MODERN REFORM

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 88, 11 October 1919, Page 10

MODERN REFORM

MR. WHITLEY HONOURED GROWTH OF THE COUNCILS A NEW INDUSTRIAL ERA. ' Mr. J. H. Whitley, M.P., founder of | what is known as "tho Whitley movement" in the world of labour, was given I a complimentary dinner in London recently by the members of the joint industrial councils, the interim industrial | reconstruction committees, and the industrial reconstruction council. The chair j was occupied by Mr. E. J. P. Benn, and amongst those at the head table were the Earl of Danbigh, Sir Robert Home (now Minister for Labour), Sir George Riddell, Bfc., Colonel C. L'Estrahge' Malone. M.P., and Sir Arthur SteelMaitland, Bt., M.P The Chairman intimated that but for his indisposition and for the preparations necessary for his impending visit to Canada, tbe Prince of Wales would have attended the dinner.

Colonel Malone, M.P., submitted the toast of tho Bight Hon. J. H. Whitley, M.P., whose name, he said, would go down to history with fame and credit and honour in with a movement which was of prime national importance. The question they were discussing was not a party question, but a national question. It was very fitting that Mr. Whitley, in his capacity as Deputy-Speaker, and in a capacity which required neutrality of political outlook^ should be associated with such, a great non-party movement. Thu future prosperity of ' every man, woman, and child (depended on the celerity and efficiency with which the wheels of commerce and industry would turn again. The fundamental axiom they must keep before them was productivity. They must stimulate the idea of the production of goods. The principle of a square-deal j was the principle to apply to labour questions. They had surely arrived at the point when they could say that Labour and Capital were entitled to a fair share in tho product of the goods which their combined energy brought forth. It was not possible to apply a hard andi fast rule to industry as a whole, but they had j the machinery now for a discussion of ' fje requirements of individual industries. I They had to bring about a fundamental I change in the industrial organisation of the country—a change which would have I been regarded as revolutionary by many of our ancestors, and would possibly be !so regarded by many of our colleagues in England to-day. Mr. C. W Bowprman, M.P., who supported the toast, remarked that anyone who could say that he had taken a. hand in bringing about a change in the relations l>etween Capital and Labour must be a very happy man. In the printing trade, for the first time in its history, every man, %yoman, boy, and girl would now enjoy a week's holiday at their full wage That was one'ox the most important revolutions that tho trade, had ever known. The hours of labour had been reduced i from fifty in London and fifty-one in tlie provinces to an all-round week of forty-eight. That applied to the whole of the country. The employers in the printing trade were men of fairly geneious instincts. Now the employees were to receive payment' for six statutory holidays in the year. He concluded by testifying to the value of ,tho work 'Mr. "Whitley and his colleagues had initiated. x SPIRIT OF HUMANITY. Mr. J. H. Whitley, Ml., responding, said while eaoh industry had its own problems, and m a sense was a thing in all industries together were a part of the common service of the country. The meaning of this movement was that industry was to be looked upon as a ser/ice of the commonwealth, and not as a selfish pursuit. Those piesent were in their several -industries the pioneers of a new industrial era. Committees and organisations were often multiplied without end', and precious little resulted from them. They might be nothing but dead-sea fruit if they were not inspired by a motive that was permanent. That motive must be found and maintained in the humanity of man and in the fact that we were Christians. If there were some who were unwilling to baso their belief on that foundation, he would remind them of what tho Romn-n philosopher said : " There is nothing that concerns mainkind that fails to concern me." If they looked upon these councils' meiely as devices for avoiding a little friction and arriving at agreement'on questions of wages and hours, important though thoje were, the movement would fail. There was something much bigger than that to be got through.the councils. In one sense they were the alternative to hotel government, Whitehall government. , They were theu* profession of the fact that men and women who had spent their lives in induslries knew niora about those industries than the gentlemen who inhabited Whitehall. When he. apoke of self-government1 he ' meant constructive government." The national councils of the various; industries wore a great thing, but tney were not enough. There must be in widespread industries district councils, and in particular works committees, > going home to the daily life of the workers, and making them feel that their share in an industry did not end witb the drawing of their wages, but .touched the welfare and i prosperity of the industry He knew there waa a certain reluctance to receive |at once the whole of fhat doctrine. But ho was receiving week by week reports i from industrial councils and hundreds jor works com nittees which gave the 1 greatest encouragement for the balief I that the doctrine was fast gaining a I hold. Formerly organisation took tho form of trench warfare.' That ought to cease now. He did not mean that trade I unions need, or indeed ought to part i with a shrod of their protective power I and strength, but that there was a contribution to be made of a constructive kind for an Army beyond these theories of trench warfare. We had never yet tilled the field and realised the asset ■«c had in tho .ranks of industry. The opportunity for leadership had never been frankly and fully offered to. those engaged in industry. The works committees, district councils, and national councils gnve the opportunity through election t<r do service) to the industries by which men lived, and thereby to the national "cause us tv whole. Some people thought, and it was. perfectly true, that unless this country found a way to make a contribution to tho world's needs greater than it had over found before, we should go down, lie liked to put it that way rather than to say by increasing production. This country could only exist and prosper, with its present population, if it was in a position not only t< supply its own needs but to make a contribution to the needs of other peoples. That could not be realised by the old methods, but in his belief it could be realised by the whole of the people coming together and according to their gifts making a higher and maximum1 contribution 'to the desired end. If that could be achieved, it would conduce .to health, comfort, and prosperity. We had a chance, he believed, once again of leading the way to Wig whole world. In conclusion, the speaker staled that tho forty-first industrial council had its birth that day, and >rt recent months there Had. been several

