Denver labor bulletin., 1917-04-21
INSURANCE FREE
TO MANY WORKERS
AMERICAN SMELLING COM
PANY STATES PLAN.
All Employed Over One Year at
Plants, Mines and Mills Are Bene-
ficiaries Under Welfare System
Just Put Into Operation.

This week there reached The Bulle-
tin office little booklet issued by the
American Smelling and Refining COM
pany, outlining its policy in matters
relating to the welfare of the thou
sands of men employed by this cor
poration. The booklet contains a pre-
face by William Loeb, Jr., manager
and director of the labor and welfare
department of this corporation, former
collector of the port of New York.
The company has voluntarily estab-
lished a system of gratuitous death
benefits in the nature of life insur-
ance for its employees and their fami-
lies or dependents.
Effective January 1, 1917, the COM
pany, at its own expense, issued to
each wage Garner employed at any of
its plants, mines or mills in the Unit
ed States, who have been in the serv-
ice for one year or more, certificate
of indemnity, paying in the event of
death for any cause while in the en-
ploy of the company, $1,000 to the
families or dependents of married men
and $500 to the dependents of single
men. The indemnity will be paid in
all or part as soon as satisfactory
proof of death and Identification of
beneficiary is made. At the end of
ing the company will issue new certi-
ficate, increasing the amount $100 in
the case of married men and $50 in
the case of single men, so that even
tually the beneficiaries will receive
81 500 and $3.50 respectively.
This protection will be provided and
certificate issued without discrimina-
tion as to language or nationality, col
or or creed, irrespective. of age and
without medical examination. All cost
of this system of life protection or
death benefits will be borne by the
company and wholly without charge
ton whatever with employees hospi-
tails or benefit funds, or any similar
expenditures of the company.
The motives which actuate the COM
pany in taking this action, as an
nounced in the circular, may be sum-
married. as follows:
The company regards itself as un-
der an obligation to its faithful and
regular employees, who do its work and
keep it's operations going, in the same
way that it is under an obligation to
the stockholders whose savings and
investments furnish the capital for
it's business. With regard to employees
the company is concerned with the well
fare, not only of the men, but of their
families. Its aim is, therefore, in adj
dition to paying them a fair living
wage, as high as prevailing labor con-
ditions and the competitive nature of
the industry will allow, to provide
safe and suitable conditions for their
employment, to promote their general
health and well being, to furnish aid
and relief in the case of sickness and
accident, and to make provision for
those growing old in the service. In
furtherance of this aim, the company
employs safety experts and engineers,
installs safety devices, provides hos
pital care and medical service, admin
listers workmen's benefit funds, and
maintains an old age pension system,
all under the direction of permanent
labor and welfare department. In this
way, while supplying the means of
livelihood for them and their families,
the company hopes also to spread
feeling of contentment among its
workmen, to give them a sense of Sc
curity in their employment, to earn
their loyalty and confidence, and to
give them sound reasons for believing
that the company's interest is their
interest, and thus promote a relation
of mutual consideration productive of
the best results for both employer and
employe.