Fabric and rubber are combined to form these
rolling liquid transporters produced by Fire
stone. As a unit it can haul enough gasoline to
last the average motorist six or seven years.
This model was designed for the U.S. Army
Transportation Rejsearch Command at Fort
Eustis, Va., to serve as a portable gasoline sta
tion for combat units. A total of 5,000 gallons of
gasoline—500 gallons in each of the tire-like
containers—can be transported over almost any
type of terrain by tank, truck, personnel carrier
or other military vehicle.
When penetrated by small-arms projectiles,
the containers seal themselves as the rubber
in body and tread quickly expands. Transport
ers can be towed at 45 miles an hour alone, or
20 miles an hour in tandem arrangement of
five units.
^ Rolling Liquid
At Bethune, France
Another Tire Plant In Production
Review Your SS Status
Approaching retirement age,
or older? It could be to your
financial advantage to check
your status under the Social Se
curity law which went into ac
tion on June 30. The new law
directly affects many persons 62
years or older, providing social
security benefits for the first
time, or increasing benefits for
which many persons are already
eligible.
Here is a rundown on provi
sions of the new law:
• Men now have the option
of retiring at age 63 with re
duced benefits, or taking the
conventional retirement with
full returns.
• Widows’ benefits are in
creased by about 10 per cent.
• Minimum benefits have
been increased.
• Persons require fewer years
of work under social security to
receive payments.
• Persons who collect only
partial benefits because they
earn more than $1,500 per year
will have a smaller amount de
ducted.
Those who retire between ages
62 and 65 will have their bene
fits reduced according to the
time remaining before their 65th
birthdays. This includes depend-
end husbands. Dependent wid
owers and fathers may receive
full payment at age 62.
The 10 per cent widows’ bene
fits increase also applies to aged
dependent widowers and aged
parents who are single survivors.
MINIMUM monthly payment
is raised from $33 to $40. Those
who are now ineligible because
they have not worked enough
years under social security may
qualify under the new rule
which requires that the em
ployee have credit for only one
calendar quarter per year after
1950 until he reaches 65, or a
woman becomes 62.
Increased benefits for wid
ows and those who drew min
imum payments are automatic,
and was evident in all checks
received in September. All other
increases must be applied for by
the insured.
The Gastonia Social Security
office is at 365 West Main ave
nue; Telephone UN 7-7236.
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Company chairman Harvey S.
Firestone Jr. presided at dedi
cation ceremonies of Firestone’s
new tire plant at Bethune,
France in September. The
Bethune plant is operating in
the third largest tire market in
the world. It also serves the
growing demands of the Com
mon Market.
“During the years 1960 and
1961, we will have invested 162
million dollars in world-wide
expansion and modernization of
our plants and facilities,” Mr.
Firestone said. “We expect to
continue expansion in line with
the ever-increasing demand for
our products.”
The company chief executive
officer, accompained by Mrs.
Firestone, went from Bethune
to Port Jerome, where they in
spected the company’s synthetic-
rubber-producing plant which is
scheduled for completion late
this year.
During their stay in Europe
the Firestones also visited the
company’s plants in England,
Spain, Portugal, Switzerland,
Sweden and West Germany.
Textile manufacturers expect
to invest more than $500 million
in new plants and equipment
during 1961, according to the
Commerce Department.
Investments in expanding tex
tile facilities will average about
$130 million in each of the first
two quarters of this year. This
rate is about $10 million above
the rate for the first quarter of
1960 and well above the rate for
most of 1959.
S3SWS
OCTOBER. 1961 PAGE 3
Tire Changeover
—From Page 1
at the plant industrial relations
office, are filled out by the em
ployee and taken to the Fire
stone store where the change
over is to be made.
Specifying Firestones when
ordering a new car will avoid
inconvenience of having the
tires changed later. But if not
possible to get delivery of cars
equipped with Firestone tires,
the changeover is available so
that employees may enjoy the
safety and comfort of Firestone
tires and have the satisfaction
of knowing they are buying the
company’s products.
Replacement-Tire Program
Tires for replacement are
available to employees at sub
stantial reductions. They may
purchase regular tires from any
Firestone store at about 20 per
cent less than list price. To this
would be added Federal excise
tax and any other taxes that
might apply. No application
forms are required for this.
Each plant department office
has sheets giving list prices and
employee prices on black and
black-white tires; also prices on
Butylaire, the 500, the DeLuxe
Champion, Safety Champion,
Town & Country, and DeLuxe
Champion tubes.
