The inside history of the Carnegie Steel Company, a romance of millions . ain, were spasmodic, unmethodical, andfor the most part unnoted. The Board of Managers met bychance, there being no fixed time for its meetings. Consulta-tions and deliberations were conducted in a haphazard way, andoften no minutes of them were taken. If an important changewas to be made, perhaps a meeting would be called; or itmight happen that the managers most interested in it wouldhave an informal meeting at the works, when the matter wouldbe decided. The old minute-books of the various companiesoften show a gap of
The inside history of the Carnegie Steel Company, a romance of millions . ain, were spasmodic, unmethodical, andfor the most part unnoted. The Board of Managers met bychance, there being no fixed time for its meetings. Consulta-tions and deliberations were conducted in a haphazard way, andoften no minutes of them were taken. If an important changewas to be made, perhaps a meeting would be called; or itmight happen that the managers most interested in it wouldhave an informal meeting at the works, when the matter wouldbe decided. The old minute-books of the various companiesoften show a gap of several months without an entry. 275 THE CORPORA TE MIND With the accession of Mr. Frick to the headship of theconcern, this was promptly changed. A rule was made thatthe Board of Managers should meet every Tuesday at lunch, andthat a full report of their subsequent deliberations should bekept. Similarly every Saturday, at noon, the different super-intendents and their assistants, some foremen, purchasing andsales agents and their principal assistants, to the number oi. Superintendents at lunch. thirty or more, met about a larger table, and, after lunching together, talked over all matters of common interest. Here theunfriendly rivalry of former times gave place to a spirit of goo(fellowship and mutual helpfulness. Around the friendly boarcit was impossible for two important officers to refuse to speai*to each other for five years, as happened more than once in thfpast. And such competition as grew up among them was thatof friends animated by a common purpose—to do the best eaclcould iox the association. MIXCTES 01 A nOARD MEETIXG 277 Of course none but officials were ever admitted to thesemeetings; and the results of their deliberations were kept inprofound secrecy. Except for the copies of the minutes sentto Mr. Phipps and Mr. Carnegie, the records were never seenby any one not entitled to attend the meetings in person. Togive completeness to this narrative, however, and to
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