New Britain herald., 1916-09-15

by the poor Passing fanciful meas ures of taxation get square with no one class or person; they either op- press or benefit the whole community. In the end every burden saddled up 1 Cn industry or wealth is passed along 1 to the ultimate consumer. Before 0 ] dollar Is spent, it must be earned. In l dustry and the conversion of raw wealth Into manufactured wealth is | the joint task Of brains brawn in- 1 genuity enterprise and service
 "Of ali the manufa ctured products of the country in the year 19l4--a matter of twenty-four and one-ausss- ter billions of dollars-almost ten 5fa- lions to be exact 40.7 per cent.)- came from the processes of labor and brain added to the mere cost of raw materials. To produce 1t, capital was invested to the value of almost twen-
 ty-three billions of dollars and labor cast in it's services to the money value
 of. nearly five and one-half billions of dollars; a rather fair indication of
 the mutuality of concern for the pros- perity and growth of industry.
 Relation of Employer and EmpIoye
 eff I were to single out the employ
 CT from the mploye-though I pre-
 lSI tO cildTSo DOln dl1ko With the re-
 sponsibility of the moment-I would
 remind the employer that his best as-
 set is happy, contented help, respect
 full and loyal to him and to the com
 mon task. I would seek to impress
 him with the practical business value
 of cooperative fellowship. Dissatis-
 fled, discontented help is inefficient
 help. An economy which wounds the
 spirit of the worker Is false economy.
 l might cite numerous instances to
 prove that o-called welfare work ac-
 tually pays-in dollars and cents
 not to mention the satisfaction that
 every employer feels in having good
 help as his allies. Every man who
 realizes the value of a good labor mar
 ket can help make it a better labor
 market. The hardest field for the agi-
 tator to organize Is the one where em-
 ployer and employe are on terms of
 friendship. Don't make the mistake
 of being charitable (which in the in
 dustrial relation is a slap in the face to the dignity of the employe) but
 be just and practical and kind. It can
 be demonstrated that it pays-in the annual report, in the efficiency of the
 plant and, above all, in the tone of the community. And let me say right here, that I believe today nine ty-f1ve per cent. of the employers of this country rejoice in paying high wages to their help as much as the help do in receiving it. Cultivate sense of interest in your helpers and it will go far to inspire a similar feel ing in them.
 "I would remind the employe that he is binding himself woefully when he sees in his employer and boss noth- ing but hard-headed authority and inhuman driving power. If worker feels no partisan pride in his shop or the fine showing of his organiza- ton, 1t is because he has never been made to feel it or to realize the spirit of team work. It ought to be every mans pride to work for winning house, progressive factory, a grow ing industry He ought to feel his own duty to make it such. If he sue" ceeds, he ought to be entitled to a fair share of the glory and financial rewards It is a happy circumstance that prevailing high wages through out our industrial establishm has been one of the indications of the tremendous period of prosperity which | has been the lot of our American | manufacturing plants during the past