Firestone stores offer em
ployees numerous other home
and auto supplies at special
prices. Included are retreads,
batteries, spark plugs, home
supplies, wheel goods, appli
ances, sports items, and many
others.
Employees also receive a dis
count on auto repair work done
at Firestone stores.
Workmen's Compensation —
Ifs Your Helping Hand
It didn’t just “happen” that the aver
age employee in U.S. industry today is
far safer at work than off the job. This
fact confirmed by the National Safety
Council, is proof of effectiveness of a
carefully-pl^^^^d industrial safety
movement.
Lowering the U.S. industrial injury
rate by more than 47 per cent since 1912
despite a great increase in numbers of
workers, is only one of the many bene
fits that industry receives from the first
major social legislation adopted in this
country—workmen’s compensation.
State workmen’s compensation laws,
and the insurance provided all eligible
employees by these laws, cover about 80
per cent of the total U.S. labor force.
Employees and employers alike accept
these laws as being somewhat routine
today. But when the constitutionally-
valid workmen’s compensation act was
passed in Wisconsin in 1911, a political
leader of that day called it “the greatest
issue since secession.
most workers are not aware of,
nor familiar with, this oldest form of
people insurance, principally because
employers pay all the costs, and cover
age is automatic for all employees in
most industries in all 50 states.
Original purpose of workmen’s com
pensation laws was to eliminate uncer
tainty of an injured worker’s being
taken care of financially for injuries in
curred on the job. Before 1911 only
about one in eight employees actually
received compensation for injuries and
even these awards were greatly reduced
by payment of lawyer fees and court
costs. Today, more than nine out of
every ten claims are paid without con
test and coverage has been expanded to
include industrial diseases as well as in
juries.
Compensation laws have greatly en
couraged industrial safety programs.
Major emphasis has been directed
toward preventing injuries. Thus, em
ployers, insurance companies and state
industrial commissions working together
in programs created or inspired by the
compensation laws, are fighting a battle
against industrial injuries of all types.
Most workmen’s compensation av/ards
are paid through private insurance poli
cies paid for by employers. Some large
companies set up their own reserve
funds from which payments are made,
but in most cases insurance companies
specializing in this type of coverage as
sume responsibility. In a few states the
state government is the underwriting
agency. Costs will vary for each indus
try, depending on injury rates, but the
national average for all employers in all
industries is about one per cent of total
payroll.
EACH STATE legislates and adminis
ters its own workmen’s compensation
law, providing for a number of advan
tages to workers because it takes into
account individual needs. In most states
the administrative work is jointly
handled by a special board operating
within the state insurance department
and working closely with the state in
dustrial commission.
Awards of varying amounts are pro
vided for by state law in accordance
with the severity of injury. Not only
are full medical payments provided for,
but additional benefits based on a per
centage of income are given in those
cases where a worker must remain off
the job and suffer loss of income. In the
case of death, survivors receive benefits.
The annual cost of U.S. work injuries
is estimated at $4.5 billion a year. This
is a heavy economic burden for the na
tion to bear, but is only a fraction of
what it might be, were it not for safety
work inspired by workmen’s compensa
tion laws.
Workmen’s compensation improve
ments in the various states developed
slowly after 1911, amendment by amend
ment, as the need arose. Year after year,
various states enacted laws. By 1920 all
but six states had some form of work
men’s compensation and today, all states
have such laws.
INDUSTRY has learned the hard way
that it is a humanitarian thing—and
good business—to have sound safety
practices. Today, safety is built into
every machine and operation, into the
thinking of management, on down the
line to every person on the job.
More emphasis is being placed on re
habilitation of injured workers. Tech
niques as well as advances in medical
science make it possible to find some
form of gainful employment for almost
all handicapped persons.
Much has been accomplished through
workmen’s compensation in the past 50
years. Leaders in the field are looking
ahead to answers to changing problems
facing a rapidly-moving economy.
New hazards related to radiation and
the atomic age have to be overcome. Au
tomation and other processing tech
niques present other challenges. Even
industrial noises are receiving attention
as a workmen’s problem. While prob
lems arise as soon as others are solved,
scientists and other specialists are hard
at work, finding new and better ways
that will mean even greater protection
for workers in the future.
l.Q
'OQ
Employers Mutuals of Wausau
GERMANY was first to officially en
act a workmen’s compensation law—in
1884. But it was lawbreakers—not law
makers—who originated the system.
Buccaneers of the 16th century intro
duced the first compensation plan when
they gave larger shares of booty from a
captured prize to those crewmen injured
in action.