The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-21

assignment would fill Edward Marshall, l Irwin $. Cobb or Julian Street with im- | mea surable joy, because they have grown 1 accustomed to being met mby brass bands | and laden down with statistics, and with ] a big knowledge of all sorts of business affairs. So that they can meet the sit uation with force and ability. but for l poor scribe who has no memory in all her | short journalistic career of talking with one so erudite and so inaccessible to the fraternity as Judge Gary, the task seemed too large for poor a pen; too vast for a mere feminine brain to com prehend.
 Letting ones fingers wander over the noiseless keys like Lowells musing or sanist the resultant bridge from dream land holds some interesting blanks, how ever, regarding my audience with Judge Gary not the least of which is the great part he has played in the betterment of conditions between employer and em- ploye.
 Robert Bacon. in speaking of Judge Gary and the formation of the United States Steel corporation and the guiding of it's policies, has said:
 Judge Gary. of course. directed it all"
 And later, in discussing the policies of the big company:
 ''The facts are that the policy of the
 
 change the old methods of dealing with competitors. Judge Gary, who has done more for the United States Steel corpo- ra ton in it's development and the benefits it has brought all hands than any one man since it's formation, has made it a cardinal point of his policy, and has tried his best to inculcate it upon all the sub companies, that there was a new order of things come that there were new rules of the game dealing with competitors, as well as in other human relations"
 Then he adds:
 Other marked attributes of Judge Gary are his intense desire for justice to all and his sincere interest in the well being of the worker. He is not a reformer in the ordinarily accepted sense of the term. He does not prate about helping the workingman, but in guiding the big cor
 poration he has always seen to it that the man who labors shall be given a chance for clean living and self-respect. And the men who work for the corporation recognize and appreciate this fully Judge Gary, I think, sets higher value on this recognition and appreciation than on all the other honors that have come toI him. I remember incident told me by one of the officers of the corporation. Sometime ago." he said.' two men from the mining regions were in New York to see me in connection with their work and they asked if it would be possible to meet the judge, whom they had never seen I took them to his office and Judge Gary received them immediately, rising to greet them with outstretched hand, and one of the two as he shook hands said
 Judge I could not have gone back to my fellow workers without being able to tell them that I had expressed in be-
 half of all of us the loyalty and appre
 citation we feel toward you personally, our 1-,O ode nf ha ipta ak ir1 us' And here is what, to me. is re- markable thing continues MT. Bacon. 'In the vast organization that is the
 Steel Corporation there are thousands upon thousands of men who have never
 seen it's head, who have no idea what he is like to look at. But I doubt if there is one man who does not know and feel his influence, who does not look up to him with respect and something like rev. erence. His personality has permeated this huge mass of men,
 With enthusiasm Judge Gary has said: ''The welfare of our men can never 1 be lost sight of no matter what happens. 1 It is not only right that they should l share in our prosperity, but it is good | business policy: it is an integral part of l the plan of concentrated, improved in- dustry. We never forget that the foun- dation of our business rest on human 1 beings, and we are human beings our selves"
 He also gives uatterance to these words: Again, there is no better way of ad- Vancing our own interests than to con- duct ourselves in such way as to make 1t certain we are endeavoring to promote the welfare of others with whom we come in contact. Uppermost in our minds should be the proper consideration n1n 1f these workmen are foreigners who are not familiar with our language or cus- toms. Some of them have been poor and have had few advantages in their native countries, and may not be fully able to l protect themselves Whether this be true 1 or not we should make it certain that all are so treated that they have the opportunity to be well housed, and well l Ted and well clothed So far as we can we should lend our assistance to the inn provement Of the conditions of our work l men. and, of course, the wages paid should always be fair and reasonable All of us have discovered that there were l many things which we could do for the betterment of the conditions of the work, | lngmen, and we have been prompt to do | them Particularly have we made great strides towards safeguarding our em l ployes against accidental injury An con- l mutation of the efforts we have been 1 AAiNniiiS III liiiS ulTeCllOn Will result in &C.,
 curing larger measure of confidence 1 on their part, and will bring to Us the
 consclousness that not only have we
 neneflted ourselves pecuniarily, but what
 IS more important, that we have done the | right thing" o
 Before the American Iron and Steel institute as far back as 1912 Judee
 Gary said in regard to the welfare
 work of the United States Steel cor poratlon, which was occupying his at
 tentlon and that of all the men con l nected with the organization. and 1 which in the Birmingham district is l oovlously one of the most successful | activities inaugurated by the great l tennessee Coal and Iron comp panv with Tn the past few years
 Already the seven-day week has been practically eliminated in all the larger plants of the iron and steel in dustry, even in the continuous opera tons where it had been regarded as unavoidable. Much thought has been given to the question of hours of la DOT and better conditions ars being gradually worked out. The prevention
 Of accidents has been investigated and safety devices costing vast sums of money. al how