CADBURY BROS., LIMITED.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19863, 26 February 1930, Page 13

CADBURY BROS., LIMITED.

MEMBERS OF FAMILY IN NEW ZEALAND. CONDITIONS AT BOURNEVILLE. [THE PBESS Special Service.] WELLINGTON, February 25. Mr Barrow Cadbury, chairman of directors of Cadbury Bros., Ltd., Bourneville, Birmingham, was a passenger by the Marama which arrived at Wellington from Sydney to-day. Mr Cadbury is accompanied by Mrs Cadbury, Miss Dorothy A. Cadbury (one of the nine managing directors of the Company), and Miss G. M. Cadbury. They have just completed a tour ot three months in Australia, partly on business and partly on holiday, and will make a brief tour of New Zealand. Interviewed Mr Cadbury stated that his firm had just completed its centenary. During the whole of the hundred years it had experienced no serious industrial trouble. Harmony in working had been arrived at by tbe close co-operation between capital and labour under the works councils for men and women employees. Eight managers or departmental heads met eight representatives of the employees once a fortnight to discuss the working conditions, and settle any little grievances that might have arisen. Wages were regulated by the unions, and the Interim Industrial Council. The majority of their hands were em- j ployed on piecework, with a minimum j wag® fixed by the council. Super- j animation schemes were contributed to j on an equal "basis The scheme, which had been in operation for eleven years, had proved so highly successful that ho thought it could be adopted with advantage by the majority of industrial concerns. Education, said Mr Cadbury, formed an important requirement for employees, about 9000 of whom were engaged at Bourneville. Particularly did this apply to the younger employees. A condition of employment of children afred less than 16 years was that they should attend a school for at least two half days each week, and. of those between the ages of 16 and 18, that they should attend classes at least one halfday a week* This regulation was

carried out at the expense of tfcs Company. About 40 per cent, of th» employees of the factory reside ai Bown»ville. The township, howwer, is wider the control of an independent trot.