Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-20

r. w. BABSON WARNS EMPLOYERS
NOW TO ADOPT MEASURES TO
STOP FUTURE LABOR UNREST

called for reasons other than the ones
that backed the strikes of war time.
Then men went on strike for more pay.
They were courageous, confident, buoy
ant. They were sure of success. They
were seldom disappointed. In the fut-
ure, just ahead. they are going to strike
against attempts to rule out the unions.
They are not going to be as successful
as they were in the war time strikes.
I'm consequence of this the real
question of the next few years is as
to the frame of mind which labor is
going to have. In contrast with the
buoyant confidence of the war years,
labor is now going to be sullen, resent
full, revengefuI. What they do not gain
in open victories, they are going to be
disposed to accomplish by indirect
means. A man who cannot get his pay
raised can stall on the job. He can
get the best of his boss by all kinds of
nasty tricks in the factory.
These are short sighted policies. In
the long run they work to the disad-
vantage of labor. Still, they are the
usual occurs of labor when it is met
by obstacles that do not yield.
Right here is the problem of the
employer of the next few years. How
shall he meet the new temper of labor?
In my opinion that ugly temper must
be met by open dealing. by setting be-
fore labor the facts under which bust
ness is done and by admitting labor
progressively to a greater share in
management of the elements of the in
dustrial relation which most directly
concern labor. That is to say, the time
to develop personnel departments, set
up profit sharing, organize shop COM
mittees and all Of the rest of the
things that belong to this class is,
not when labor is in the saddle ard
holds a gun at the employers head,
but when the employer himself is in
the saddle and is in the position to
dictate terms.
THE employer does not have to take
this reasonable course. If he does not
want to. He can use these next years
to pile up trouble for himself and his
successors in days to come. II. how
ever, the employer is wise, he will take
advantage of his position to set up
the best kind Of machinery, with which
to defend himself and his industry. 1t
is not a question of strikes in the i'm
m ediate future. 1t will be a question
of sabotage. Sabotage, however, is
worse than strikes. 1t demands its
own IedtmenI.
I'm view of these conditions, invest
ors should give more thought TO the
labor policies Of the companies in
which they purchase securities. An
examination of corporation earnings
shows that the labor policy is the great
determining factor between profit and
loss during normal times. This espe-
cially applies to various concerns in the
same line of industry. They all pay
approximately the same price for raw
materials; they all have practically the
same hours of work. but one company
succeeds and the other fails. Statistics
show that the difference is very large
ly due to their labor and financial poll
cies. Therefore, conservative investors
will seek securities OF companies
which have a broadminded labor policy.
and which companies are now develop
ing plans which will be of use when
the next period of prosperity comes.
Ice cannot be gathered in the summer,
but must be put up in the winter when
it is not needed. The same principle
applies to labor. Labor troubles are
very difficult to settle when they oc-
cur. Wise manufacturers prepare. dur
ing such times as these, preventative
measures SO that labor troubles will
not occur when times are good"