Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-23
WOMAN HEADS BIG PLANT;
SHOWS WAY TO SUCCESS
Established Industrial Democ
racy in Decrepit. Tottering
Factory.

New York. Jan 20-When J. J, Rog-
ers took train for Les Angeles, Cal, one
dav recently he was accompanied by Miss
Anne Scott who was his stcnographcr
Is wears ago. She was going to Los Angeles
TO begin her duties as the president ot a
500. 900 industrial democracy, officially
known as the Bantam Bailbearlng Works.
There are two stories interwlncd here,
one. the factory itself which for fourteen
years has been making profits despite,
or because, of the fact that the employees
share heavily III them; the other, tho
story of this thirty-hve-ycar-old woman
who has been made head of It.
The first story is this: Rogers. who
has been an industrial engineer all his
life. went to Bantam 20 examine a de-
funrt plant that had been manufacturing
wire wheels lie was made receiver of the
concern and put it up at auction. With the
aid of several Bantam citizens he bought
II and began the manufacture of ball
bearings.
There was one problem before me
then. hc SAID How could | get my
men rs Interested III my proposition as
| was mvself2 This was back III 1905,
when they didn't talk Bolshevlgm and
the rule of the pruletariat | didn't want
any harebrained schemes. | was out for
cold business I knew it. was to be some
form Of proft-sharing, but | didn't know
just what
And then Miss Scott came along. For
four wears We dopcd out all sorts Of
,,lans of profit sharing. We had these out
IN dummy form. and each week we tested
#, for on the success Of the plan depended
the future of the factory. And then We
hit on it-productIon Dividends TO the
workers for increased production, for
increased sales. We put it into effect, and
II worked.
The great need Of industry, as Rog-
ars saw 1t, was 10 humanize IT, and Miss
Scott took part in this process There arc
the houses the workers own, for ono
thing
We start the workers on the path. I"
he explained. They put down their
initial deposits on the homes II thcy
pay up the instalments for a period ~
years, we Just give them the deed and tell
them TO forget the rest ="
But isn't that philanthropy" asked
a reporter.
Damn IT, no. shouted Rogers
That's business II shows in the work
they do. II shows in the attention they
give 10 the factory II shows IN their attl-
tude toward their employers,
II got sick several wears ago. he
said, "and ] put Miss Scott in my place
And, blame if, If she didn fire = supern-
tendent and put better one in his place
She went into that shop and studied the
men. She knew the ones that could do
things and those that didn {. II showed
IN their production, and she kept tabs
on all Of them She ran that factory better
than ever did. and ] m not saying that
because she IS here
Miss Scot: blllshed, and after pause,
said:
This work has heen nv life work
NV ideal Of factory has been realized
m our plant. That is because its such 4
human institution. What ! mean is that
whereas We don't have The factory where
ali men are machines, neither have We >
place where there Is slush Of all kinds
thInlv veiled philanthropy Our first duty
- to run the factory, turn ont the product
and we do that very we'll because the men
themselves are interested IN aceInsus make
a so Of II
Miss Scott gave brief outline Of che
0rgani cation known as n council, pf
which she has been q member for some
time. This council has senate and
house of representatives, II = composed
of the heads Of the various departments
The council listens 70 al suggestions
made by any Of the men. It's mccting9
are referred to as prayer meotlng-