The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-03-03
| BONUS SYSTEM
| FOE OF T0|LERs
Speeding Up Of Industry Soon
Breaks Health Of Workers.
sCRApPED IN THEIR PRIME

% SdHSu oCieFltiHc management 10
Constantly Increasing Number of In
dustrial Defectives-No Need of So
cial nsurance-Labor Wants Not
Charity, but Fair Compensation.
"The present speeding up of industry
and driving of workers at high tension
is constantly increasing the number Of
Industrial detectives"
That Is the declaration of Warren s.
Stone, grand chief of the International
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers
Mr.. Stone has some decided opinions
upon the subject, believing that the
tendency Of many scientific manage
ment plans Is to undermine the health
of workers and render them unfit for
further employment when they should
be in their prime.
Zone of the most iniquitous phases
of so called scientific management"
| said Mr. Stone, sis the bonus system.
| Wherever you find the bonus system
| you find men overworked and suffering
from over fatigue that soon breaks
| their health. The aim of all these
plans, we are told, is to obtain 100 per
cent efficiency. When that is achieved
or very nearly so then what? Manage
ment experts Immediately want to i'm
prove upon perfection and get even
more out of the worker. By giving
him a slender share in the profits they
seek to turn his unceasing toll to still
bigger dividends.
This question is closely allied with
that of social insurance, which we
hear SO much about. The first thing
to do In order to establish social in
surance is to divide workers into two
groups-those eligible for benefits and
those considered capable to care for
themselves. This governmental regu-
lation would tend to fix citizens into
two classes. And 1t would destroy the
/ very foundation of our principle of gov
ernment-the spirit of independence.
Solution of the problem lies in educa-
ton and prevention, instead Of in ap-
plying a remedy after the trouble has
happened.
"The workers of this country do not
want paternalism. They want a living
wage, measured by the American
standard of living. am opposed to
the paternal idea of government. am
lirrevoeably opposed to any law that
viii Coy tne economic power of the
toilers.
/ sponsors of social insurance point
to the wonders which they say have
been accomplished in Germany by such
means. Do you know that Germany's
normal rate of sickness is higher than
ours? In 1914, before the war, Ger
many's poverty was much greater than
ours. And the whole idea of social
insurance is predicated upon theory
| of government hateful to Americans.
Labor does not want charity, nor
pity, nor coddling. We want that
which is due us--a fair compensation
for work well done. Social insurance
laws could not be enforced without the
aid of police power, giving government
agents the right to invade the home
the poor mans castle-and treat him
as a subject for inquiry rather than as
a man. 1t would mean that the worker
must accept the services of duly dele
gated physician when i'll, whether he
had any confidence in him or not. Ex-
perience in England has shown that
one Of the most serious drawbacks OF
social insurance as tried in that coun-
try has been the poor quality of medi-
cal service rendered. The plan begets
graft, politics, pork. at every turn.
"Let me give you an instance of what
union labor is doing within its own
ranks. The Brotherhood Of Locomo-
tive Engineers has in effect $147. OOO,-
600 worth of insurance, and not sim
gle member of the organization is
public charge. All of them come under
the insurance classification of an 'ex-
ira hazardous occupation but we have
worked out plan of adequate insur-
ance that costs only about 3 per cent OF
the mems earnings Under this plan
they receive full benefits for number
of injuries that would disqualify them
as engineers.
ut is Of much greater Importance to
prevent sickness and disability than to
pay sickness insurance. Cut down this
high speed in industry, eliminate In
sanitary conditions, make industrial
plants livable places in which to work
and much of the need for state relief
of the individual will have been re-
moved. And couple with that a wage
that not only will enable the worker to
live as he should live, but one that will
enable him to lay up competence for
his old age, so that when he has work
ed out his natural period of labor he
can sit down in the sunset glow OF life
by his own freside and not be COM
lpelled to ask charity"