New Britain herald., 1915-01-25
ROCKEFELLER IN FAVOR
 OF LABOR UNIONS
Real Interests Of Employers and
 Employees Are One Says fInanGieT.

New York, Jan. 25.-In a statement today to the United States commission On industrial relations on the Colo rado labor situation, John D. Rocke- feler, Jr., denied that he had, as he said he had been charged, with "at- tempting to exercise a kind of absolu- ton over the coal industry in Col orado," or that he had sought to dictate a policy of non-recognition of unions On the contrary. he said, he was most heartily in favor of labor unions. so long as their purpose was to promote the wel-being of the em- ployees and they had due regard for the interests of the public.
 "The commission has asked my views" said MT Rockefeller, "as to what extent the stockholders and di- rectors of corporation are responsi- ble for the labor conditions which ex- ist in it and for the social conditions which are produced; how generally and in what manner such responsibil- ities are assumed by stockholders and directors; and in actual practice how, and upon what general basis, the la bor policies of large corporations are determined.
 Limited to Election.
 "The responsibilities of stockhold- CTS is practically limited to the cleo ton of directors. They have no power to elect officers. to employ labor, to make contracts or to intervene direct ly in the management of the business. A large stockho older, however, is able to exercise considerable moral in- fluence over the directors and officers and is responsible for exercising that influence properly.
 '"The directors are responsible for the general conduct of business, they have the power to elect officers and to determine the policies of the bus mess. All large business has to be organized. The responsibility has to be divided and vested in various of ficers. and the officers have to be given powers commensurate with their re- responsibilities. These responsibilities are in general divided in such a way that the directors attend principally to the financial affairs of the corpora tion, leaving the actual conduct of op> erations to the officers.
 Officers Primarily Responsible.
 Labor conditions, so far as they are within the control of a corpors- tion, are matters for which the off, cers of the corporation are primarily responsible and with which they, by reason of their experience and their first-hand acquaintance with the facts, are best qualified to deal.
 Anyone who has followed the con- troversy which has arisen out of the Colorado situation will have observed that no effort nas been spared to make it appear that I have attempt ed to exercise a kind of absolutism over the coal industry in Colorado and particularly that I have sought to dictate a policy of non-recognition of unions. An attitude toward in- dustry and toward labor such as Is here implied is so abhorrent to mo personally and so contrary to the spirit of my whole purpose and train ing that I cannot allow these allega- tons to pass unnoticed. While it has been said that I have exercised an absolute authority in dictating to the management of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, 1t has also been said that I have been too in- | different and that as a director I |