The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-06-19
ALCOHOL AND ACCIDENTS.

During the Round Table discussion
at the recent Third Annual Safety
Congress, Mr.. G. K. Gibson, of the
Consolidated Water Power and Paper
Company of Grand Rapids, emphasized
the Importance of teaching the men
how to abolish unsafe practises.
1T must be clearly demonstrated to
the men," he said, that there is no
such thing as a necessary accident
that man who has an accident re-
quires a guardian; and that business
at a plant must be conducted without
accidents. After getting at our men
along these lines we had no accidents
for the next two months; and this in
face of the fact that our accidents
have averaged eight each month for
the previous half year"
Mr. H. B. Smith, Safety Inspector
of the Illinois Steel Company, charged
liquor with being the producer of
casualties. I'm May of this year" he
said, "a notice was posted at our Joliet
works signed by the president and
the general superintendent of the
plant, signifying that it is the practise
of the works to discharge men found
drunk while in the plant, and that no
promotions would be made from the
ranks of liquor-users. This month we
have started an individual campaign
among the superintendent of the de-
partments, whereby each superinten-
dent or his assistant (not foreman)
is going to talk to every man in the
department, and ask him if he will
abstain from drinking while coming
to the works; if he will refrain from
coming to the plant should he have
been out during all the previous night;
and if heswilL use his influence with,
the other men to have them abstain
from alcohol. AS a general result
of these tactics, many of the men have
said: This is one of the best things
the company ever did for us-it saves
our money
'We found that great deal depend
ed upon the methods adopted to get
at the tipplers and have them desist.
In the first place, our president and
general manager wrote a letter to
every man in the plant, heading it,
"A few words with our employees
He then pointed out that the plant
had come under the State compensa-
ton act, and that the company was
obliged to pay for the loss that any
man incurred through accident from
whatever cause. Farther, that a man
who was drunk while working in the
vicinity of dangerous places or fast
running machinery was much more
liable to mishap than an employee in
his sober senses. Then a notice was
pasted on the next fortnightly pay en-
velope; and on each pay-check the fol-
lowing notice was affixed, Don't cash
this check in a saloon Three such
cheeks came back with the indorse-
ments of saloonkeepers on them
Our executive investigated these cases
very carefully; and it actually turned
out that the men were not to blame.
They had, as a matter of fact, pre-
scented the checks for payment in
ordinary shops, but the proprietors Of
these being out of sufficient funds or
ready change, had surreptitiously sent
| the checks to a nearby saloon for pay
ment. We also explained our position
regarding liquor to the merchants
throughout the town, and secured
their instant cooperation because they
saw that their own bills against the
men would be met more promptly"
DR. b. l.. Reitman: what is being
done to regulate the practises of the
bosses and stockholders who drink
while not permitting their workmen
to do so?"
The Chairman: Il know that In
many instances the higher officials of
several companies are abstaining from
alcohol; the practise is becoming more
general"