Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, October 21, 1921
I presume I had best begin my “get acquainted” talk with you by introducing myself in some way through which you can place me.
I am the fat man who met you in Room 614 and solemnly asked: “Do each and every one of you know the conditions at the mines?” etc., etc.
Please don’t confuse me with the good looking man who asked: “How long since you left the mines?” That was Mr. Green, the manager of mines, who has promised to talk to you next week. I know you will be in for some “deep stuff” about how to get the coal out when he starts in, and I am not going to give him a chance to show me up by talking about something which he knows more about than I do.
So I am going to talk with you about yourself
First, I want to tell you how we try to choose you.
When we began to reopen our mines on the new basis we recognized from the first that probably the most important thing of all would be to secure the right kind of men—men of the type who even if not experienced in our particular line of work would have the intelligence to soon learn it, and who would, if they found our conditions to their liking, bring in their families and settle down with us permanently.
No strikebreakers
Our advertisements are worded to discourage the professional strikebreaker, or other irresponsibles, and our field employment men are instructed to choose, slowly and carefully. They have repeatedly been told that we would rather have them send us one good, clean intelligent man, than twenty of the opposite type, no matter how great the experience or ability of the latter might be.
When you reached Mr. Maltby in Room 1707, his first look at you, though you may not have realized it, may have meant more to him than the questions he probably later asked regarding your experience.
Later you were passed by Mr. Maltby to Room 614, where you may have wondered at the number of us who seemed to have little to do but stare at you when you answered “That’s me,” in reply to “Which is John Smith?”
Every one of us was trying to read you and to determine whether you were the kind of men we should send up to work with and live among those we had sent to the mines before you.
All not accepted
Many men have been refused work. We have employed less than one-fifth of those who have applied to us; and many from a distance have been released after being inspected in Seattle, and returned to the points of their original employment at considerable expense.
Those of you who are at the mines now may depend upon our continuing this close scrutiny of the men seeking employment; and you may feel certain that the communities into which some of you already have brought your families, and into which many more will bring theirs, will be made up of as good, clean citizens as it is our power to make them.
We, of course, fully realize that we may have made some mistakes; that some undesirables may have slipped past us; but as to these we have the means of ultimately finding them out.
As to our success so far in choosing the men, I feel I need say nothing as I know that you are looking around you. I might say, however, that the type at your mine is no different from that at the others. No partiality was shown in the distribution of men, though the superintendents of the different mines until recently thought there had been.
Each superintendent was whispering to Mr. Green that he thanked him for getting the preference and Mr. Green patted each of them on the back and took all the nice things said until the superintendents got to swapping notes and found him out.
I am wondering whether all this may sound to you like the original talks in Room 614 may also have sounded—kind of “Hot Airish” or piling it on. It is not anything of that sort, nor were the talks in 614. We are sincerely anxious to get the right kind of men, and just as sincerely believe we are getting them.
Having them, we are sincerely desirous of doing everything for them which circumstances and our resources will permit.
Not Philanthropy
We do not ask you to believe this is mere philanthropy, or goodness of heart, because you would not believe it. And we are not going to try to make you believe it. There is a good business reason.
The mines in which you work belong to a large number of stockholders, some 1,400-odd, a great many of whom are small holders who need the returns from this investment upon which to live. All of them, large or small, expect and are entitled to these returns, the same as you or I expect them from the bank which holds our savings account.
For some years past the returns from these mines have been most disappointing; in fact, for twenty-four months have been practically nil and for considerable periods have shown large losses.
The officers of the Pacific Coast Coal Company realize that the way to return to prosperity is to get good men and treat them right so that they in turn will treat the company right. When both are doing that, success for both is assured.
Chances for advancement
Before closing I want to say a word about the chances for advancement, and this is particularly intended for the younger men, although it applies to all.
We would rather fill our higher jobs from the ranks than from the outside.
We cannot do so if the ranks do not contain men who have been preparing themselves to step higher, and who are capable of filling the jobs above theirs properly.
The men who prepare themselves will receive every opportunity for advancement, and that such opportunities do occur is proven by the fact that many of the present superintendents and other officials, clear up to some of the highest executive officers, began with the company in the smallest positions.
I began as a chainman in the underground survey corps without experience of any kind. Mr. Green and Mr. Smith began in minor positions and there are numerous similar cases throughout the company. The future holds just as many possibilities as did the past.
I hope as time goes on to become personally acquainted with as many of you as possible. I will try to do my part in that direction and hope that when you see me from time to time you will yell “Hello” if there isn’t time for more.
N.D. MOORE,
Vice-President
Coal production still gaining
We are pleased to report that the hoist still shows the same steady improvement reported in our last bulletin.
During the first week of operations, ending August 28, last, the mines produced an average of about 40 tons per day.
This jumped to 222 tons, daily average, the second week; to 378, the third; 561 in the fourth; 783, the fifth; 963, the sixth; and an average of 1,254 tons per day for the first 5 days of last week.
The average daily production of the separate mines during the past week has been:
Newcastle | 507 tons |
Black Diamond | 252 tons |
Burnett | 225 tons |
Issaquah | 210 tons |
Franklin | 60 tons |
Total | 1,254 tons |
Briquets | 203 tons |
Newcastle on October 5th reached the highest production recorded since the mines were reopened under independent operation. Her hoist on that day amounted to 613 tons.
[…] Mr. Moore, the vice-president, explained in the second number, the care that was being exercised in employing only clean, intelligent men who meant to be permanent, and become productive elements in the community. […]
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