The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1919-03-07
While Others Discharge rlen For
Belonging To Union, Ford's
Choose Any They See Fit
When Big Employers Associations
Said Wages Must Come Down
Ford Increased Them

urged to let an agent of the company
look over the property to see whether
it is really worth what he is being
asked for it. BY this means alone
nearly 100000 has been saved for
the men. The company also sees the
title to the property is good, so that
the average workman's ignorance of
realty laws may not result in his
being swindled
At the end of the 90-day period,
if it has been found that John is a
decent married man who provides for
his family, he is told that he is now
profit-sharer. This means that he
gets so cents an hour wages and 25
cents an hour profit-$6 per day min
imum. The scale runs up to as high
as SO per day for men who are not
salaried employees.
If the employe is single man he
likewise has to show that he is lead
ing a pretty decent life and is saw
ing his money. The idea is pounded
home that Ford wants the men to
save for their own sakes so they will
have something when the rainy day
comes.
At the end of six months partici-
patton in profits, the man is visited
again and is asked how he is coming
along with his savings, At the end
of another year he is visited once
more The idea is to find out what
he has accomplished in 1S months of
good wages. If his record is good he
is placed on what amounts to an honor
roll and is not visited again unless
he leaves his family or neglects them
or begins to waste his money Of all
the men working in the Ford plant
on the day / was there only five had
failed to become profit sharers
There are nearly 1000 Ford en-
ployes in the armed service of the ma
ton These men will not have to be
on probation for 80 days. They are
getting jobs as rapidly as they come
back and start in at once on the sc
wage.
There are thousands of foreigners
in the Ford army of workmen. Fol-
their benefit Ford maintains schoo
in the afternoon. 1t is easy for most
of them to attend it, as the bulk o1
them are off work comparatively
early in the day. For instance, 23,
600 persons start at Is minutes inter.
walls from $50 to 8 in the morning
II 900 more work in the afternoon
early evening shift-and the balance
in the midnight shift, which IS to be
done away with entirely some day
The foreigners are taught English
and the very first thing they are
taught are these proud words: an
an American" And they are urged
to become naturaEzed citizens.
Ford has found his short day, higl
wages and paternalism pays. In 191;
the year before he made his faraou.
SIS minimum wage, 52,445 people en-
tered the employ of the concern anC
50,488 left This was very large
labor turnover. The last repor
showed only about 20 per cent turn
over. In the motor department i
was found that with relatively the
same number of men, there was al
output of 1900 parts in eight nour'
as against 6125 in nine hours. IN tn,
radiator department the output jump
ed from $50 in nine hours to 1900 IL
eight hours. Sixty-fve men formerl.
produced 800 gasoline tanks in nin'
hours. Sixty men now produce 120I
in eight hours That's how Ford ha
cashed in.
But the men have also found i
pays. Last reports furnished m
showed that on Jan. /, 1917, 1649 me-
owned their homes, the total valu
being $4,157, 900; 1908 more wer
buying on time homes worth a tota
of $40,861, 900, and had already pal
down s13,99O,OOO; 29,291 men ha
bank accounts with total of $9,137
t 619 on deposit.
! Between Jan. IL, 1914, when tn
first minimum wage and eight-hou
E day announcement was made, and Jal
5 IL, 1917, the number of men wit
4 bank accounts increased 817 per cen
Z with life insurance policies 847 pe
{ cent; with homes paid for 788 pr
0 cent; with homes in the process I
: payment 1145 per cent.