Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-04
WORKERS LIVE HAPPILY
IN MODEL VILLAGE; 225
HOUSES BUILT FOR THEM
New Sc t tie m e mt Has
Sprung Up Down at Mar
Gus Hook and Has Taken
Cleanliness" as Its
Slogan.

A picture Illustrating this story will be
found on the back page.
From acres Of swamps, bitches and un-
Travelled ground situated within IL mln-
utes' trolley ride from Chester, a new
community, whose slogan Is "Cleanli-
ness" has sprung up. The model village
Is located at Marcus Hook. This place n
few years ago was quiet little place
Today Marcus Hook is the scene of great
Industrial activity The hum or mill
wheels can be heard at all hours OF the
night and day.
Roads which years ago was Isolated
today are crowded nightly with jitney
automobiles made out OF old farm and
truck wagons. These vehicles operate
daily between Chester and Marcus Hook.
The passengers are men from various
parts of the globe who have left their
native lands to work in the mills and
factories
"How do you get to Marcus Hook?" is
the question asked by scores of men these
days when they alight from trains at the
Chester railroad station.
No matter in what part OF Chester you
may be, all you can hear discussed Is
Marcus Hook. If at tho movies or at
tending a dance, it is the same way.
When II man or woman in Chester Is out
of work, he or she is told not to waste
any time but to hurry down to Marcus
Hook
MILLS WORKING FULL TIME
Every factory and mill I'm Marcus Hook
today is working full time. In many
work Is being done at night Men from
distant cities are arriving there daily.
Among those who reach Marcus Hook are
men who never saw the inside of a mill
and never were near spinning wheel.
If the character and reference of the APP
plicant seeking work Is good, he is hired.
Experienced instructors are assigned to
give the raw recruits a few points of
practical experience,
The largest plant at Marcus Hook,
which employs close to 1000 men. is the
American Viscose Company, manufactur-
ers of artificial silk This concern, which
Is backed by group of English capital
lists, has similar plants in England and
Switzerland. 1t Is reported another plant
will be started In Japan 1t s this con-
Germ which was instrumental in creating
a model village for its employees. The
houses where the employees spend their
time when not busy at work are located
across the street from the group of red
buildings:
At the present time there are about 2z5
handsome brick houses for the employees
The structures are located in n valley.
The houses are surrounded by green
IleluSt anu CnluTtn playing on tne NCfhn-
GAS can see the Delaware River and the
boats which ply up and down. Many of
the tenants of these model houses at ono
time lived in the dirty tenements In Phila-
dephia.
The houses are rented to the employees
for from sl2 to SIS month. To become
a tenant of one of the houses, which
have bathrooms and other up-to-date i'm
provements. II is necessary to be an en-
nIpNa nf no mo NiEpneA
Each house has a large yard a veranda
and small plot of ground covered with
Grass In front of it.
EMPLOYEES MADE HAPPY.
Besides creating model houses for its
employees. the American Nlscose Company
has done many things to make life n
pleasure for the women and men who
work In their plant In their mill is a
special restaurant where employees can
buy meals at noon hour at very low
prices. And then there is a recreation
room. On another floor is an auditorium,
where socials are held weekly. In the
hot weather the employees take swims in
a large pool which has been built out of
doors. There also is a library.
"rhere is nothing unusual about what
we are doing" said C. a. Ernest, su-
perintendent of the plant today. Every
employer ought to do something that will
make things comfortable for his em-
ployes, We are now operating our plant
on full time, We also have shift work
ing at nights. All told about 1000 per-
sons are now working, OF whom 500 are
women. Business is good now"
When the day shift quit working to-
day, they walked out OF the plant. For
a while they stood on the roadway where
jltneys were passing up and down. Later
those who live in the model houses
Va yalgan m fbafr hODnag Mar fhair hnpnaa
they were met by their wives and chill |
dren. One man told a visitor that for
years he had lived in a New York tene-
ment. He said about the only time that
his two little daughters had chance to !
breathe fresh air was when they sat on
the fire-escape,
And they had the odor which came |
Out Of aweatshODs and faptOriesu ha |