WELFARE WORK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1912, 21 November 1913, Page 5

WELFARE WORK.

NEW AMERICAN BUSINESS METHODS. PLEASANT DAYS FOR EMPLOYEES. 0 B 111 the United States during the lasl _ tew 3 cars t'hcre lias arisen a new rela- , tion between employer and employee. Ir the past it was considered an employe] 5 had observed ins.obligation to society ii ho paid Ins workpeople regularly anc made no attempt to reduce wages below the recognised scale of the trade. Hav- " ing done that, lie had done all that was leqmred of him. It was no concern ol 1 his to lighten the burden of the toiler • to encourage m him habits of thrift oi > saving, to give him better or more at- ' tractive- surroundings. The relations between master and man were on the basis ot all implied contract of so 'much _ work to be performed for so many dol- ; lars to be paid. The man having rendercd his service and received, his paymont, fhe contract was satisfied; and the , , caretl 110 more what the man did with ins money than the man cared ; whether his master played cards or went . to church. There havo alwavs been, of j cou.rse, a few employers who took a ■ paternal interest in their hands and endeavoured to improve their condition, ■ ""t these ..were tlio exception; and as the individual proprietor gave way to tho joint stock company with its officers and directors often remote from the sccne of operations, and having no personal contact with "the men in the factory or shop, the relations between employer and employee became more hardened into payment made for services rendered and indifference as to the duty of the company to the men and women on Whom it depended. A great change has come about in the last lew years, and is well described by Mr. A. Maurice Low in the' . London "Post." ■ Air. Low writes:—l do not know whether employers have become more humane or more generous; withoutwishing to rob them of altruism, I think it may be said with truth'that they have been made to see that certain things are a good investment and pay handsomely. A contented operative will do better and more work than one who is dissatisfied. A man or woman workiig in a sanitary factory with pleasant surroundings can turn dut a larger and more desirable output than the same persons working amidst foul odours, stifling for want of ventilation, and where tho- sun never penetrates. There is also that intangible but very vital thing, the spirit of loyalty, which is one of the secrets of business success. Fair treatment on the part of the master usually brings loyal service oil the part-'of the servant. Common-sense, then, plus the force of public opinion, has convinced many employers that it is the best kind of business to have a contented; well-cared-for force, and nearly every large employer in ilie .United States now devotes considerable time, thought, and. money, to what is known as welfare work. Broad General Plans. ' The United States Department of Labour has recently issued a bulletin oil welfare work tliat makes interesting reading; In the introduction Dr. Elizabeth Lewis Otey, Ph.D., the compiler, says that some working men condemn welfare work on the ground that it is tinctured with paternalism and fosters a spirit of dependence on the goodwill of the employer that is incompatible with the aims of labour, and as a result the workers never reach their full development. Furthermore, they claim that welfare work is at the expense of wages, and if the employer .did riot spend money on, his fad -tlie' siiin would be added to wa'gek. Dr. Qtey points out that "this view is, based on ail assumption impossible of proof," and adds that "ill the cotton industry in the South the presence or absence of welfare work bears no relation to wages." It. must

be obvious that in a country where [ wages are standardised and the kbour ' union is ' as powerful as it is in the United States, the employee is in no danger of having his wages reduced because of his emplgyer's generosity. The money spent on welfare work is simply an addition to wages, no't a subtraction. 1 Welfare, work is now • conducted on broad general plans, modified to suit special requirements and dependent- to soino extent, on the personality of the directing head of the -firm or corporation. One of the first of the large concerns to organise a regular welfare department, as well as one of the most liberal in its appropriations, is a com- , pany whose works are at Dayton, Ohio. This company's welfare department has a staff of eight persons. In the various branches of the factories the workrooms are light, airy, and sanitary, and everything is kept spotlessly clean. Lavatories are in cliarce of male and female attendants, fresh towels and soap are provided free, there are bath tubs and showers. Once a week the employees, may bathe at the expenso of the company, for which they are allowed 25 minutes that is not deducted from their time. The women aie specially well looked after. They aro proWded with freshly-laundered aprons and "sleevelets" twice a week, tne company maintaining a ( laundry for that purpose. In every room where women are employed there is, Dr. Otey writes, "a beautiful rest room, equipped mo'ro like a sun parlour of a luxurious hotel than, the resting place for the employees of a factory. Here a piano, easy chairs, couches, arid plants add to ' the attractiveness. . Every rnorning at ton o'clock the women are allowed to rest for ten minutes, and in the afternoon they have a similar recess. Food is Servea at cost; a bowl of soup at a penuy and coffeo a halfpenny a cup. The cooks aro paid oy the company. There is a restaurant for the office force where lunchcon is' served at cost. The health of the employees is carefully ■looked after., A physician spends an hour every day at the factory, and a nurse and an assistant aro in constant attendance. Every person applying for employment is first examined by the physician, and those suffering from tuberculosis or any other communicable disease arc rejected. Men's Club. The lien's Club was started by the company, but has now been turned over to the employees who control it. The building serves for both club and school room. The spacious auditorium is used for lectures, dances, and other entertainments, and there are the usual club rooms; on the other side there are sewing classes for the women, and here also the company's, apprentices aro instructed. The apprentices are under the charge of a supervisor. The lads work in the shops during the day under thcir'foremcn, who report on them to the supervisor, and at night they must attend ■ the school. Every six months the boys arc examined, and prizes awarded to the most proficient. The apprentices are paid for their shop work. There is a relief . association managed by a paid •Secretary,_ then! is a library of 20,'JUO volumes, including technical works as well as fiction, there arc bicycle sheds for employees with compressed air pumps for inflating the Lyres, there is a barber shop for the . waiters who serve the lunchcon. A firm manufacturing paint in Dayton has a unique feature in its welfare work. Some years ago its president died, and lie: provided in his wrll that liis stock should be held in trust and the divideuus apportioned among the employees, who we're divided into groups according to salary, so arranged that the highost-paid men did not receive the largest share of the dividends. These bonuses range in amount for each employee from about £3 a year to £'<10. In 'addition, the firm encourages the usual features of welfare work. The Wotww'*. Wtib is affiliated with tliej.

