The Washington times., 1924-05-05
SKILLED LABOR
best, SAYS
EDISON
inventors Son DevotIng Genius
to Development Of Fathers
Business Organization.
BY WI, s. COUSINS.
Copyright. 1894. by Cosmopolitan
News Serylce.)

News Servlce,l
NEW YORK, May 5.-Thc mod
ern business and Industrial execu-
tive today must keep CLOSE to the
soil, and supervise the operating
detail Of his plants and machinery
In order to compete with others, In
these days of high costs and narrow
price margins.
Skilled and highly paid labor, op-
Grating with the aid of the best OBJ
tainable machinery, regardless of
costs, is more economical than cheap
labor which refuses to develop its
brain power.
Too large a proportion of the PEG.
piss spending money Ia going into
q few special hnes--Ford cars, for
example, to insure q broad develop
ment Of American business as "a
whole.
Taxes present more hardship In
their completely than in the amount
of money they actually withdraw
from industry, and the soldier bonus
bill Is bad, chiefly because 1t adds
to that oomplexity.
This is part Of the business phi
losophy of Charles Edison, son of
the foremost electrical inventor of
the world, impaired to me on my
visit today TO his office In the labora-
tory at Orange, N. Y. Young Edison
is devoting his genius to the devel.
opment of q business organization
which will perpetuate the utilization
of the inventions of his father, and
though but thirty-three years of age
10 the acknowledged business head"
of the organization.
Improved Efficiency.
I'VE are constantly on the alert"
Mr.. Edison said, "for new mechaT-
ism and new methods to improve
our efficiency and reduce unit costs
Of production. 1t is a mistake for
a business executive to believe that
he can successfully tie up with a
host of outside attractions and at the
same time make a success of his
business. Industry needs close ST.
pervision down to the smallest de-
tail. Some of the new devices re-
Gently installed here have paid for
themselves in less than six months"
The greatest burdens imposed by
high taxes, In some lines Of business
at least, have been in the complex
ties they have introduced into bust
ness reports and operations, Mr.. Edi-
son declared. Almost every QueS-
ton that is raised with respect to
new departures in business must be
considered in their relation to tax
alton, he said.
THE Edison interests comprise
five distinct and separate enter
prises, manufacturing five differ
emit commodities. yet all owned and
controlled by the Edison Company.
The legal and financial relation
ships of the various companies
present an almost insuperabls bar
rier to the simplification of stock
ownership, IL at any time that might
be found desirable"
Business Sound.
? Summarizing business conditions,
Mr.. Edison said that evidently
there were various factors affect
ing different lines of business in
different ways. THE cement in
dustry Ii booming, and orders are
forthcoming to insure record bust
ness for the balance OF the year.
Electric storage batteries are in
good demand, and business here is
normal. Dictaphones are also in
demand, and sales are above those
of last year. Photographs are not
as popular as in the past and e1i-
dences point to the effect Of COM
petition with the radio, nah jong
and the installment flivver bust
ness"
American business in Mr.. Ed
sons opinion will be compelled to
operate on a smaller margin OF
profits in the future and therefore
business heads must give increas.
ing attention to the perfection of
more economical methods of pro-
duction and distribution. The Edi-
son enterprises, he said, though
working on the "open shop" basis.
always received the best of CO.
operation from labor leaders and
mechanical experts in its efforts
to improve along these lines. In.
dustry, he said. recognizes the need
of a higher and better type OF
workmen aud the best way to Sc.
cure is to develop 1t in local plants.
Charles Edison does not specu
late. He does not believe in mar.
gin stock trading; but zealously
locks up his stock purchases where
the ''loss of ten or twenty points
will not hurt them"