Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-10
NH IODDnEGAN
ASNEWSDOY HERE
Masfer ShipbuiVder Who Gave
~ 900, 600 to Employees Has
Own Philosophy Of Labor
vTHEY EARNED IT." HE SAYS

PhilsdeIphia can claim some share in
William III. Todd, one OF the wofld
caster shipbuilders. the man who re-
emily gave away 81 ,000, 900 in stock 10
Ma <mployes. >.
7e once was newsboy in this city.
Afflling his ''ux- trees" with boyish
Nm that the years developed into tine
nASterful vigor Of planner and execu-
tive.
Then he was a train butcher" sell
Ink magazines, fruit, candy and cigars
on Pennsylvania Railroad trains be-
tween this city and Baltimore.
Now he il president Of the Todd
6hipysrds Corporation, controlling
tards and drydocks on the eastern and
Western coasts with more than lo,Voo
men on his payrolls.
Says Men Work 'With Him"
when he gave 81 ,O0o, 900 in stock
10 kis employees last week he simply was
putting into prcatice philosophy grow
Ing from long association with workers:
Todd says his men don't work FOR
him. They work with him.
The master shipbuilder laughed wheu
nsked IL philanthropy prompted MIN 10
give away 81 900, 900.
81 gave 1t to the boys because it was
coming to them, because they had
earned il, because promised 1t to
them," he said. "I didn't really give
II away at that. We're all working to-
Eether. We all did pretty good work
for the last four years and l simply
was giving the gang l work with a
split on what we made"
Mr.. Todd, whose vast yards are tree
from labor trouble, insists his attitude
towards labor is purely one OF common
sense.
sIoyalty of labor? You can't buy
that with a million times q million. In
centive to increased efficiency? There
not a big man in our outfit who wa'
not lifted out of the ranks by his owr
effort. Philanthropy Workmen don't
want philanthropy. They want a fair
deal all around"
No Time for Sinking Employe
The former newsboy has little time
for the employer who gets into holt
Of his own making and then runs TO
his workmen to be helped out. He has
equally as little time for the shirking
emgloye. ,..,.. ohio s.vs bs
can't work more than six hours day,
he explained, "and when he gets the
six hours complains that, six hours pay
Is NOT enough to live on. Why doesn' {
he work longer. then. l am working
more hours a day now than ] ever did.
WI Mr.. Todd emphasized working and
saving as the cardinal rule OF success
Some part of every ones earnings, nc
aid. should be saved, even If only hfty
cents week.
AZ for the high cost Of living, Mr.
Todd has his own views on that. HI
T. Ali snAet y,1pcf Evctau Of Ipt
ting war contracts was largely respon
sible.
THAT cost-plus plan was no goo
for ANYBODY" he asserted. II neve
took one unless it was forced on us
We built mine sweepers during the wa
ON q lump sum basis and we turned ou
nine sweepers to the other fellows on
right along. Cost t-plus is simply al
inducement to lay back, pile up con
Struction costs and add to your prom
BY percentage. It's likely to make con
tractor and workman alike lose self
respect"
Middle Class Has Been Hit
Mr.. Todd insists that something mus
be done for the middle class Of Amer
ica's population. the white collar
class. neither capitalists nor laborers.,
Sunless some one watches out, n
warned, there will be an uprising o
the middle people in this country. The,
are the ones whose interests have no
been considered. The big fellow an
thejworkman may be able to fight it out
but the people who are not In the capi
wialist class nor yet laborers have rights
t'too. The American people are no
FOOLS"
Mr.. Todd. son of James and Saral
T.. Todd, was born in Wilmington, Del.
November 81. 1854 His father ha,
been Philadelphian. BE was Marie,
ia 1850 to Miss Mary Emma Babcock