Evening star., 1939-11-19
Big Shoe Plant Launched in MARYLAND
Under Bata Control in Czech Style
Capital of $50 Millions in Enterprise to
Employ 10000 Americans With Methods
Tried Abroad-Trek Caused by War

activities have been limited to the
Middle West, where 1t has large
warehouse in Chicago and about so
retail stores in Illinois, Indiana and
Wisconsin. But now, with the be-
ginning of American production, re-
tail distribution will be pushed.
How many stores are planned?
Director Gerbec smiled.
who can say?" he replied, "In
Czecho- o-Slovakia, we have 10000
stores In other European countries,
almost as many"
Nor does the Bata company limit
itself to shoes.
Its indoor store at Belcamp has a
varied stock of artificial silk hosiery,
slippers, shoelaces, rubbers and over
shoes, women's handbags. In
Europe, the company makes auto
mobile tires, host of rubber articles
and toys. Belcamp workers say they
have heard that automobile tires
will be manufactured here, but
officials would not confirm this.
Low Price a Principle.
The shoes on display in the store
at Belcamp are all of the most in
expensive grade-a fundamental
principle with the company.
They are in all materials-leather,
fabric and rubber-and the price
range is from 81 so for the cheapest
shoe for women to $500 for mems
conservative footwear Rubber
soled work shoes, a larger seller, are
s299.
If the Belcamp plant, in the next
seven years, becomes a duplicate of
the company's home factory at Zlin,
it will be a full-sized city in itself.
Zlin, the factory executives tell
you, is city of more than 10000,
almost wholly company-owned and
company-run from the motion pic
ture theater to the garbage disposal
system Unmarried workers are
housed in dozen huge hotel-dormi-
tories, and families in more than
5000 modern brick houses.
In Zlin, the company has its own
tanneries. chemical and dye works,
machine factories, textile mills,
paper and cardboard works, print
ing works, rubber factories, research
laboratories, and such city facilities
as hospitals. a daily newspaper.
motion picture theaters, stadia and
club rooms
And the beginnings of something
similar may be seen at Belcamp
Sixteen houses already are near
completion-neat 5-room double
houses of brick, with oil burners in
the basement and modern bath
rooms and kitchens. These, Mr..
Gerbec said, will rent for S4 a week
The hotel, also nearly completed,
will house 1000 single workers &C
cording to the director.
Wages" he declared, "at present
are the same as those paid in other
shoe factories" Learners start at
SLIPS a week But most of the
company's product will go into in
terstate or foreign trade, so wages
for regular workers cannot fall be-
low the minimum of the Federal
Wages and Hours Law-30< cents
an hour for 42-hour week.
Later" Mr. Gerbec added, mo
doubt. there will be set up a profit
sharing system similar to that we
have always had at Zlin."
Pay Increases.
The Zlin system, it was explained,
usually adds an average of about
30 per cent to the employees stipu-
lated wage. Half of this is given
to the worker in cash. The rest
must remain invested in the COM
pany so long as the worker remains
with Bata
When Mr. Bata landed in America
on his present trip, with a S350OOO,-
600 company in his control, he said
exchange restrictions had made it
almost impossible to raise cash in
Germany to bring himself and his
family to the United States. Friends
outside Germany had to help.
But the difficulty seems to have
been solved.
The Bata company has been pay
ing in cash for its development at
Belcamp, according to the attorney
who has handled it's LAND trans
actions.
Il don't know how they managed
the exchange" he said "but they
paid cash for their 2,0OO-acre tract.
| and the contractors .ell me they
have been paid promptly, m cash,
for all construction work"
Maybe clue to the answer may
be seen in hand-written notice
posted over the timeclock at the
employees gate. 1t reads:
I'VE have large quantity of
used scaffolding in various sizes
for sale as kindling wood. Apply
unit manager"
Mr.. Bata. it seems, believes in
| thrift. And if $3.50 100000 COM
pany can pick UP bit extra from
i =