CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 526, 5 June 1909, Page 14

CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY.

LORD PIRRIE AND SIR HUGH BELL. GEBMAN COICETITION AND WIRELESS ■, :..'TELEQHAi?HY. ■';■-> , Lord Pirrie and Sir Hugh Bell, two great captains of industry, hare eaid eome most interesting things to ,Mr. Harold Spender, who recalls them in a vahiable, article in the May "Pall Mall Magazine." -LbrdPirrie is the head of Harland and Wolff, the great Belfast shipbuil-lers,' now ' btisy.' the largest' Wh'ito SW liner'sr^ver.-.'40,000 tons-each. ''.:-.■■■-■■■_ ■ ; - '~' ,;.:■;, "At. a pinch,/oould England; bnild asmany Dreadnoughts as Germany V' /,,'asked' ; Mr', Spender of Lord Pirrie. "The country has also been alarmed at the revelations as to of big ships—of Dreadnoughts, to_ use the current , name-Hhat have; T>een laid down in Germany of,: recent years." , '..' "I will , take onr firm as an instence. Wβ could build two Dreadnoughts at once,/.and make machinery for four more.': Arid; if that ia true of one firm alone, what could not be done by all the great shipbuilding yards' in England combined? Why, there are'yards ■idle,in England at the, preeent moment.that could turn out a greater numbers of Dread-; noughta than all the German yards put .together."..,l - : - ■ '' ':.'•';,>''■• • "'■' ■■";"•'■'.; '"■ "And turn them out more'rapidly?" '- ■'■ . j "Yes, arid turn them out Tinore rapidly— under the new; system." ■'.';,.■! , ; '~ ( German -Competition."- V "Another thing that haa fnghtened public opinion .very much has been the alleged revelations as. to tho development, of Krupp's yards and workshops. Do y<ju regard ,-tnat as very,ominous?" . : r'•;• .■■'.' ■■ ''■ :' "Of course, it is impossible,for me' to dogmatise, but I can say :this —that to:- -my knowledge Krupp's developnient has been to a large extent-for mercantile work as-"well' as naval. Besides,- of ; course, the German -system'of preparing gun-fittings and guns sihiultarieously with ,tho/Ships -has meant "a . corresponding development in: Krupp's , along ■with -the-;liiying' down."of ;the\Dreadnought .keels.- That would, happen in anycase, even :ifvthero were, no- acceleration of. building; , , , ■ ''■ "Speaking., generally,, and ■turning' '.for a; ■ moment (fOTJa,:naval to .ordinary snipbuild-: ing, do'"3'ou" fear German competition'more. , than any other?" .'.- .- ■-..'■: .fiivV '.'■.■.; '.. v.."No',;,r do .not.-fear. Germany. .1- remem-; Her , once' saying , to- the.,Gcrman--Emperor, ''Sir, ,1-' do not fear'your, competition, , to which he made a very'sensible reply: 'There is no .reason for you to fear us—jwe can advance together: . The German shipbuilding yards are more idle than ours: ■Wμ!! they 1 are at. work; , the .G ; ermari shipwrights ■>, are ' very - able, ' steady craftsmen, ' possessed' -of many' virtues,- , especially of endurance and industry, ■ but we nave perhaps as ; serious a' competitor, ; if not more •'• eenoue,' :in Japan.; Besides,, the .Japanese have all the material ; roßources of coal' and -iron ready -to hand, ■'while the'Ger'mans. have to bring their raw material-either from far inland or from Eng;land. : ' : ' "■-' ■• ;'•.- : .. ;..;',.'.'; /.■/...;■;'.''■ '. Japan's Sovore Competition. ,"The Japanese are doing.wonders,-and;l ,am: surprised that England is not;more: con-; scious : of'-.the very severe competition—quite right and friendly . competition; ] proper, commercial competition', but still severe;• .indue-' trial Japan. '.'The Japanese arejri.ow -:pnilding.'for tKemselves/ ■ and' -they, are.