Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1923-02-09


all employees who have served three
years or more. It is to be distributed
according to a sliding scale, ranging
from $500 worth of stock allotted to
all those who have been In the EN-
ploy of the company for three years
to $4,000 worth OF stock for those who
have been longest in the service of
the firm. These employees will re-
ceive yearly as a fixed charge upon
the earnings Of the business, 20 per
cent of the amount Of their stock. OF
this 20 per cent, so per cent win be
put aside to pay off the cost of the
stock, and the remaining 90 per cent
will be paid to the employees in cash.
After the stock is paid up it will bear
a per cent dividend on a par value
of 800. BY means OF illustration,
this means that one Of the employees
who has been with the company Just
three years receives $500 worth OF
stock. Next Devember he will receive
800, and of that amount 80 will be
applied to the purchase of the stock
and $50 viii be paid to him in cash
to be disposed Of as he wishes. This
viii continue until the stock is paid
for and then it will bear the per
cent dividend If the employee leaves
before the stock is paid for he will re-
ceive in cash the amount that he has
paid on 1t in this way Arrangement
has been made so that new employees
coming into the service will receive
stock on the completion of three
years of work.
Earlier Industrial Experiments.
This unusual plan is only the cul-
mination of series of unprecedented
industrial experiments put into ef-
feet by Mr. Dix. About three years
ago he put his four plants, three in
New Jersey and one in New York, on
a five-day weekly schedule, leaving
the daily hours unchanged-eight
hours in New York, nine hours in
New Jersey-and found that the
workers were In better condition and
that production increased on this
schedule. No change was made in
the wages Of week workers, and neith-
er was the piece rate reduced. so that
the wages Of the piece workers either
remained the same or were increased
with the increase of production. The
factories are closed down for two
weeks each summer. employees re.
ceive vacation with pay and the
plants are renovated, painted and pui
in perfect order. No overtime is ever
worked. Orders are refused II they
cannot be filled during the regular
working hours. There is no unem
ployment. Even during the depres
sion after the armistice the Dir
plants were kept running. Comment
ing on this Mr.. Dix said: 1--WE decid
ed our people couldn't afford to bs
without work, so we determined t.
make up goods for stock We didna
lay off a man. We didn't reduce tbs
number Of hours. We didn't reducs
the pay" IN. Y. Evening Post, Jan
uary 1, 1929. There has never beer
any contracting out Of work, SO tina
there has been no possibility o
sweatshop work. Wages have beef
equal to those paid by competition
and in addition the employees have re
ceived a bonus as means OF distrib
uting the profits. This bonus hai
ranged from 10 per cent to s71k pc
cent of the weekly ways. There hal
been no reduction Of wages and thl
peak war wages and the 37H pc
cent bonus have become the regular
wage.
Dix Attitude Stated.
When the transfer was announces
Mr.. Dix's son, M. H. Dix, stated hi
fathers attitude as follows:
when my father began bushes
% years ago he said that worker
generally got nothing except thei
wages for their services, and he Eel
that such a system was wrong. H,
felt that those who give their live
to building up a business for anothe
man should have some share beyOnl
that Of mere wages in the concerl
which they helped to create.
From time to tmie he has tried {
make changes which would recognize
the human element In the success 0
a business concern. He shortened tn
working days and ran the place on
five-day week He inaugurated