something eIse-and the ptt,
ting average of the big eaSterner felI
with Miss Bresette on the treatment or
the men and women who work in the
shops.
No Rest Room for Girls.
wonderful system prevails in some
Ior oh factories.
continued the Kansas woman But
the care and treatment of employees
has not caught up with the Kansas
idea. Some of the greatest shops L
visited provided no rest room for
their girls There are no recreation
periods. There are no lunch rooms.
of course, that isn't true of all OF
them, but it is surprising how some
of the big manufacturers have forgot
ten the little girl cogs in the wheels
in promoting a system that Will IN
crease their revenue"
Miss Bresette visited the Ford fa@-
tory in Detroit. But she displayed
only languid enthusiasm over the big
shop
Bresette. Things go by on the fly
zip. just like that. Good wages are
paid, the unit production is marvellous.
But-well / noticed there were no
rest rooms for the several hundred
girls who are employed in the fac
tory"
One day Miss Bresette went on
tour of inspection of the big shops
where the best accommodations were
presumed to be provided for the work
ing girl.
Lack of Study
1.-THE apparent lack of study in do
ing things for the girls appealed to
me-" she said In the better shops
and factories and big stores where
lunch rooms were maintained for the
girls. almost everything was of the
same relative food value. Then, too
the place was operated at prof:
and not for the benefit of the girls
Coffee in many of these places was
five cents a cup, thin weak bear
soup, with one bean in it, was nickel
potatoes or macaroni was five cents
Everything represented a profit to the
management. Not until that system Is
abolished, will the shop owner con
vince the world that he is really try