GOSPEL OF WORK.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18220, 3 November 1924, Page 7

GOSPEL OF WORK.

CO-PARTNERSHIP SYSTEM.

SPEECH BY LORD LEVERHULME,

(FBOU OUR OWN COa»ESPO»DEKT.)

LONDON," September 18,

When Lord Leverhulme meets his coworkers at Port Sunlight he generally has something interesting to say to them and, incidentally, to the, rest of the community. At the annual meeting of Lever Brothers this -week, in accordance with his custom, lie extolled the advantages of co-partnership as a business' system, but he also exposed the.fallacy those were labouring under who would abolish capital. Wild statements were sometimes made by Bolshevik orators that Lever Brothers made £2O per week out of each of their staff. He was told that if there was an increase of os per week all round, the whole of the dividends of tho ordinary shareholders and co-partners would disappear. The total nominal value of the insurance policies now held Iry'the staff was about £2,000,000, and £700,000 in benefits was paid out last year. They had introduced a whole-time unemployment scheme, by which 391 had benefited, and 643 by the sickness benefit seheme. Had co-partnership united them, or was there any better system that could be carried by Act of Parliament? He urged them to disregard people who said more could be achieved by Act of Parliament than by work aiid attention to business. There was no way other than greater efficiency and closer application to their duties for any one of them to improve his position. An Act of Parliament _ or ehaiige of Government was limited. Governments were paupers. They only got money from the workers by taxation, and the less the Government interfered with business the better.

More Work. "We have got to Tt-ork," said Lord Leverhulme, "whatever the faddists say. The Bolsheviks proposed to abolish capital, and then having removed, or, as other people would say, murdered one and three-quarter million capitalists and helped themselves .to their capital, they find themselves so short of capital that they come to the country thev are sorry for in not having abolished capital—namely, poor old England —to borrow a bit more. (Laughter and cheers.) The nation which i 3 going to teach us to do without capital is making a very bad start in •-coming to try and borrow some of ours. Governments propose treaties, but they don't, collect debts that are owing to us. Politicians propose Acts of Parliament and doles and they do not cure unemployment. Bankers propose restricted credits when trade and commerce throughout the world is suffering from lack of credit. Trades unions demand higher wages and shorter hours while competition is demanding cheaper products. What does the business man say, and what do we copartners says? We say: 'Let's get back to business.* We have too much politics and too little of production. That is all that ails us.' " Appalling Conditions in Bussia. Lord Leverhulme pointad to the appalling health conditions in Russia as a result-of the Bolshevik regime,

ng figures showing that the death; rate in Russia had ris£n from 25: to 85 per 1000. He said that if the ■ same death-rate prevailed here three- and a-quarter million more people would have died—equal to the, population of four cities the size of Liverpool. The people who gained by Bolshevism were about a dozen Bolshevik leaders and co-conspirators. The alternative offered bv co-partnership was fidl recognition* of the • joint interests ot labour management and capital—each to the other a first charge on the business on a just and reasonable basis, according to" local circumstances and the circumstances of the industry. There could be no hard and fast uniform rates or scales. In some parts of West Africa,- where he should be in a few weeks, a man's rate of-pay was 6d a day, and out of that he maintained, with the aid of a garden plot, three wives, himself, and family. (Laughter.) He found a piece .of. calico the size of a pocket handkerchief made a full dress-suit for either man or woman and the children wore no clothes at all. In New York a man could scarcely live on £ 1 a day. Equally the rates of salaries a man got varied, and also rates of interest'from capital. The rates must be mutually agreed from each section. Then if'-they made a profit they who believed in co-partnership said, "Let s share it." Whaling Activities. Lord Leverhulme- said that thfr company had' recently added whaling to their many activities in order to obtain j the oik and fats for their manufactures. Their fleet of whalers comprised the latest and best types, and this ; fact in itself had attracted the best j gunners, skippers, and crews. In j whaling there was a standard rate for nil, hut the lest boat was the foundation for it. While there -had been severe losses in the whaling industry, in their own "case co-partnership was a proved success, in a very difficult industry after many decades of varying tests and trials—that was their idea of co-partnership. They had no magic wand to wave; they could only succeed by hard work. What impressed him most during his recent visit to the Continent was that those nations were recovering most rapidly that relied least on politicians and most on hard work. . He could not see any recovery traceable to Treatiea ftr Acts of Parliament to. compare for one moment with recovery being maxte bv hard work, of labour, management, and capital. And the recovery was greatest where those three forces worked together in harmony. He could carry his mind back 70 years, during which time there had been improvements m the condition of the workers, which all rejoiced at. Factory Acts and regulations which improved conditions were the right and proper sphere of Government, and government on those lines could achieve much; but for the rest let them remember they were all in Hi 6 same boat. If they had to secure efficiency and make their goods attractive to the consumer, they must pull together, and if they pulled together in the spirit of the gunners, skippers, and crews of the whaling fleet, they should assuredly reap a bigger harvest than under any other method. Welcoming new co-partners, Lord Leverhulme r.aid a most successful series of co-partnership meetings had been held in America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and \at Home. There was such an enthusiastic feeling for co-partnership in Australia'that the suggestion for a large cartoon had come from there. The cartoon was displayed above the platform and showed -"a co-partnership team of oarsmen forging ahead from their opponents, whose craft was labelled "Disunion." Beneath was the inscription, "The mai who will not null his full weight ha> no right to a seat in the boat."

