The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-09-11
DAN HOLLAND WRITES
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM AKRON, OHIO

HUUl HNiIUH, UIIu
Daniel Holland, who is at Akron
Ohio writes the Telegram the follow
ing interesting letter:
I have intended writing you for
some time to tell you how much ]
enjoy the Telegram. although it is
about four days old when get it.
I read it through, then turn it over
to Mr.. Van Huss, who anxiously
waits for me every every morning to
get it. l am going to Atlanta the
middle of this week so I wish that
you would change the paper to sos
Spring street, Atlanta, and I'll mail
you check from there. I am going
back to school and do my best to get
a diploma for I have certainly learned
the value it has toward landing you
in good position. Nearly every place
you 60 they want to know If you
have one, for there is plenty of room
for college men here and in fact any
kind of man from dish washer to
a street car conductor.
This is the most peculiar town !
have ever seen, thirty odd rubber
plants, employing from one to TWEEN
ty-five thousand men and women,
making pretty big population and
the town is about half large enough
to accommodate them, so 1t sure Is
task to find room. expected to
live in some little dive at first but
was very fortunate in finding an aw-
fully nice place. The population is
so mixed and roaming that anyone Is
taking a chance on anybody they
don't know.
have had several letters from
fellows at home wanting to know
about work here. wrote them all
but must not have written very en-
couragingly as none Of them have
shown up. For any ones information
that should want to come, I'll says
they needn't worry about Job Of
any kind-there is plenty of work and
lots OF money, the hardest job you
have is holding on to 1t. You may not
land good paying job at first but at
! ter hiring in the rubber plants you
can soon find the good paying de-
partments and get transfer, for men
are quitting in every department ev-
cry day. When l hired in with Good
year they said they were giving me
q good clean job-ohe Of the best in
the plant. 1t paid 40c per hour with
"a bonus of II cents on each tire
finished until l was able to 60 on
piece work. Well, l finished four
days and by that time had corns
about inch deep all over my palms
and blisters an inch high on all my
fingers. told them I had enough SO
they transferred me to the stock
room where marked side walls and
covers. made 72c an hour there
and 1t was pretty soft job. but
was not satisfied (neither are many
other Of the employees there), so
went to Firestone. I was boarding
with the foreman of the spreading
room department and he got me 0
job in there. | went on piece work
the first day as third man, made SAC
the first week. then was put on as
first man and have been making bet
ter than So day ever since. an
merely telling you this for an idea Of
the way they pay, and after several
thousand men get their bit you DOM
wonder why tires are so expensive.
These plants are beyond your
imagination. Goodrich the largest
covers nearly hundred acres, is two
miles around the plant and employs
ever twenty-five thousand men ant
women. They work three shifts ant
run twenty-four hours a day. Nearly
every operation is on piece work ant
the efficiency is simply marvellous.
any of the fellows there at HON,
come up Firestone is the best plac,
to work. They treat their employee
better; over 80 pct. of them owl
stock and they also pay bonus o
ten per cent each week for perfec
attendance.
| had a letter from Cecil Pillan
wanting to know about conditions
here. l really should have gotten hin
up here for his having induced me Il
go to the wheat fields one summer
but / don't believe he and Bill Sam
men would be safe up here among al
these wild wimmn' for they are Ger
tainly plentiful and of the most Low
ing disposition you have ever seen
This is the most wonderful plac
to open business in the country
everyone has money; there is abso
lutely no credit and no deliveries
It is better to be established but III