The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-12-22
BONUS SYSTEM
FOE OF TO|LERS
Speeding Up Of Industry Soon
Breaks Health Of Workers.
sCRApPED IN THEIR PRIME

30 Called Scientific Management 10
Constantly Increasing Number of In
dustrial Pessotives--No Need of So-
ciai MISREPRESENTATION 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 8.
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.
"One Of the most Ubiquitous phases
Of SO called scientific management"
said Mr.. Stone, lis 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, ~ to obtain 100 per
cent efficiency. W that is achieved
or very nearly so t..Sn 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 hSs unceasing toll to still
bigger DIVIDENDS.
This question is closely allied with
that of social insurance, which we
bear so much about. The hrst 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-
lat1on 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-
lion and prevention, instead OF In ap-
plying remedy after the trouble has
happened.
'The workers of this country do noe
want paternalism. They want living
wage, measured by the American
standard of living. I am opposed to
the paternal idea Of government. l am
rrevocably opposed to any Jaw that
will destroy the economic pc 4ser of tho
toilers. N
Sponsors Of social inst point
% the wonders which they eSSy nave
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 lhe whole idea OF social
insurance is predicated upon theory
Of government hateful to Americans.
"Labor does not want charity, noc
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
40 a subject for inquiry rather than as
q man. It would mean that the worker
must accept the services of duly dele
gated physician when Iii, whether he
had any confidence in him or not. Elk
pesience 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 servics 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
Tanks. The Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers has In effect SAT, 0O0,-
600 worth of insurance, and not sim
gle member of the organization is q
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 per cent OF
the men'g earnings. Under this plan
they receive full benefits for q number
OF injuries that would disqualify them
aa engineers.
1T Is OF much greater Importance to
prevent sickness and disability than to
pay sickness insurance. Cut down this
high speed In industry, eliminate ia
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 wage
that not only will enable the worker to
live as he should live, but one that will
enable him to lay up competence foI
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 fireside and not be COM
PEELED to ask charity"