The sun., 1919-08-10
Warns Public Whole Country Will
Suffer Unless Quick Action Is
Taken to Save Trolley Com
panies From Their Plight

Encouragement What chances have
they to make good as workmen in a
factory that doesn't make money?
believe that workers in such enter
prises should warn the owners that
unless better management Is provided.
better machinery installed or what
not. better systems Of handling ma
terials provided, SO that there will be
higher profits for them to share in.
they will quit in sheer disgust and so
to better managed enterprises.
81 believe that every one who really
counts would be delighted by strikes
of this sort: such strikers would de-
serve some public recognition, at least
as much as a reception.
But they can't always understand
the capitalist who talks business with
them. Suppose, for example. l put to
them a case like this: assume that in
town are two shops. manufacturing
the same article, with the same num-
Der of men, neither making any profit.
and then a new manager comes along
who makes one of the shops profitable
without working the employees any
harder, by turning out from 1t % per
cent. more than the old product. How
should this gain be divided?
Some men win say that the em-
ployer isn't entitled to any Of the in
crease, some will be more reasonable.
some will think fifty-flfty division
about right. It is curious.
"They resentthe millionaire. ask
them what millionaire has got that
| they haven't, and the reply win
be something like this: He has a mill
ion. while haven't 5000 I try to
explain that the million they say the
millionaire has he really hasn't got. for
1t is all invested in factories.
HE has nothing, in fact, except his
house, his furniture, his automobile
and he is giving employment to, say.
700 men. He las pieces of paper say
ing that the factory belongs to him.
but this paper is useless, for he can't
eat II any more than he can eat the
| factory and when he dies he can take
neither with him. His son will get
1t, and then the sons profits from IL
will go to build more factories, em-
p.oy more men, and so on forever.
Really the millionaire Is a mere
trustee who worries more than the
workman does, usually has poor
health, and really Is very little IL any
better off than the workman who has
sense and saves. But you can't make
tho workman see this.
More Education I'm Economics.
"He is hopelessly unable to UNDER
stand when / tell him that wealth
exists to-day grown out of the savings
Of the carpenters who built ancient
Rome and brought down through q
long line of capitalists, or rather trus-
tees; that possibly he will leave say
ings when he dies which will go chink-
ing down the years in the same man
ner, his descendants adding to them
until, perhaps, in a century or two,
. then living Socialists will seize the lot
and distribute II to the mob on the
ground that capitalists have obtained
their money wrongfully.
4 what the ordinary American man
needs to-day Is a little more education
in economics such as he had during
the Bryan campaign, when there was
an effort to work off 50-cent dollars on
America"
I asked Mr.. Edison what sort of an
operation of all public utilities and
the regulation Of their service and
profits.
THAT is a complicated proposition"
he replied "You had better ask Guy
E. Trip. He has had more experience
and has better vision than I have
on the subject" q have written to
Mr. Trip explaining this and asking
him). There is one thing which
should NOT be done, and that is opera
ton by municipalities. I may say
that contract might be made which
would work well under any circum-
stances. 1t would provide, first, for a
determination OF costs, and second,
state the allowable profits. Then a
clause should be inserted allowing the
companies half of all their savings in
the course of operation, the other half
to go to the community. with either
party at any time at liberty to call
for a new determination of profits and
costs. If the original basis of such a
contract was fair II 1t was drawn with
vision, then there would be no further
trouble in raising money for upkeep.
extension or operation and the public
would be rightly served at the right
price,
/ Copyright, 1919, By Edcdrd Marshall
II Syndicate, Inccorpordted.)