Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1934-06-30
Ten Percent OF
Ford Employees
Are ColOred Men
LARGE PERCENTAGE OF
TRAINED WORKERS
EMPLOYED

eStlnS IdcIS regarding Cne attitude OF
Henry Ford, worlds greatest, indus
trialist and automobile king, towards
the negro worker were disclosed to
the Associated Negro Press from an
authoritative source last week.
Mr.. Ford is entirely unbiased as re-
CARDS race and believes that the Negro
worker should be accorded the same
wages and economic opportunities as
the white worker.
Ford Motor Company at River Rouge,
Mich, and the two departments in
which they are not employed are
closed at present.
Negroes comprise ten per cent of
the total.
Four thousand, one hundred and
seventy-five Negroes were earning the
minimum wage of SIS per day up to
January and 5000 were earning this
wage up to April 80 of the current
year. In many departments, skilled
Negro workers are being paid much
more, and there are a great number
in this class. .
There are also Negro students in
the Ford Trade School, the best
equipped school of it's kind in the
world. Students are entered there at
the age of Ia and remain until they
are 10 when they are assigned to the
different shops in the huge plant. Dur
ing their five years of apprenticeship
they receive a wage of Is cents an
hour and are served with fine hot
dinner every day. They also receive
cash bonus on each birthday.
Claude Harvard, age %, is the out
standing graduate of the Ford Trade
School, and is said to have attained
the highest degree of efficiency in
the history of the school, regardless of
race. His record during the first four
years was so impressive that he was
retained in the school another four
years in order that he might properly
be placed.
He is credited with the invention of
a micrometer that is superior to those
previously made and which will take
its place in the automobile manufac-
turing industry alongside the worlds
finest precision Instruments.
Three other Negro graduates of the
Ford Trade School, who are earning
good wages at the Ford plant are
Leonard Williams, designer in the
aircraft department; William Jason,
a designer in the "B" building, where
the car models are designed; and
James Gum" Price, who inspects all
the graphite used in the entire Ford
motor plant.
Harvard, viewing his fellow Negro
students rather critically, said that
his one criticism of the Negro student
was that he thinks of himself during
his training as preparation to become
a factory operative when he should be
thinking in terms of a career in the
automotive industry.
Donald ]. Marshall, reported to be
the best Negro industrial employment
manager in America, is in charge of
all the Negro employees, over 5000
in the Ford company, and the place
ment of new employees of the race is
strictly under his direction.
sSFnrd K-oxx,.
Henry Ford knows no color lines"
said the AMP informant, who would
not permit his name to be used for
publication. GAS you know, there is
the Ford Hospital there, and expert
ments are being conducted with tuber-
cular children. These children are ad-
mitted solely on the basis of need,
race does not enter the matter at all.
There are many colored children
there, from the ightest to the black
est.
These child patients are supplied
to the hospital by the various social
agencies. At the hospital is a fully
equipped school, where all children
continue their education and thus do
not really lose any time from school
while they are being treated"
Charles E. Sorenson, white, general
manager of the Ford Motor Company,
shares Mr.. Ford's broad views upon
economic justice for the Negro work
ers, It is said.