Evening star., 1920-02-11
SHOP COMMITTEE IDEA
BEING TRIED IN MORE
THAN 250 U. S. PLANTS
CONTINUED from Third Page.)

ing the war an extraordinary ability to
get together" to infuse industry with
a spirit Of cooperation" and to accom-
plish great results in a short time.
Many "Systems" Here.
De Toqueville long ago called atten-
tion to the peculiar genius of Amer
leans for forming associations of all
kinds, for all purposes-in short, their
ability to work together.
wherever at the head of some new
undertaking you see the government
In France or man of rank in Eng
land, in the United States you will be
sure to find an association. The Eng
lish often perform great things sim
gly, whereas the Americans form as
sociations for the smallest undertak-
ings."
The American approach to the new
system Is by the American method
through encouragement by volunteer
associations and experimentation in
actual enterprises. 1t lacks the regu-
larity of a German system prescribed
by law or a British system carefully
studied by a governmental body and
adopted from above, but what 1t loses
In uniformity 1t may gain through
variety of creative experimentation; !;
the attempt by many individual brains
to apply the principle to specific cases.
This method cannot fail to produce
a greater degree of f1exibility and a
closer adaptation to actual needs than
any prepared plan. The creative i'm
pulse thrives best where experimental
tion is freest.
So it is that when we endeavor in
America to define exactly what the
new system of industrial democracy
really is. we find large number of
different plans" or "syRtems.' vary
ing widely in detail and still more
widely in spirit. We have the Colo
| RADIO Fuel and Iron plan, the Bridge
port plan. the Leitch plan.. the Anal
| others, and as yet no comprehensive
governmental plan at all. 1t is a
movement which has grown more OF
less spontaneously from within.
| Now. l shall not enter here into q
discussion of the details of these va
former article exactly how the sys-
tenn was applied in one small indus
try. but there are certain broad gen.
! eral principles which underlie the en-
| tire movement. Fundamentally, the
effort is to do away gradually with
the old autocratic and militaristic or
ganization of industry, and substitute
for 1t a new cooperative and demo-
cratic organization.
Labor Partner Unaer Plan.
Under the new system labor is no
longer regarded as a mere part of the
! machinery, but as a partner with a
definite snare in the management. The
essential structure is very simple. It
by the workmen of a shop or an in
dustry (hence the name shop COM
| mittee" or employees representa-
tivesD to meet similar committees
appointed by the management. thus
producing works council or trade
hno n n In
Of the problems Of management-be-
ginning with the problems especially
affecting labor-working conditions.
wages, hours and the like. One vital
purpose of the movement it to reach
and deal with the causes of unrest
develop to the point of open war
(strikes).
1t may be a very crude and partial
arrangement in which only a little
democracy is let into the industry.
and only very limited powers con-
go to the length of admitting a repre-
sentative of the workers to a place
in the board of directors of the COM
pany. with extensive privileges of
sharing in the profits and Of purchas-
ing stock in the Gorporation-as in
which have already described. All
Of the experiments represent an ap-
proach to Industrial democracy"
Those who wish to go into the whole
| matter more fully-and there is a
notable awakening of interest in this
further information in certain books
and reports. or. better yet. by visit
ing some plant where the system is now
in operation. The subject is as yet SO
very new and the developments are
SO rapid that the literature Is rather
kS bfoh
interpret the spirit of the movement
are Industrial Good WILL" by Prof
John r. Commons Of Wisconsin Uni
versity. one of the best of our Amer
can authorities. and Industry and
Humanity" by w. L. Mackenzie King,
former minister of labor of Canada.
For a more detailed account Of actual
plans in operation there is a report
on "Shop Committees and Industrial
Councils" publish ed by the New Jersey
State Chamber Of Commerce. Newark
N. j.. and a summary. Works Coun-
ellis in the United States" by the Ma
tional Industrial Conference Board, Is
Beacon street. Boston. This latter is
report made under the direction Of
twenty-five Of the foremost Employ
ers' Associations of America. Other
reports may be obtained from the
United States Department Of Labor;
and there is a small box by W. l..
War Labor Board in establishing shop
committees.
Much Opposition.
Much opposition to the new system
in America is to be found among both
employers and employees. Upon the
side of the employers it is due in part
to the natural inertia Of men who
| have succeeded by the old method.
who know that method well, and are
n a ~ ~. =
venture. in part to the human desire
to maintain Authority" and in part
to the short rt-sightedness that sees
more immediate profit in the present
system. 1t is so much easier to BOSS
than to cooperate. And the new sys-
ployers will examine it seriously only
after they have been through the
hard punishment Of strikes or other
labor disturbances.
1t is among the younger. more pro-
gresstve, more thoughtful employers
that the movement Is spreading most
rapidly. Since the close Of the recent
steel strike employers opposed to the
plan have called attention to the fact
that employees working in companies
| having the new system Gn a more or
less rudimentary form). like the Colo
rado Fuel and Iron Company and the
Midvale Steel Company, went out on
strike with the other steel workers.
This Is true Except as to the Beth
lehem Steel Company. where the new
| plan of cooperation and conciliation
was largely instrumental in keeping
the plant going). but significantly it
has not discouraged a single one Of
these great employers. They are go
ing straight ahead with their for
ward-looking experiments. AS the
iron Age well says in an editorial:
I'VE have looked upon the steps
taken by various steel companies to
cultivate better relations with their
| employees through conference COM