births per week.-'He urged' industries which had not yet established works committees to do so at once.

LESSON FROM TEE PEACE CON- ..-. „, V. ; FERENCE. ... ... Sir George Riddell (proprietor of several newspapers) proposed the "Joint Industrial Councils and.lnterim Industrial Reconstruction Committees'." He stated that he had gome from the Peace Conference', and of .the many different, impressions to be-drawn from ity the one puts/tanding impression he had received was that when*men got together, when they came to see each other and talk .a.bout the "difficult, problems which appeared to be insoluble, it was remark-, able how solutions were found for those problems.. As to the relations between employers and employed in the newspaper trade,.- they, were a- great, deal better i .than t,hey_ were in many other trades,, which might be expected from the intelleotual pharacter of those -who worked in the 'newspaper trade. He regarded the movement, with which' they were all associated as:a step in the light direction, although, it might, not,be-an ideal scheme. Mr. Whitley. had said that to, bring about a : permanent improvement in the.. relations between employers a,nd employed.', they must touch the hearts and the minds of men. They had to show'to employers that they' had jtobe ;coritetet: with" a less share 'of .the profits, perhaps th'a,n; they/h,a4 hitherto, received, and thai they had Jo take, a« an alternative, a greater interest in their works, and rejoice jit being.at the head .of-a- great organisation. , There was no .better way for an employer to be appreciated .than-to know hisi workmen and to Jningie a.mongst them. - II; was worth while 'to,' be on gpgd te?ins w>ih the workers:.' Orie-of- the.chief merits,of_the; Whitley.' -scheme was that? it.', provided organisations for ...tcades that, ;were hithei-to unbrganisedi.: ./ .: ■■■ ■■'■■■'■'..••.'

- Sir Robert Home, responding, said the forty-oKo organisations in existence under tho scheme embraced 2,250,000 workers. v ln addition to organisations for civil servants, they hoped to provide thfWfor all the Government services, and that banks and insurance companies would follow on the same lines. Ihey mu6t no(. gel it into their heads that the main function of the organisation was to do the work of conciliation boards or to deal only with questions of hours and wages. The health of the workers was one of the questions they should consider. They should compare their, conditions of service with other countries and learn from that experience. Complete knowledge on the part of the workmen was the best antidote to unrest. They should learn what' were the employers' troubles and the vicissitudes of their trade, the attacks mado upon finances by competition, and then they could come the more readily to agreement as to when it was proper to raise or reduce wages. But behind all that was tho spirit of which Mr. Whitley had spoken. His words.sounded like a trumpet call - breeding a spirit which .alone could bring harmony and> prosperity to the country. "Sir Arthur Steel-Maitland, M.P., gave the toast of " The Industrial Recontruction Council." He remarked that we were going to celebrate peace next week The problem was what would we do with it iri the domestic sphere as distinctyfrom the international sphere. The country that was beaten in the war would come out more successful if, under the presoure of adversity, it ordered its life well than the successful nation if it U6ed its success ill-advisedly. The need of the spirit of success and of service to the Commonwealth was as vital to this country during the neQ four years as it had been during the last four years. : What was needed was not, .only material advancement, bit an outlet for the mental and spiritual activities pf all tho workers. Mr. J. R. dynes, M.P., speaking ,in support of the toast, said that when the Whitley Committee; ■ were brought tor gether by the Government, Mr. Whitley put them under an obligation to do the patriotic and sensible thing. They found themselves striving to arrive at, a point of agreement, and thrusting away differences. They had there men who wero thought to be taking extreme views, such as Mr Smillie, and others taking more moderate views, bu(; Mr. Whitley, with great patience, got them to accomplish what was a very commendable piece of work. Mr. dynes said he wished to see the workshop committees more fully developed. 110 maintained that Mr. Whitley, had been one of tho greatest trade union organisers that the country had known of recent years. The war had left them in- a mood that did not permit of the Whitley Councils making the progress they ought to do. But they could congratulate themselves on. tho success achieved in spite of the obstacles. Two million workers were now able to'get in touch with employers and trade union •leaders', and workers were beginning to understand how much good could be got out of a better understanding with employers, while employers wero ■ being taught to recognise that workmen were human bsings, and that consistent with the progress of trade a place must be given to the human side of labour in the workssiops.