-building., very goodi'ships. ■', JnJ' tHo Fax. East their imps'.are taking'the' place of ours, oh/the Japaii-Califprnia rente,'iind.'it is not impossible that .tlie Japanese .may. .finally, possess - themselves of-, tho great .'shipping routes of that part of : the 'world.;' .There is no need to.complain of that. But •it is rather surprising that hero in ' England nobody ever speaks of the competition of, Japan.' It is always' the' competition"'of Germany that people prefer-to'discuSs." ' ' ; Wireless Telegraphy. ~ ' ■ -" C -.-! "I attribute tho success of. my finfi,"'"said' Lord Pirrie, quite' simply: and >;frafaklyj "largely to- the' policy, .of scrap'piiig old' machinery. It has always been my habit to '. adopt new machinory wheneyer; , and-aa as, I can." And then," he added, with a twinkle, "I sell my old , machinery toiny rivals." . ; .; - ' '' '~- •■'■■ ;, "Do you believe in-this great competition: for. spe«l? One. seems to. notice'< that' 1 you do : not "join.in it quito so ;hotly as 1 ottßv shipbuilders."/ ' .' ,\.';.'■;.'> •■■*:■ "Of years," ho replied^, "I 'have! never riinch believed in this keen conipetrtion for speed. .' From: the' moment' , ' Uiat wireless; telegraphy, was introduced, I .recognised tnat a new element had arrived j and that speeaYwas. not '-.'as; necessary. In tho old days it was otherwise; I can remember. 1 a merchant saying to me , of a certain ship, 'I found myself one day late in that ship— I lost. £0000 by that delay;.:and': I shall never travel'by that line again.' But nowadays a business man can sit on; a ship crossing, the. At|autic, can wire orders to his brokers,, .watch, the markets, know, the news —while-all the time he is , at..'sear It is even conceivable'that he may save money by stay ing on a ship, thanks to the l absence bt otner diversions.' In my opinion, therefore, 'wireless, changed' the, wholo position.- _I Wave advised," indeed urged, my firm's clients to act' on that theory, and 1 think- they have found it- successful.'-' . , , ' Lord '■• Pirrie also cleclared that "if the Sta\»s adopted Free-trade to-morrow, it.would'be.the"greatest peril that building^industry could have to'face. If Americafallowed" material; for ships to enter free' qFjduty, I question' if it Avould. not '.'necessitate our having' to establish branch "shipbuilding yards'there. , I always have had: that possibility ill'view." :. : . , : .'''-, ■•■'- - ; ■'.-. ..:-'■) '■■/.: ■'-..•' : •'■■ ' ■''- ': Sir Hugh Bell and Cprmany. ' Hyheri' Mi-.'Spender asked: Sir Hugh.'; Bell: ■ whether ..the ' productive.'' power .of ,England, ■in'theso' matters;.was how less*:than- that ■of :• Germany,' Sir Hugh' Bell replied:, "Men; are wealth; arid Germany has,, now a population- ofry'over;- 60,000,000vto: our 43,000,000., That jri'Mtsblf is •&■ tremendous.fact;;' It:represents greater consuming' power,''. therefore greater. poiver' of exchange, ' and therefore, greater" wealth., ■ England ; has , .not- been; idle. 'She.' is : not' to blame. But there' are: some forces 'that neither peoples nor Governments can fight against.- 'For in- : rtance,-. take, my ; trade. ' England was once; the , first iron-producing country in the world —Eclipse "first, , and-'the rest' nowhere. Now! she is-the-third." It is- not her fault. Noi is' it so,"very much, to; tho. credit, of Germany th'at ; she; is' the 'second. , .or..;of...the.iUnited; -States. .th'at-.she ■is the first. It is the drift of circumstances.- But: it "means.'neceasaxily and inevitably that both; these ; countries have'more resources.'" "'i ',•■;' : '*''■:'.',■