Connecticut western news., 1917-01-25
OUR BUSINESS MEN
 ASK FOR PUBLIC
 C0-0?ERhII0N
Leaders Point Out Partnership BG.UGan Capital and Labor.
SAY INTERESTS ARE MUTUAL

Our Futuro Prosperity Depends on 6
 Better Understanding and More Frae- tical Application of Got. Together Spirit In lndussry-Iust Eliminate Trouble Breeders and Agtatcrs.
 A better public understanding and appreciation of the needs and problems Of our American industries Is conceded on every side to be one of the impor- tanr national requirements for the de- velopmcnt of our future industrial i prosperity Few people seem to un- derstand that the majority of our busi- ness men are fair minded. reasonable beings, lcgitimately engaged In the de- velopment of our economic resources | In the opinion of our business lead CTS this misunderstanding leads the public. through the legislators. into thoughtless and unnecessary acts of | renrisal against all branches of indus try, which are often inlmical to the best interests of their own community. l To cure this lamentable condition it is | first essential that closer degree of cooperative action for the common good he established between em. ployees and employers. The first step in this direction Is to eliminate the selfish. destructive agitator. This hap- i, py event would greatly facilitate a general get together spirit among em- ployers and workers.
 The Work That Men Do.
 The nation k confronted with more work than ever before-shlps to build, factories ta enlarge. railways to com | plctc. new foreign business Co be at. tracted and help to be extended to the unfortmates on the other side. There are about 90. .000.0 men at work;if they work ten hours n day that Is 30O,000,- GOO hours n day or a6.G00 100000 hours a year. If they work eight hours it Is | 7I.SS0.0 .0OonG0. or difference Of lS,- T20.eC0.cG0 hours q year. At eight hours ii day this means thnt about ! 7.400.000 more men must be employed 1 to do the work that could be done by | the 30000OO0. and where are they to come from7
 During the past year there has been Il unified and standardized banking cur rency system tried md not found wanting. But there are yet other steps to be taken before the ideal of eco- homie unit Is worked out.
 There are G620o0 stockholders of railroads in the United States. A large proportion Of them depend on the enrn- ] lngs of the carriers for a meager tn- come. Many of these stockholders have less than Sl.o0o year income, and they are unable to earn more. be- ing elderly persons or women. Thou sands of them arc former employees of the raihoads who depend upon their stock dividends to pay their rent and their grocery bills.
 Labor and Capital Are Partners The manufactured output of the United States amounts 10 S2SO00oOO.- 1 GOO in vnlne per annum. This Is three times the amount of the yearly output of the ranches, farms. orchards and gardens; it is dozen times the output of the mines: t is larger than the com | bined manufactures of any two foF- . | elgn nations. Labor received. as its share of the fruits of industry. wages ] amounting almost to seven billion dol- lars in the single year of 1914, Does not this, prove that the interests or employees are joint with thnse who employ them and that real partner ship exlsts1 B Today there are over l0O.000.0O0 peo- ple in the land who must be fed, clothed shelteredi kept warm and many of whom travel for health. pleas- | are in many places overtaxed Tn doing 1 this work.
 What will be the conditions when there are 150on0n0o people to he served?
 This means an addition of at least aD per cent to the number of tons of freight moved one mile and the num- k ber of passengers moved one mile. There was Il total mileage of 4lASSi in the hands of receivers in lOl5, ihak total capitalization of which wns S2.- 2Gt000.000. In that year alone 2nl431 miles Of road went into the hands of re- ceivers. and these roads had n total rapg italization of $l.0To os0s,62S. This com pares with 4.222 miles In 1914 with al total capitalization of Sia9,5Tl.Ai6. tn receivers hands. This is not n heathyI condition; 1t ix n malady that aIerts directly and indirectly every one in the country.
 Railways do not belong to few rich men or bankers There are at least 100000 owners of the securities of American railways. There are lSW. GOO men approximately employed in the railway service. The insurance companies have S1.500o 0o00.0O0 invested tn railway securities representing 30
 0OO.0n0 policy holders: savings banks have Ss0A.00O. GOO invested in whicu banks there arc 1i.000.n1O depoSitOrs.
 From 1909 to 1913 the States enact
 cd 00.o0l and congress enacted 2.Ola new laws which involved the e"nSih