NEVER SAY DIE

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 July 1933, Page 10

NEVER SAY DIE

WAR-GASSED MANS WINS. .Behind one of the greatest business deals put through at the British Industries Fair, which has just ended, lies the remarkable story of a map who started out with a capital of £7 10s six years ago, and built up a business which to-day has a yearly turnover of £250,000. He is Mr. Charles H. Vince, who earned the envy ot the whole fair by booking one of the biggest orders taken—an order for two million dry batteries.

Thirteen years ago he was a ser-geant-major with the Military Medal and a bad dose of gas. He was one of the last men to leave .Galipoh. His pension amounted to 4/2 per week. It was all he and his wife had to live on. . . . For two years his disability. through gas prevented him from working. Now he has a great factory employing a staff of nearly 1000. “They called me the madman of Great Eastern Street a few years ago, Mr. Vince said. “That was because I tried to sell wireless equipment at a time when broadcasting was in its infancy and looked like being a But I wasn’t disheartened. I had £7/10/and I spent it on equipment for making dry batteries. “Here is what I bought: One out press, a fair supply o*. zinc,, some chemicals, and a pair of big scissors. “Within a month I had added my wife and son to my list of employees. Still the demand for my batteries grew. So I went a bit further and hired a girl to assist. Before long I was able to rent a couple of old sheds in .Poplar which I used as a factory. This soon became too small, and I moved to a [disused public-house, where business still continued to develop at a terrific rate. “I used to g et P aid by cheQue the firms with which I dealt, and i found myself in difficulties because 1 could not wait until the cheques were cleared. I had to have the cash to buy materials. So I told the local bank all about it, and seeing the way my little business was growing they agreed to help. As soon, as I paid a cheque in I was . allowed to “raw against it, and within a few. months 1 had established my credit in propei fashion.” , ... Mr. Vince’s business grew steaciiiy, and soon he had to acquire a real facHis premises now cover 24,000 sq. feet, and in the past three years has made and sold 50,000,000 battery cells, a total of 22 tons of batteries. “During the past month alone 1 have supplied a quarter of a million cycle and torch batteries for the colonies, ho said. “I think a great deal of ciedit is due to my workers. I treat tu *|ni well and see that they are happy, we are really liko one great family, ioi' have been through the mill and I know what it is to work hard for a living. “I still work hard, and am on the job early every morning- That ™ ttie only way if you want to succeed.