The Penn's Grove record., 1919-02-14
OVER THE RIVER
$1,000 DUPONT MEN GO TO NEW
PLACES
PowderwOrkers Discharged in Way
Not to Affect Industries

NOt " AhCCt
The Rehabilitation of war workers
engaged in manufacturing explosives,
loading shells and other military work
in the DUPONT munition plants, which
began when the armistice vas signed
November IL last, is now nearly COM
pleted and more than 10000 of these
workers have gone back into the in
dustries of peace.
When hostilities ceased the company
had approximately $4,000 men and
women engaged in war work. In ad-
dition to these S,643 of the company's
former employees were wearing the ma
TONS uniform, having gone into the
various branches of the service either
thru enlistment or draft. Every effort
has been made to care for these re-
turned soldiers and sailors and a
great number of them have resumed
their old positions; but the return of
the greatly-expanded war plants to a
peace basis has made it possible to find
places for all.
The release of the men and women
was accomplished in every instance
without crowding the labor market in
the communities near the plants. They.
were fed back into ordinary pursuits
gradually and unusual efforts were
made to place them in new positions.
At various times in the demobliza-
ton process, large numbers of men
were released. For instance, at one
of the war plants 1000 men left in
one week. At another approximately
5000 were released in a period of two
weeks. At another plant nearly
$4,000 were transferred to peace in
dustries within two months. In the
interval between these large demoblll-
cation movements small groups were
constantly released, the plan being
never to let go in a hap-hazard fashion
likely to result in labor congestion,
but always to see that they were able
to pass directly to peace-time work.
The employment service, when large
numbers of men were being demobil-
lied invited representatives of import
ant employing interests to come to
the plants. These included railroads,
s~hipyards, U. S. Employment Service,
and other large industrial enterprises.
The dupont employees were interview
ed by these representatives and were
takn over directly and their transpor-
tation paid to new fields of labor. This
Dldn was So SUCCESSFUL IIidI III III SdSC
of one war plant, on the day set aside
for a large rehabilitation movement,
there were not enough men released to
satisfy the needs of these outside rep
r~esentativeS.
Many of the employees had paid only
part of their liberty loan subscrip-
tons. If they were not able to con-
tinue their subscription the Company
reimbursed them. Some employees who
were living in the company's villages
had stocks of coal and wood in their
houses. These were bought by the
company.
At the same time that wage earners
were d~emobilized, a large number of
salaried employees were released. The
plan adopted by the company for the
salaried men vas to give to each one
who had been with the company for
one year., a months extra salary; for
those who had been with the company
for two or more years, two months
salary. The names of these men and
women were also sent, with a card
showing their service, to the Personnel
Division at the main office and they
were considered to be on furlough for
three months. Efforts are being made
to place as many of these salaried I'M
ployes in the peace-time development
of the company as possible.