NEW FACTORY OPENED

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 December 1939, Page 10

NEW FACTORY OPENED

MESSRS SALMOND & SPRAGGON. The new factory of Messrs Salmond and Spraggon, Ltd., at Miramar, was officially opened last week, by the President of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Captain Holm. The factory is modern in every respect, being excellently laid out/’well lighted, and provides every facility for the manufacture of the many products which the firm handle. Replying to the opening'speech by Captain Holm, Mr Edwin Salmond said: “I will not bore you with details of our manufactures here, but, at any rate, you will be pleased to know that we will here produce, with one hand, medicines which are warranted to cure all the ills to which the flesh is heir, and that, on the other hand, we will produce here cosmetics which will make all the women in New Zealand beautful. To speak in the vernacular —a man cannot say fairer than that. It would be absurd for me not to admit that I am, indeed, proud that we have at last achieved this very fine factory, but I can assure you that I am much prouder of that which has made it possible, and that is the extraordinary enthusiasm, goodwill, ability and hard work of all those closely associated 1 with me in this business, from my fellow-directors, right through the staff. Most of these men are here to-day. Many have been with me since they were boys, and now oc-

cupy important positions in the office, “on the road,” in the store and in the factory. I' want to tell them how much I appreciate all that they have done; how' -greatly I prize their friendship, which I know well is mine. We are, indeed, a happy family in this business.” When I recall that there are hundreds of businesses in this country which have reached success by this close and friendly co-operation between the management and the staff, plus the respect and goodwill which exists between the businesses themselves and those served by them, I often wonder if it would not be possible to make New Zealand happy and prosperous by like methods. You may be very sure that it is quite impossible to make a country either happy or prosperous by Act of Parliament or Regulation, alone. There must be a basis of spiritual things on which to build. Goodwill, respect, loyalty truth, justice, charity and freedom — these things, not only between man and man, but between all the different sections which make up the community, between town man and country man, between employers arid those employed, between rich man and poor man, and between the Government itself and all those sections, without exception. I confess I would like to hear our leading politicians of all shades of opinion preach this goodwill gospel. Yes, I would like to hear it shouted from the very housetops, and then that lead would be followed by all our public men. by our business leaders and by our leaders amongst the professions, by our prominent farmers, and last, but not. least, by our leaders of labour, because of all sections, labour has most to gain from goodwill. Then soon, very soon, no longer would we hear talk on the one hand of “dividend kings, moneybags, and public enemy No. 3,” and, on the ( other hand, of “loafers, spongers,” and such like- I am convinced that ’ all such talk does infinite harm. It 1 creates resentment and it produces I fear. Fear, in its turn, produces hate] and cruelty. Fear which is the • greatest enemy of human progress, ,

and which paralyses all endeavour. Fear, in some, of unemployment, of poverty, fear in others, for the loss of their businesses, for the loss of their practices, for the loss of their farms, fear of hasty, rash legislation, fear of inflation, fear ,of crushing taxation, and, perhaps, worst fear ot all, fear for the future of loved ones and dependants. But if this Angel, Goodwill, could enchain this chuil—this devil, Fear—does, anyone doubt that the sun would break through those dark mists of pessimism, almost of despair, which threaten at times to envelop us. Does anyone doubt that men would again press forward with hopeful hearts, that industry would flourish everywhere, and that tne farmer, upon whom, in the long run, we all depend, would quickly increase his herds and improve his pastures. Thus, thus, and thus only, will this lovely land become what it was intended by nature to be, a land, such as the psalmist sang, a land flowing with milk and honey, a happy, happy land, and the envy of all other lands. You say it is only a dream! Aye, alas, maybe ’tis but a dream, but is it not a dream worth while, and could it not be made a marvellous reality!