Manawatu Herald TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 1923. SERVICE IN INDUSTRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2542, 13 February 1923, Page 2

Manawatu Herald TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 1923. SERVICE IN INDUSTRY.

REVIEWING the situation of British industry in the North American Review, Mr B. Seehohm Rowntree concludes that while other measures are,both necessary and helpful, the greatest hope lies in “unselfish patriotism in industry” that will bring together Capital and Labour, now fighting each other. “Frankly, I think,” he says, “that if, by process of evolutionary changes, it is not possible to secure such co-op-eration, the position is absolutely desperate!.” Mr Rowntree then makes this appeal:—“Employers, arc sometimes called captains of industry, and T would like us to ’regard ourselves as captains. Now, a good army captain, while doing bis utmost to win the war, is ever mindful of bis men. Ho does not refuse the privileges of an officer, but neither does be abuse them, or forget that they entail proportionate responsibilities. So I appeal to employers for intense sympathy with the men they are leading. Now this must take practical form, and I think that there are five tilings wc .must 'do. First of all, with regard to wages — let us always ask ourselves how much can we afford to give, not how little can we induce men to work for. There is no blinking the fact that the standard of many of our working people is too low. We want to raise it, and we cannot do so with soft words, and with kindly thoughts. In this main, we must raise it by efficient administration and organisation. With regard to hours, we do not want to go hack to the 12-hour day. But, in existing circumstances, it would he opposed to the interests of the workers to reduce hours below the level which makes for the maximum productivity, assuming, of course, that it leaves a reasonable amount of leisure to the worker. With regard to security, industry must accept, unless the State does it, the responsibility for maintaining in periods

of enforced idleness the reserve workers who' are necessary for the functioning of industry. Finally, there is the status of the worker. But the sympathy for which I have appealed will make the though fill employer ask himself —‘is it reasonable that just because I happen to represent capital, which is only one of the essential factors in successful industry, while the other man represents labour, another essential factor in industry, 1 should always dictate the terms under which we both work?’ It is only fair that working conditions should lie jointly agreed upon.” To this Mr Rowntree adds an appeal to workers to go half-way to meet any employer who is honestly trying to help them to unite with employers in solving the common difficulties, and with employers to keep the thought of service in their minds.