The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1916-12-21
The n. E. Tel. 4 Tel. Go To Distrib.
ute Over 100000 20 Its Employees.

Publicity Department New England Tel &
Tel. Col
More than 1900 employees of the New Eng
land Telephone and Telegraph Company will
each participate, next week, Wednesday, in the
distribution of an emergency present to assist
them in meeting unusual present expenses.
Employees who have been in the service one
year or more will receive three weeks pay.
Employees who have been in the service less
than one year but not less than three months
Will receive two weeks pay. No employee
will receive more than $175 and no employee
of less than three months service and no gen.
eral official will in any way share in the pay
ments.
While in no sense holiday present, the fact
that 1t comes most Unexpectedly at this time
OF the year makes ii a most timely evidence of
the continued concern of the Company's officers
for the welfare of its employees. This dis
tributlon to- employees. amounting to over
100000. was decided by the directors of the
New England Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany at their meeting in Boston, Dec 18th
Naturally, the voice with the smile" is par
ticularly in evidence among telephone EN-.
ployees, without regard to sex or relative
rank.
In connection with this announcement Presi
dent Spalding said:
tine revenues of the Company depend on
the rates for service allowed by the commits
sions. and should provide for all expenses, a
fair return to the property, and surplus to
care for emergencies. Their suffiency is judged
by the results of period of years, for it is not
feasible TO be constantly modifying rates on
the one hand. and expenses on the other, to
meet changes occurring in general business
conditions. In this respect the Telephone
Company is entirely different from the manu-
facturer, who from time to time increases his
forces as the demand for his product increases
or decreases. and changes his wage schedules
to conform to changes in the selling price of
his goods and changing profit of his business
employment in the Telephone Company is
practically continuous, and, furthermore, a
special benefit fund has been created to insure
reasonable security of the income of its en-
ployees against the emergencies of sickness,
accident or death, and to provide pension for
those who have served the Company faithfully
and grown old in its service. Nevertheless,
without trying to pry into the private affairs
of our people, we have been impressed with
knowledge, gained from many sources, that the
present increase in the cost of the necessities
of life was seriously discommoding some of our
employees.
1--WE found that this affected no particular
employees.o or even class of employee s, but that
t he burden of increased expenses was being
felt generally by employees receiving $4,000
a nd less, and especially by such as were heads
of families or had others dependent upon
them. We desire high quality service from
all. and we desire also the feeling that we are
all one big business family and that the welfare
of each is the concern of all. and especially is
it the concern of those having administrative
duties. After gathering such facts as seemed
necessary for definite opinion on the subject,
| reco mmended to our directors the plan which
they unanimously adopted today.
owe shall make the payments Wednesday
Dec. 9th. They will represent. not charity,
on the one hard, nor a raise of wages on the
ther but rather, if l can reduce the idea to a
hrase, messages of good will. understanding
and appreciation on the part of the officers of
the Company for efficient and loyal employees
in a temporary time of stress"