Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-26

long had worked up an extensive CO.
ordinated plan for all workmen to aid
all on their own initiative. They were
moved by that new ownership and
partnership feeling which American
workmen are made to feel by enlight-
ened big business
Second, a most significant develop
ment is now occurring, that of making
the local or branch managers of big
business more definitely partners and
operators of business of their own
One chain Of stores (which showed last
year the greatest percentage Of growth
OF any chainl operated the most de-
cisively individualistic plan for its store
managers, They were made one-third
owners, and could. In effect, also be-
come big business" operators by open
ing ON their own initiative new stores
and training men to run them
The tendency, in short. is TO seek jobs
With those business giants which do
not cramp the independence and initia-
tive OF our American people, and give
them the same incentive to advance
through strictly merit system-Which
the small owner of business feels,
but with the great and civilized ad-
vantage of supplementing the indi-
yidual's ability with group knowledge
and capacity. The truth. however I'M
palatable to some, Is that only a rela-
lively few men have the co-ordinated
faculties enabling them to succeed
markedly alone. The new typical mod
ern business giant Is really nothing but
social mechanism for effective func-
tional subdivision Of labor, the profits
therefrom TO be distributed to its many
small owners, its employees and its GUS
toners The modern giants of bust
ness who are most successful are the
giants operating on this principle,
managing themselves more and more
loosely" in their organization plan:
tending far more toward declarations
of business ability than to Napoleonic
autocracies.
There is still another reason why
we no longer fear the business giant.
We know his Achilles heel. He suffers
from giantitis occasionally. and every
time this happens the alert small
r7an" gleefully shoots an arrow at his
vulnerable point. Just mere bigness is,
we now know, as serious handicap
as just mere smallness.
Making Economic History.
The new types OF giants are mean
while making economic history for
oldest and toughest Of business prob
lens that of distribution. The next 10
years will undoubtedly see real advance
in this direction and still further IN
crease the purchasing power Of DAYS
labor
First we had giants among manufac-
turers This appeared To be- one~sided.
50 we began 10 have giants Of distribu~
tion~-chain stores and mail order houses.
This left the jobbers ground In between
two great wheels, so next we had con-
solicitations Of wholesalers, Then, the
department stores felt that they were
| seeming small In comparison, although
once rated giants and now we have
| great chains of department stores,
| Then the farmer seemed To he left a
| plgmy. and now we are 10 sec his husi-
/ ness size increase through co~operatiNaG,
/ IN make him able to treat on par with
I The giants of industry and commerce
| Perhaps this WIN complete the cycle. and
people the United States with business
| giants operating It's giant mechanlsms,
opportunities and resources.
J We are indifferent today about size 4,
| If anything We admire IT.. just MS We do
| the new giant locomotive OF airship A.
| Ford says. size means nothing In Itself
| pro or con. It's the job and the results.