Steam In Transition: A History of the Nichols and Shepard Company and the Port Huron Engine and Thresher Company
(Page 7 of 9)
May/June 2001
Charles O. Olsen,
Graham Sellers' M Rumely 26 HP compound under a full head of
steam at the National Threshers in Wauseon, Ohio, June 2000.
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In 1887, the Nichols and Shepard firm began the practice of
annual distribution of some $50,000 worth of stock to loyal and
dedicated employees. The criteria for qualification was probably
based on tenure and good work habits. The rationale behind this
venture was that the affected employee had a vested interest in the
company, and would work toward achieving the aims of the company.
Another popular device used by these firms involved the
availability of cheap loans for that same loyal employee. Loans
were to be used for construction of a dwelling on company property
which was conveniently located near the factory complex. The Port
Huron Company aggressively pursued this endeavor and created a
mini-city complete with a park and electric streetcar. The
implications behind these gestures were that employees would stay
put and the chances that these workers would seek other employment,
unionize or become competitors them-selves, were
reduced.24
Therefore, unions were not surprisingly absent in most tractor
manufacturing firms. Most management teams printed company
newsletters through social clubs and often penned anti-union
editorials in local newspapers. The publicity of the 1873-1874 rail
strikes, as well as the Homestead and Pullman obstacles probably
reinforced owner prerogatives. The Nichols and Shepard Company
explained their anti-union position in a Battle Creek Examiner
editorial dated October 3, 1891.25 These sentiments
filtered throughout the community that when John Nichols died later
that year he was given an elaborate funeral with over 300
participants. Most businesses remained closed for three days as a
final tribute.26
The prospect for mobility within a company was not as restricted
as opportunities were in the steel and mining industries. Many
young men succeeded in fulfilling their apprenticeships as
machinists, and found careers as plant superintendents, mechanical
engineers, salesmen, and foremen. John and Horace Dodge completed
their apprenticeships with the Port Huron Company and left the firm
in 1898 to work for Henry Ford. 27
A final look at the tractor industry emphasizes the competition
that faced the Nichols and Shepard Company and the Port Huron Steam
Engine and Thresher Company. Annual improvements in carburetion,
cooling, and ignition systems drew the attention of farmers, and
resulted in more firms' entering the industry. Tractor
production doubled from approximately 2,000 units in 1907 to around
4,000 by 1910. Aggressive advertising in farm magazines contributed
substantially to this surge in sales. However, most machines were
too large for the small farmer, who relied on his loyal team of
horses.
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