The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1915-02-05
Friday, February 5, 1915.
The Existing Conditions

vanced steps in profit sharing
with his employees, says the New
York Sun Of January %, read
yesterday before the United States
Commission on Industrial Rela-
tons these striking passages
from his book of experience:
Among the workers in our
factories we have a great many
who have been in prisons and who
are outcasts from society. Every
one of them is making a good
showing and is gaining in self
respect and strength of charac-
ter. We will guarantee to take
every man out of Sing Sing and
make a man of him."
"No man can bring up a fam
lily and hope to own a home on
the ordinary rates Of wages.
90 not think that any man can
do good work mentally and ply
sically for more than eight hours
a day"
Theoretically some persons
may argue that we have no right
to inquire how a man lives at
home, so long as he does his work
at the factory; but we are talk
ing of conditions, not of theories"
IF corporations are overcap-
italized they must necessarily OPP
press labor to make a showing
But if they grow from small be-
ginnings naturally and stick to
one legitimate product, balanced
conditions are bound to follow.
THE sooner men can be taught
that labor is just as much of an
asset, and more, than machinery
and buildings the sooner labor
will be properly recognized. In
my judgment mere bigness is no
objection if corporations are not
overcapitalized.
Il have very little use for
charities or philanthropies as
such. My idea is, aid men to
help themselves. Nearly all are
willing to work for adequate re-
ward"
Mr.. Ford first described the
profit sharing plan of his Detroit
company, undeC which every man
over % years in his employ gets
a minimum wage of So a day and
under which those in his employ
under p and women, who have
others dependent upon them, also
get that wage. There is a uni
vcrsal work day of eight hours
Wages are paid according to skill
and skill is subdivided into de-
grees of skill.
THE company maintains a
corps of forty men" said Mr.
Ford, good judges of human ma
ture, who explain opportunity
teach American ways and Gus
toms, the English language, du-
ties of citizenship, who counse
and help the unsOphisticated en-
ployes TO obtain and maintain
comfortable, congenial and san
itary living conditions, and who
also exercise the necessary vigi.
lance to prevent, as far as pos.
sible, human frailty from falling
into habits or practices detrimen.
tai to substantial progress in life
1.-The whole effort of this corps
is to point men to life and MAKE
them disconnected with mere liv.
ing.
Fear and worry in the strug.
gle for livelihood properly to pro.
vide for home and dependents
with the dread of what nigh
happen if the job is lost, hav
practically been eliminated.
mo man is discharged from
the service of the company unit
nc has been proved utterly unh
from every standpoint. If h
fails in one department the fore
man of that department send
him to the clearing house and h
is given repeated trials if neces
sary until he makes good or
is proved that he does not wis
to succeed.
Bank accounts showed an in
crease during the rrst six month
Of 1870 per cent; life insuranc
caPried, sc per cent; value c
homes owned outright, 81 pc
cent; value of lots owned out
right, Sc per cent.
Police justices say, wherea
Ford employees, recognized b
their badges, were almost dali
seen in the prisoners dock up {
a year ago, since January 1914.
they have been noticeably abser
and are rarely among the unfoI
tnnafac brought To iustice "