The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-28
Welfare Work in Birmingham

Welfare Work in Birmingham The Iron and Steel institute is, of course, in it's chief purpose a technical body-that is to say, it's members meet for discussion of technical subjects, after papers have been read or addresses made which bear upon these subjects. Yet 1t has been at meetings of iron and steel institutes or kindred organizations that momentous
 statements and predictions which seemed also unbelievable have been made It was at a meeting of an organization somewhat similar to this in this city some 20 years ago that Abram s. Hewitt ven , tured to make predictions which were re- garded by some as based upon hope rather than upon good judgment He foresaw at that time what has now become the stupendous development of the iron and steel industry in the district in which Ala bama is the center. He also predicted and gave reasons for so doing the pre-emi- hence of the United States as a producer of iron and steel.
 Some wears earlier, MT Hewitt. when addressing British organization, some of whose features are now represented in the American Iron and Steel insti- ute. ventured to say to the English manufacturers that the prestige in the iron and steel industry was about to pass from Great Britain to the united States. Among his reasons were the vast deposits of iron ore. and neighbor- ing deposits of coal and limestone not merely in one center. but in various cen ters of the United States, and also the facility with which ore even from far away Minnesota and the upper penin- sula of Michigan. could be cheaply transported by water to the great iron and steel plants of western Pennsylva- mia and northern Ohio. The Englishmen who heard MT. Hewitt were not then persuaded-they even smiled incredu- l1ously-but there came a time before his death when some of them ae .
 knowledged to him that his prediction had been verified.
 Welfare Work in Birmingham It may be that there will be at leas- incidental allusion to the prediction MT. Hewitt made of the future of the Bir- mingham district at the banquet of the institute. For upon that occasion the principal address will be delivered by pr. Noland, who is superintendent of the health department of the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company. In this address pr. Noland is expected to demonstrate that among the other advances which have been made by those who manage our great iron and steel industries Is one which apper tains to welfare work. This is no longer looked upon as mere philanthropy
 or an evidence of kindly feeling of em- ployers towards employees. It is an economic factor in the iron and steel industry. for it serves to prevent or greatly to decrease wastage not of ma terial, but of men, Not more than 20 years have passed since the leaders in the iron and steel industries of the United States began first to gain un- derstanding of the fact that the most damaging waste in the industry is hu
 man waste and for that reason, if there
 were none other, it is now regarded as the best kind of economy to use every
 means possible to prevent a waste of
 l that kind
 | Along these lines the welfare work 1 of the Tennessee Coal and Iron company has been so well developed and has pro l duced such satisfactory results that it