The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-02-19


success has been through the cooper
alton of the employees themselves
through their safety committees.
Employees Must Be Heard.
1t has also been experimenting the
last three or four years with various
plans of employees representation or
committees to advise with the man.
Iagement on questions affecting the
employe. Although the company has
mot adopted any universal plan in
this direction, as local conditions
play such an important factor in
plans of this kind. the plan toward
which the management is leaning is
one that is briefly as follows:
To divide the plants into depart
ments along the most natural lines
and to have a representative or rep
resentatives elected from each de
partment by the men themselves.
voting in secret ballot, and these
representatives forming COMMITTEES
that will advise and consult with the
management
The problem of Industrial relations
is largely tied up with the attitude
of the management toward the men,
ANY plan is of itself not so import
ant as this general attitude A man
/ ager or superintendent who does not
understand and realize that his en-
ployes are human beings, actuated
by the same human motives that ac-
tuate him, is doomed to fail, no mat
ter how great his technical skill or
business acumen.
The company has also made con-
siderable progress along industrial /
service lines. 1t has employed visit
ing nurses to help the families and /
its employees, and it has established |
clubs of it's own and others in coop I
GRAFTON with the Y NJ. c. A. All of /
this work has been done of late years
in consultation with representatives
of the employees, and not given them
either as a charity or imposed upon
them as by a benevolent despot
System in Chile.
When the Chile and Braden Cop
per companies started their work of
developing mines in a previously UNI
developed country, the problem of
and caring for labor was !
an extremely important one. The
Chile Copper company since its in
ception (siX years ago., has expend-
ed over three and one-half millions
of dollars to take care Of the men
and their families who came to do
the work. At Chuquicamata, Chile,
there is a total population now of I
upward of 11.OOO, where a few years
ago there was nothing but an arid s
desert. J
The Braden company, too. with its
population of over $4,000, has spent I
two and one-half millions of dollars f
to furnish its property site with all I
the necessary appurtenances to make
it habitable and comfortable 7
Tt is interesting to note in this
that the progressive ideas
Of a United States company have
acted as inspirations to progress 7
along these same lines among the
employers of our sister republic, l
Chile
In a report recently made by
committee named by the president of 7
Chile to investigate the conditions Of 4
housing sanitation, living. education .
and like matters, existing among the +
vorkmen engaged in the nitrate and S
mining industries in the provinces Of
Tarapaca and Antofagasta. it was
stated concerning accident proven 1T
ion f
"As has been stated many times. n
he prevention of accidents and the r
)etterment of hygienic conditions for il
vorkmen are an Indispensable work =
# foresight, justice and Of human s,
,indness. In this respect we could t,
lite perhaps only one worthy exeep-
ion the Chuquicamata company,
which has already done much to-
ward improving hygiene and toward -
reventing accidents, and where the
eneral management appears to be
eally seriously carrying out the com O
letting and perfecting Of the meth
DIS already started with this object
q view"
Concerning the general hiring, m
andling and discharging of labor. tn
he report continues th
ction of the nitrate industry is that ",
f the mining company of Chuquica- it.
rata, a company which. being that on
is governed by world conditions. ar
as also been deeply affected by eco re
omic depression caused by the Eur hc
pean war. fc
This company has been obliged G,
uring the past few months to reduce
a considerable extent the number M
its workmen. But the reduction Of
as been effected throughout by de- an
rees and by small numbers at a tic
me, and in all cases the workmen TO
ave been advised beforehand and NJ
ave been given a respondingly at
Efficient length Of time to prepare. tn
I'd the company has taken upon it. in