AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 29, 17 April 1891, Page 19

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT.

Some twenty-two years ago Mr. Alfred Dodge, a manufacturer of piano sounding-boards, started a factory in a small New York village on tbe verge of tbe Aduondacks, and began an experiment in industrial co-opeiation. The object he bad in view was to get out of his emploje.a the best possible work by making them co-partners, to a 0 naiu extent, in his business. Every year he divided large sums of money among them after making a careful examination of the results in each department in his factor/. Part of this sum goes to insure their lives, pan to a sick fund, part to a benefit association, and pirt to an endowment plan.

Every male employee whoisover2l, nud not over fifty, is entitled aLer ten years' continual service, to a pension in case of partial or total disability 10 work on account of accident, sickness, or old age. The pension is fifty per cent, of tbe wages earned after ten years' service. Ten per cent, is added for every additional three years until the ppnsion reaches tbe limit of one hundred per cent, the amount given to tho-e who may be rendered unable to work after twenty-five years of continuous service. There are also provisions made for life insurance. Every male employee over twenty-one is entitled to a life insurance policy of lOOOdols. after five years of continuous service After ten years he is entitled to a stcond policy of the same amount, and alter fifieen years to a third policy.

There is an endowment fund which is made up of tbe profits earned by the employees above the amount of wages paid him. After five years of continuous services all of Mr. Dodge's employees who are over twenty-one years old are entitled to an endowment account, upon which *hey are credited at the end of each year, according to tbe manufacturing record, with a sum showiog what they have earned more than has been paid them in wages. Any loss that has been due to the gross negligence of an emplojee will be charged to the endowment account. This endowment will be paid to the employee only whea he reacn°s the age of tixty, or to his heirs at his death. He can, however, obtain a loan against this account not exceeding the amount credited to him by paying six percent interest and furnishing good collateral. The object of the lund is to secure the employee against want in his old age.

This co-operative experiment is based on the plan of determining the pxact earnings of eac r i individual by a system of book-keeping that regards tbe raw material as Bold by the firm at a profit lo tbe men in the first department, aud told by tfcem at a profic to the men in tbe second department, and sj on until the finished product is reroM to tLe firm at a rrofit. Mr. Dodge, who has adopted this metbod < f Labour and Capital ec-operators, does not proftsa to be nctoated by benevolent motives. It is purely business with htm. In hi speech to his employees the other day he said :: — '• I have told you over and over again that this plan of distribution is not an act of benevolence, but simply a matter of business on my part ! I have

always aimed at producing the best quality of goods that could be made. I know I cannot do 10 without interesting you in your work.*'

It ia almost n quarter of a century Bince this attempt at solving the labour question was began. It has been crowned with, so much lucoess that it conmend9 itself to the respectful consideration of all interested in the welfare of Labour.— lrith World.