Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-01
HOW DOES 1T
STRIKE YOU?

THE telephone company apologizing in an
l. advertisement for the ecccntricitics of its
present service heads its explanation, 1.-The
Human Side of Service"
1t says that more than 20, 900 Bell Tele-
phone employees went away to war
Those who remained and the others who
took vacant places were handicapped by the
state of the company's equipment, in which
repairs and additions have been made diff
cult by the lack Of materials during the war.
"The loyalty of the employees who stayed
at their tasks" says the advertisement, 'and
the fine spirit of the new employees deserve
public appreciation
Before the war, when people compared the
bad telephone service abroad with the good
telephone service in this country, they said,
"See the difference between government own
ership and private ownership
And they have been saying the same thing
about the American railroads during the war.
q q q
NOV it appears that the "human side OF
~ service" is big factor.
Perhaps it would be better to say that the
"human side of service" is the only factor
in the long run.
The case for private capital rests upon
human considerations.
Under private ownership the public gets
more initiative, more energy, more imagina-
ton, a better grade of human talent in the
management than it has yet been able to get
under state ownership.
And up until now it has obtained under
private ownership a fine grade of service from
employees.
The American railroads and telephone
hon thnt
had intelligent and loyal employees.
And this was especially true of the tcle-
phone companies and any other businesses
which could use the splendid supply of in
telligent and loyal woman labor in this
country.
q q
TNIIE American railroads are just going
l. back into private operation. Every one
admits that if private ownership does not
succeed, government ownership will be the
next step.
Tho future OF the railroads is a purely
human question.
Will private ownership get once more out
of labor the loyal and intelligent co operation
that labor once gave?
If it docs no one will ever propose gov
crnment operation.
If it does not, the country is likely TO feel
that Of the two elements in the human side
of service, initiative and energy In the man
agement and loyalty and intelligence among
the employees, the latter is the more impor-
tant, and to obtain this it may turn to gov
crnment ownership and operation, which the
employees desire.
q q q
TNHE Public Service Commission of New
l. York state has been investigating one
class Of employees, the telephone girl, and has
written 1000 words upon why she quits the
service.
It's experts have made two remarkable
discoveries.
One is that the telephone girl is young and
that she marries.
The other is-but 1t Is better to quote this
"Thc commission cannot but be impressed
with the thought that the company has cher
ished too dearly Its policy of fixed annual
dividend of per cent"
When New York finds non marrying girl
and a public service corporation that is in
different to dividends, evidently it will be
happy.
A USE has been found for one of the Great
~ Wars products poison gas.
Paris has stopped the spread of typhus by
disinfecting clothing and rooms with It.
Liquid fame failed TO remove the snow
from New York city's streets, the army of
fame -throwers only succeeding In making a
black smudge with their weapon.
The tank will so into agriculture and In :
dustry.
But the tank was not a war invention, but
was borrowed from agriculture.
The airplaue will 20 into sport, but the
airplaue was not war invention. Neither
was the airship. which has q large field OF
utility B
a.