Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 130, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 June 1910 — WATCH THE LITTLE THEFTS. [ARTICLE]

WATCH THE LITTLE THEFTS.

Head of Firm Say* All Petty Graft Isn’t In PittNburg;. “Petty stealing, cheap graft—lt'S not all in Pitsburg.” The head of the firm was angry. “Send for that collector,” he said. The collector came. “Seems to be too much work for you,” the managing partner said. "Probably you need help.” The collector believed another man would be a valuable addition to the force. “H’m thought so,” the manager said, and then, reading from a slip: “March 3 —Left store 8:30; went to home at 93476 East Steenth street, returned to store at 11:25; 2:15 went to Orpheum, etc.” He turned on the now amazed collector. “Hard work, wasn’t it?” he snapped. “Now, do you desire to work, help pay the expense of the detective who trailed you and make gbod, or will you quit now?” “I believe I’d like to work it out,” the trembling collector replied. “Well, get a move on you, then,” was the parting admonition of the manager. And the collector got it on. “Cheap graft,” the manager resumed. “Often w’onder how some men can stoop to such meanness. Not long ago I observed that a certain young man had long been ordering furnishings, neckties, and such things by letter and paying for them in stamps. That seemed queer. I don’t care for business that’s crooked, so I investigated that customer. Found he worked in a bank; son of a wealthy father—just cheap graft. He’d been stealing stamps for a year. “We allow our outside men to turn In daily accounts of money spent for car fare. Often one man collects it for several to save making many accounts. When I noticed one of these men charging us more car fare than I believed he spent I looked him up. Discovered he'd aded a figure 1 to the 80 or 90-cent account every day and so got SI.BO or $2 —cheap stealing for a dollar. Cost him his job. "Nothing so detestable and so annoying in business as this form of dis-. honesty. There’s stealing going on now in this store that I don’t know how to toHCh. The question in the minds of employes is, ‘Should I tell the firm, or is it any of my business?’ When we can get employes to understand that the firm’s interests are theirs we’ll have most of the graft controlled. “If you see a clerk stealing from your employer, isn’t it “your duty •to tell him? Wouldn’t you report it if you saw a man putting his hand Into another man's pocket on the street? Don't you owe that much to,the man who pays your wages or salary?”— Kansas City Star.