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Show I ! Recognition of Humr- i Element Highly Impor-i Impor-i tant Factor in Industry j By F. V. LARKIN, Lhish University. WITTJIN" the last few years there has been a decided movement on the part of big industries to enrich the social, educational and spiritual lives of tha working man and hia family. Laborers La-borers in the steel industry, for instance, now receive advantages ad-vantages of playgrounds, schools, clubs, medical care, gardens and other activities provided by the heads of this vast industry. It- h.is taken the steel industry about twenty-five years to evolve this program. In that time production has increased 300 per cent, average aver-age wages 250 per cent, productivity for each worker about 150 per cent, and the number of wage earners 1 GT per cent. On the other hand, strikes and loiouts have decreased from seventy-two seventy-two in 1916 to seven in 1925, accidents have decreased 50 per cent, and j there are fewer hours of labor than twenty-five years ago. A forty-four-j hour week now is the standard towurd which the industry is striving. The industrial heads also have profited by this humanitarian move-; move-; moot. Dividends consistently have shown an increase year after year, j and now special dividends are not it all uncommon. Economists, politicians and religious leaders have claimed the credit i for this advancement in recognition-of human welfare, but the fact re-j re-j mains engineering research, with its scientific, accurate, painstaking an-: an-: nlysis and experiments, must, in the end, be credited with having laid ! the foundation stones of personnrl administration within the steel in- dustry four years before enactment of the first workmen's compensa-! compensa-! tion law. Engineers have learned to apply scientific management to men, ! ' md the result has been a success. I |