State Federation <of Women's Clubs, and each year the company pays tJio expenses of the'delegates to tlie annual meeting. Meetings of the dub are held every two weeks in the factory dm--ing the luiicTi hour, when the company allows the members an extra hour. The company maintains a Innch-room for the women operatives and furnishes them with free coffee; eolTce is taken out to the men in the shops. The women's aprons and this men's overalls are laundered by the company. "Hie uianufaoture of 'white lead is a dangerous trade, ' and tho.nien in the white 'cad deport- " ment are allowed to work there only for thirty days, and are then sent to, another department for the following three months. " Help Where Wanted. ,s . great insurance company, cmploy)f "'I 4100 men and. women in its New York offices, furnishes them with hinchir eon every day at a cost of £32,000 a year, or an average individual cost of s tenpence-halfpeiiny, and it is only be--0 cause the catering is clone on such a h ' ar fi e scale and under efficient maniigc- [. ment that the meal can bo provided at [. tliat price. The company does not pose a3 being particularly philanthropic, but 0 as saving money by tiie operation. By d Providing lunch til the buikliug the time d ls shortened to thirty-five minutes, t winch is half an hour earlier than the if customary New York insurance offiee a, hours. The minimum wages paid a wo- . man employee is thirty-six shillings a ,j week, and befero being employed she s 18 examined by ono of the company's ! a physicians to see that she is in good 1 health, and then she must pass a sim--9 plo examination ia English. and arith--1 motic. The company provides for her a r gymnasium, a roof playground Uiat she 1 can use in pleasant weather, and a > well-stocked library. If she cuts, her 1 linger sharpening a pencil she can go - to the dispensary, where a physician t and a professional nurse wlil tiikc care of her. The nurse at the head of the 5 dispensary is more than that; she is f friend and adviser of Ihe girls, A girl l earning thirty-six shillings a week and t Mteii having entirely or partially to sup- ) port a mother Or younger children lights t on going to a doctor, and'yet she has distressing headaches or her back aches, liie nurse, a ivomaii of strong sympathy, large experience, ' and much tact, advises and encourages her,, and the girl is either sent to a doctor or a clinic, not as a charity patient, but where she receives the best professional treatment for a. merely • nominal fee, or by proper attention to diet or the rules of hygiene she is ignorant, is cured. A large department store in New l ork has placed its welfare jji the hands of. a paid secretary, a woman, who is given large powers, The management has impressed upon her that she should not seek to help unless employees want help, so that nothing must-be done to cause them to feel that their iiidepend l * once is being encroached upon. Tlio secretary visits the homes of employees •Hi tunes of illness fir distress, and she has a fund at her disposal to be used "'here it is most needed, One of her . chief and most, useful duties is to aid employees to. increase their efficiency. A list of employees whose sales in their respective, departments are hekriv the average is sent to her and she then endeavours tactfully to find out the reason. Frequently she is able to be of great assistance. Lunch is furnished at cost to all adult employees, and to the children, wlici earn between twelve and fourteen shillings a week,-lunch' is provided free. It was found that many of these children were improperly nourished at home, and were sent to work without breakfast," and those who need it are given two meals a day. The ens-' tomary recreation rooms and other conveniences are provided, and there is a benefit association, which has an unusual feature, the directors may, in ■ their discretion, make loans to members, which are repaid in instalments, and\a member who.is ill may he sent away at the expense of the association. ■ I have, selected -from r the Bulletin merely a few of tire more striking illustrations >f welfare 'work, hut many more might be girai_, and they show how much the American employer is doing for the welfare of his employees.