Real Profit Sharing.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 12 September 1910, Page 4

Real Profit Sharing.

In the Socialist Review Mr Ben Turner, ueneral (President of the Textile Union, dtsaribes what lie calls a splendid Huddersfield oxample of profit-sharing. It is the 'business of W. Thomson and Sons, Wood-house Mills, Huddersfield, which makes worsted and woollen cloths. Every oil nee of cloth is made from pure wool. No shoddy or cotton adulteration is allowed about the place. It originated in 1880, when Mr Thomson called together a number of co-operators, trade unionists, and personal ifriends, and laid before them his scheme k>f labour co-partnership. Mr Ruskin sent his blessing. Judge Hughes gives it praise. Every year it has been a moral success, and, excepting three, a financial one. During these three years the workpeople met and resolved that out of their earnings tliey 'Would pay the shareholders their five pei cent, interest. The shareholders were paid their five per cent, but many of them returned it. The 1 piece" system was abolished at Thomson's many years ago Every Friday, work or iplay, slack time or busy time, wliethei playing for weft or wa.rps, or anything else, the workpeople get their wage. Jt is for a forty-eight hour week. There is no overtime, and there is no driving. The men and women work free and easy, and there is an absence of all rush ; whilst there is no skulking about, dodging .work, or shying work, as sometimes happens whore driving is in force. There are no married women at the place. When a. woman marries she has to leave. They give her a marriage portion of five or ten pounds, according to length of service. She also retains her shares in the concern. There are not two sorts of shareholders, some with votes and some with none, as happens in .many profit-shairing shops. Here all are equal, and all have an equal share of management. The Toxtile Union, of which I happen to be General President, took up shares in the concern at the start. Alderman Gee, J.P., our general secretary, is and was a director from the first. The Huddersfiold Trades Council has all along been a shareholder, and the men or women who have their five or ten pounds in seem imbued with the principles in the same way as was and is George Thomson, J.P. the founder of the scheme. Tt is a pleasure to go to a half-yearly meeting; there aire no shareholders growling and grunting about the interest, or the profit, or the expenses. There is trust and brotherhood. The same spirit prevails in the mill. _ There is no peeping a,bout to see if anybody isn't doing their hardest. There is no foreman driving thorn to bigger speed, there is real co-operative 'brotherhood and what Mr Thomson hoped for is partly realised—namely, "man mending."

They have a scheme of old age pensions on a non-contributory basis. At sixty-five a man, or at sixty a woman, can get his or her pension. At sixty-five and sixty respectively tliev must cease work.