The Washington times., 1921-01-02
FORD CLOSING
9STUNSDETRO|T
$4,000 Employees, Laid OF Until
February 7, Puzzled by
Manufacturers Policy.
BY ED SULLIVAN,
Universal Service.

Happy New 1ear-lf mats what
il is to be-gets under way with
more confusion and doubt than this
motor boom town has known In Its
history. Detroit isn't certain ot
thing in the world with the rainy
dawn of 1921.
First, every house number in the
city was changed today under the
city reimbursement plan, and second,
Henry Ford's factory is closed until
February z, at least.
CITY IS IN COMA.
Either development would be
enough to daze any town, but the
second item puts Detroit In a sort OF
a coma. When IL RECEIVERS 1t will
have material for ii years gossip.
For with the shutdown OF the
entire Ford works. $4,000 unemployed
workmen are added to the more than
10O.0SS unemployed created by recent
shutdowns OF other Detroit concerns.
Those $4,000 have reason to Won
der how 1t will all work out and the
thousands of merchants and others to
whom they owe money or with whom
they would normally trade have rea-
son to wonder with them.
But for a psychological reason De-
troit Is not panic-stricken at the out
look,
FORD KEEPS SILENT.
Briefly. although II was astounded
by the decision of Henry Ford to close
his plants, IL is none the less reas-
sured by the fact that Mr.. Ford is
factor in it's present crisis.
He has said nothing and given no
tangible basis for the idea that he
= al. ,.nt
things, but Detroit believes Ford
can do anything and has long been in
the habit OF expecting him to do
everything.
Inquiry leads to the belief that the
people of Detroit know less about
cnry Ford than do residents of most
other sections of the country, bat
hey do know that he treats his work
men well, that he is interested IN
them. that he makes Americans of
them, and that his influence upon them
portends any possibility OF their be-
coming a public nuisance when idle.
The Ford workers know that the
workmen of other plants, such as the
Dodge, Thinker, Studebaker. CONT
mental and Cadillac plants have been
idle from two weeks to two month )
because of dwindling orders. They
are convinced that their own idleness
will be terminated in a month ex-
actly.
EMPLOYEES GET BONUS.
Furthermore, there is the usual
Ford balm at this time of trial, for
the 56,O80 workmen will receive Il
bonus aggregating sGG00,000 within
ten days.
The bonus comes in amounts of
from $40 to $270 and the vast ma
jority of the workers qualify.
In other words, it isn't so much the
result of Mr.. Ford's action as the &C
ton itself which astounds and lis
turbs Detroit.
The closing of other factories was
assumed to be normal result of I'M
happy financial and business condi-
tons in the country. Even the Dodge
plant shutdown elected little COM
ment
But Henry Ford, whose Industrial
prestige has been always extending,
with no show of hating, much less
turning back, paralyzed the town with
the bare announcement.
Since then there has been basis for
returning confidence, even at the OUT
set of the lay-off, but the incident
shows clearly that Henry Ford's po-
sition is contingent upon his continued
and increasing success.
Success is an automatic answer to
attack, but If by any chance the pres
cnt shutdown had been due to danger
Gus business or financial complica-
tons, there were tceth-a-plenty barred
for Henry.
FORD IS DISLIKED.
When he cut the price of his cars
on September 81 he did it out Of the
clear blue. He acted independently,
as always, and his Detroit competitors,
panicked like every other factory in
the industry, added the action to
many Ford Inspirations which have
hurt every one in the business but
Mr.. Ford. They don't like him.
His own distributors throughout
the country, for whose work and
initiative Mr.. Ford has but little en-
thusiasm, were caught with thou
sands of cars which had to be sold
at loss.
They had no hint of the unexpected
cut. They knew his attitude toward
them, his confidence that salesman
ship is "A lost art when a Ford is on
the market, because the car sells it
self. They don't like him.
Even his workmcn, who are with
him to man when the shedding Is
good and the benefits obvious are
not enthusiastic about his methods OF
bestowing his welfare.
METHODS DIsLIKED.
They like the opportunity to buy n
Rouse at cost in his housing colonies
at Highland Park and Dearborn, but
they are not keen ut all about the
inspectors who como into tho houses
now and again a. Mr. Ford's order
and view the family handbook. sug-