The Penn's Grove record., 1919-08-15
WHAT WAS SAID AT THE CON
FERENCE f4I2

-, FERENCE M2
Conference was he'd Wednesday after
noon, August 13th;in the dye works
lunch room, when q meeting of the
Works Conference was held for organ
ization of the committee and prepara-
ton for future meetings. Mr.. c. d.
Porch, Superintendent of the Dye
Works, opened the meeting with a
short address, congratulating the
elected representatives and assuring
all of his whole-hearted cooperation
and inviting a spirit of open and free
debate on all questions brought up be-
fore the Conference. Mr.. Porch
closed by introducing Mr.. Irenee du-
Pont, President of the Company. The
opening address was as follows:
What Mr.. Porch Said
AS this is the first meeting of our
newly adopted Works Conference, |
have asked you gentlemen to meet in
an informal way today in order to get
acquainted, and as a preliminary step
to that of getting down to actual bust
ness.
Primarily, we are all employees of
the dupont Company. AS we are
located here at the Dye Works, we are
a part of the same industrial unit; so,
naturally, our interests run in the same
direction. This plan was adopted In
order to unity these interests.
/ want you men, all of you, regard
less of whether you are elected or ap-
pointed members of this committee, to
fully realize you have here a COM
munity of interest, and these meetings
are for the purpose of ~furthering that
condition. If you will attend these
meetings in that spirit, your assistance
will be of untold advantage to men IN
my efforts to justly and fairly manage
the Dye Works Organization, and
am sure that such al attitude on your
part will reflect distinct advantage to
every employee of the Dye Works.
Our efforts here along the line OF
establishing a Departmental and
Works Conference is pioneer among
the dupont Plants, and it is of de-
cided interest to all employees IN the
large dupont organization to see how
much benefit we can derive from tins
opportunity for discussion and agree
ment. The organization of u work
has been followed with such interest
by our President, who has very kindly
consented to leave his many and con-
fning duties to attend our first meet
ing and to say a few words to us re-
garding our new work.
AT the close of Mr.. Porch's address.
Mr.. DUPONT was given an enthusiastic
reception, following which he outlined
the results which he expected from the
Employees Conferences, as follows:
Irenee duPont's Address
You can only judge the future by
the past. You then a get a better
understanding of the eventual results
of the step that has been taken, If you
will go back with me and consider the
way industry has been operated IN the
past.
Fifty years ago, perhaps there are
some here who can remember the Tune
manufacturing industries were man
aged by the e The owner dlo
not ask for suggestions from his pr1n,
cipal ~lieutenants, to say nothing OF
the workmen; in fact he would
have resented suggestions from them
probably on the theory that if they
thought too much, they would embarB
in the business themselves, and ne
would lose part of the trade.
An industrial business was treateo
in very much the way you would trea'
YOUR hen o You do not want any
body interfering to suggest how yot
might get more eggs or how much yot
ought to feed the chickens, but are
reasonably satisfied if you get the
eggs required for your wants.
AS this went on, those managers
who tended to seek advice from the1l
ablest men forged ahead of the ole
timers; a direct proof that comolnee
thought is better than individual
thought, the whole is greater thar an!
Of its parts.
What will it do to improve the
efficiency? Most workmen would I'M
mediately say that the results VIII nov
to the owner in increased earnings
and dividends. That does appear a
first thought exactly what would hap
pen, but in the long run, n eonslo'
ering the country as a whole, the re
suit is very different.
If the farmer produces more food
the clothes maker produces more
clothing, the journeyman produces
more houses, the endless succession OF
factories produce more of the gooc
things that we all want, there is only
one result that a happen-there vii
be more for us to use. The more CT
| the good things of life which are pro
duced, the greater the share that WI
come to each of us and it is the work
men who feel the increase most. L
is your selfish interest and to the IN.
terest of every other workman IN the
United States to increase production
Nothing could be more fallacious than
the theory of restricted output. Per-
haps this would be clearer if you
would think what would happen II
each class of workmen produce exactly
half the total output of the present
The farmer half the food, clothing
maker half the clothing, builders hall
the houses and every factory in pro-
portion. Would not everybody &C
on short rations, do with less clothes
and less ample housing, and. less of g
J Continued on page4