The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-06

1nack of getting along well Wltn lapor'
 eofits and dividends are likely to suf-
 Satisfied workers mean satisfied
 Stockholders.
 How can workers be satisfied? Here
 the answer, given by the head or a IGrge enterprise, George M. Verity, presi- 3uent of the American Rolling Mlls Ibmpany, who is no theorist but speaks IEom long experience.
 q have been 33 years in industry and ife have never once had any iaDor |toubles in our organization or anything ordering on trouble.
 t"Giving workmen representation on | he board of directors is ooly a surface |esture and gets nowhere. You must Heat the blood if you are to remedy bad
 efects. |,"My experience with men has con- hnced me that the more the workers Understand the problems sof their com | any, the more they know about the |hsks of management, the more they | |nov about the hazards of business, the |tore they know about all the things |lhich the management have to wrestle l tith. the less the workmen want to do Fifth management and the more satistieo lacy are to be relieved of any respon- Ability whatsoever connected with the |hnning of the business.
 Most people do not want respons1- Eilities."
 N Under questioning MT. Verify con- |hnued: N "We take great pains to give our men Understanding of the economic problems |bf our business. We explain simply |ls we can, it's financial structure, what |hakes a sound financial structure ana |khat financial demands are upon the |Eusiness. We explain its income and ex- |Ienditures fully and lucidly. E"Suppose the company made $1,5OO,ooo |h three months. That looks like tre- |hendous lot of money to workman. But we get together with our people ana |ay. Let's see what we do with this honey By the time we Jay the whole |Eicture before them they are sat1sfleo hat the figure was none 100 pig 10 pay N fair dividend on capital take care or bsses, take care of replacements, take Iare of new developments, etc.
 \ eve keep a five-year chart constantly before our people. This chart shows fxactly what happens in every direc- ion. In good times when our earnings
 ise sharply the men realize that these tood earnings are neededyto offset pe- iods when earnings are poorer.
 "In a word, we believe in telling our people everything" When asked MT. Verify, "Why don't lther employers do this?" he replied: lit takes time and thought and patience 10 do these things. Many business men tart out wholeheartedly to do things Of Hhis kind but too often they become dls- eouraged and quit.
 ' "Now, part of my theory of life is That if a man can be discouraged he is koing to be discouraged. 1t is the fellow who can't be discouraged who gets If you can be discouraged, Rou will be. If not, theljob can't lick Hou."
 MT. verity added this word of warn Ing:
 austry, for each unit of industry, which will stand the light of day, to lay all facts before wage-earners.
 "Untfl the recent big rise in prices he newspapers were full of troubles of he farmers. A lot of people think that business, industry, has few risks. talked to farmers to try to set right as many of them as I could reach. l pointed out to them that in 1921 there were some 22,0O0 business failures, with liabilities of $750,0O0.00o.
 Throwing sops to workers is futile. You must deserve and earn their good will. Once they have confidence in you, hey don't want any of the responsibili- lies of management. And if you don't nave the confidence and goodwill of your workers, any schemes you may adopt are likely to do harm.
 "The man engaged in big business to- lay must regard himself simply as a rustee for thousands of people. To discharge this trusteeship successfully 1e must study human life, human emo- ions, human ambitions-and then con- vince his people, by laying all the cards ,n the table, that he and his organiza- ion are playing the game fairly and Iquarely all around"
 Does this not strike you as horse Iense?