The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-08-24
rIye their ltacomlee..sslor tle genelrsal 1nlan:

rive their income,aor the general man agement of the bushes
 So far as operation and actual mana cement are concerned, the exec Upon their orders production is fn-s creased or decreased, plants are oper- ated or shut down, and upon their Recommendations wages are raised or. lowered. But even they nave Httlss direct contact xvi tns th hes9 actual estab-s lishment of working conditions, and mo relation at all with the rank andl file of the workers. They act upon. the recomrne ons of superintend-l ents, whose information comes from their assista nts and foreInen and from the elaborate statistics of modern bus-e mess, which account for every piece Of material and product, show the dis position of every penny that comes and. goes. but ignore, as though they did not exist. the men and women whose labor drives the whole me chanisrn of business.. z
 The Big Question. E ''Here, then. is the field of indus trial relations: Masses of workers on 5tle one side dealing in some manner with foremen and sup perin end ents on the other. behind whom is organi- zation of executive officials, represent- ing in turn the Board of Directors, who are the chosen representatives of the stockholders.
 ssTs7ae crux of the whole question of industrial relations is: Shall the workers for the protection Of their in fereBts be organized and represented Eoo1iective1y by their chosen delegates, l even as the stockholders are repre- sented by their directors and by the. vaTio ousS grades of executive official and bosses2
 ''In considering this issue the first question that presents itself is Why f2f h d | nlanded as a, necessitY?s The Nexecu- tive officials, superintendents and bosses, some witnesses have urged be- fore the commission, are not only for the most part humane and swell7in- tentioned7 men, but they know that the interests of the business depend upon the welfare of the workers and, l if unhindered.9w will pay the best wages and create the best working Scondi- | tions that the business can afford. Or ganizatien and representation are therefore argued to be unnecessary and tending only to promote friction and interfere with the management of the business
 l Let us grant the higher Character and good intentions Of officials. and consider the statement of the work CTS in reply. They say that in mod 1 ern coroporate business the actions of officials are governed not by their per- sonaI intentions. but by the inexora- | Dl9 demands for interest ana d1V1- dends. and are driven not by their desire to create a permanently sue cessful business with a contented 1a- Dor force, but by the never-relaxed spur of the comparative cost sheet ''
 Managers Cannot Effect Reforms.
 ''The constant demand is for high production at low cost, not through Improvements and good conditions l which might give them next year, but l this very month. In the high pres sure of business, every superintend- ent knows that if his plant is at the l bottom of the comparative scale for l two months its position topples, and, l if for three months, it is virtually l gone. He cannot afford to experiment with changes that will not give imme- ] diate results. If he were his own I master h g might take a chance, know ing that the loss of this year would I be com 2ensated by gains under bet I ter conditions next year, but the i monthly cost sheet does not wait for I next year: it demands results now. ] But it may be said that, if he can I not improve conditions himself, he I can at least recommend them to his 1 superiors to be transmitted to- the sf Board of Directors for approval This
 might indeed be done. and with the
 extension of an understanding among