Advice To Businessmen

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32219, 11 February 1970, Page 12

Advice To Businessmen

Businessmen should work more closely with governments and give more time tc responsibilities outside business/ the president of the (Federation of Common-

i wealth Chambers of; Commerce (Sir Walter Scott) said to members 1 of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce! on Monday. This was partly in their own interests, because government actions and decisions were affecting business more, than ever—witness the formation of the European Common Market—and partly because business had to recognise its responsibility for; the problems which it created; itself—such as smog, pollu-i tion, urban sprawl, the deple-: tion of natural resources and, the destruction of natural; assets, he said. “Any unbiased reader of; history would have to say I that we have fought too often as managers against things

I, that a little later are accep- ; ted without argument,” Sir 1 [ Walter Scott said. ■ ; Managers should be wary : of arguing for the status quo ’ ■ when everything else is J changing. We are apt to squirm as businessmen when ■; we read about arguments we . j put forward in the past.

[ When there was a move to! get children out of the mines; j we said: ‘Look at. the moral! (trouble they might get into! or the surface.’ When working hours were reduced from ; 56 to 52 a week, we said ‘lt will ruin us.’ “We must not make the mistake of holding on to things ■ against public opinion. This ■ is the mistake the American ■ automobi’e manufacturers ■ made. Eventually they were > forced to give way and adopt 1 safety features,” said Sir Wal- ' ter Scott. Businessmen today had ’(much more sympathy for I! their employees than was gen- ■; erally realised, and he knew ■; many businessmen who would I (rather lose a lot of money I than put off staff. ! It was difficult, he said, for ’ i businessmen to give much ( ’! time to such activities a: govi' eminent. Lawyers could! ’ leave their practices for a;

time, return later, and get more briefs than before. It was not nearly so easy for businessmen, and this was why Baldwin—“not reckoned one of their best”—was the only businessman to be a Prime Minister of Britain in more than a century. The only Australian businessman to be Prime Minister of his (country was Stanley Bruce—--1 and he was a “doubtful star- ! ter” as a businessman.

In the United States, Trunjan, from a bankrupt haberdashery, was the only businessman in s long time ‘o be President. However, he was now ranked by most as in the second run of United States presidents, behind Washington. Roosevelt and Lincoln. “We, the chief executives are the biggest wasters of time in history,” Sir Walter Scott said. His firm had conducted a survey of how chief executives spent their time—“you’d be amazed.” he said.

“If we see a dollar note we step down and pick it up. But we waste $5O of materials. How many of us really budget for the most important resource that we haver time? If we budget our time we may find much more time for other responsibilities.”