CRICKET. ■'..-. ■■'-—--♦- ;' SHEFFIELD SHIELD. SOUTH AUSTRALIA SCORES .'■WELL.' ■ "'■,'."<' (»r oittz— paiss ' ASSOCIATION—COPtSIOST).' AXD '■Ht'.Z.. CABfcB aSsociawo*.) ' , '.(Received November 2nd. 5.5 p.m.) -,.-... ADELAIDE, November 2. / ; In the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and South Australia, the latter, in ' their fl.rst .inning*, made 518 (Harris '9B, Murray 126, V. Richardson 123, Grimmst 59 and Williams 30 not out). Harris and Murray .added '205 for the first wicket, which is a record in matches between these two teams. Ric'dardfton and Grimmet gave, a sparkling-exhibition of punishing play. Bichardson'B -innings was flawless except for one hard thance. Wallace took two wickets for 123-runs and Hendry 4 for 134. . '■ Victoria had lost two wickets for-, 32 (Mayne 12) when stumps were-drawn for the 4?.y.' ' ' ■ ■ ■ ■•'*'' ••■.'■■ ENGLAND V. GOLDFIELDS. (Received November 2nd, 5.'5 p.m.) PERTH, : November "2. • In their match against ; Goldfields ; (fifteen men) England declared with nine Wickets down for 346 (Sutcliffe 38. Sandbain 36, Wool-, ley 67, Hendren 40, Kilner 63, Tate - 84, Tyldesky not out £9)^ Goldfields made 43 £Fou*on 13). ■ Gilhgan took two wickets for nine runs, TMe 8 for . 8 Freeman 5 for 18 and Kilner 3 fori. Each side then had a short knock, England „ making 3 for 111, and Goldfields 7 for 52.' The match was drawn. RAIN PREVENTS PLAY IN SYDNEY. (Received November 2nd, 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, November 2. Ra, : n prevented the continuation of the cricket competition on Saturday. IN OTHER CENTRES. (PKZSS ASBDCIATIOSJ. TZLXOBJUf.) - . AUCKLAND, November 2. The cricket season opened on Saturday on' wickets affected by rain. Eden scored .124 runs against University, Whel&n compiling 30 runs. Saundere took seven'wickets'for. 51. University scored 114 for four wicket* (Metse 40). s North Shore had scared 157 for seven wickets against - Grafton when rain stopped play. X>ncr© scored 77 not out, including four sixes. . Parnell made 166 for eeven wickets against Ponsonby, Somerville notching 54 and Irving 45. WELLINGTON, November,2. Owing to the* wet weather, cricket and other games were postponed on Saturday. DU,NEDIN t November 2. The first senior cricket matches were con- ! eluded in wet-weather yesterday. Grange (207) defeated Dunediii on the ! Oral. Dunedin were dismissed in the first innings for 106, the brat scorers being Strang 39, Higgins 38, Baker 17. Bowling for Grange, McGregor took four wickets for 25 ! runs, Conradi 2 for 30, Galland 2 for 38. iDunedin, in the second innings, eoored 59 for four wickets (Strang 24, Baker 23). Bowl- ; ing, Conradi took 3 wickets for 25 runs, ; Galland I for 17. Carisbreed, 183, and 70 for two wickets, i beat Albion 132 and JG2 on the first innings. Continuing,' in Cansbrook's first innings, , Dickinson made 52, and Douglas 32. In 1 Albion's second innings, Shepherd notched I 62, Keast 34 and Binney 19, Dickinson *«*• l ins I wickets for 43 runs, Dunning 1 joz > IIT A. P. Alloo 2 for SG. Dunning and Dickinson made 31 and 23 ; Carisbrook'a second innings. ,^ ■■ Plaving for Carisbrook in a thtftf &*"> ; matclHSainst Albion, Reekie scored »?• I