PORT SUNLIGHT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14, 17 January 1914, Page 6

PORT SUNLIGHT.

A. GARDEN VILLAGE

MODERN IDEALS

"Our aim. is to socialise and

Christiaaiise business relations, and get back again in the office, factory i and worlcshopj to that close family brotherhood, -that,, existed in - ;the i goods old fdays; of >hatid;tabor;"; v .

'Die above is Sir. William Lever's own description of the aims of, the founders of the. Port Sunlight Industrial Garden Village. As works are to be established by. the firm at Petone, special interest attaches to the following account in the Sydney Herald by JVIr J. D. Fitzgerald, of what has been done at Port Sunlight. In Port Sunlight, says Mr Fitzgerald, the founders have sought to create ideal conditions in connection with a great industrial undertaking, and have succeeded. .It is one of the most notaible and successful .of European experiments. It is a many-

sided venture. There is, first of all, the settlement of the housing problem. Of all the English garden villages, none has been more successful thaoi this. TOWN PLANNING. Finding that the rapid growth of their .businessl operations called for, an extension of their works, the Levers 25 years ago chose a new site at Bramborough Pool, an inlet from the j Rivor M«rsey. Upon this site a j village has been built, which in every • arespect fulfils the exacting demands and reaches the high ideals of the : modem planner and eugenist. Every ; device which modern planning teaches !is embodied in the Port Sunlight Village. The streets follow the contours and undulations of the land; the houses are varied in type, in color, in' architectural decoration; in the fronts are garden spaces, beauti- < fully kept; trees are a charming feature of the village. There are parks and playgrounds, and decorated water-fronts. Five houses per acre is the average, and at the backs of the blocks are allotment gardens, a device which has been followed in Hampstead Garden Suburb, near London, and in other places. Consequently there is no danger of overcrowdling. 'Hie architecture and grouping are a delight to the eye; the former being Early English, and an architectural harmony has been preserved throughout. The public buildings are ornate, especially the churches.

In the houses we find a full conformity to the Australian standards. There are bathrooms", pantries, sculleries, and other conveniences, which are almost unknown in the ordinary British workmam's house. The rooms are well lighted, and special care is paid to ventilation. The rents are low, and are fixed upon a commercial basis, but the low rents are part of the scheme of 'profit-sharing/, and "industrial insurance," which is the basis of the proprietors' plan.

A GREAT FIRM. The Port Sunlight So&pworks cover an area of 90 acres, and the magnitude of the commercial side of the enterprise may bo gauged from that. The operations of the firm are now world-wide. Though the process cf soap-making ( is generally associated witH-uttdesi^able odors/.and is classed Port Sunlight every objectionable feature has been eliminated,; and by care and skill the works and processes are rendered dean, wholesome, and sanitary. The buildings are architecturally fine, and thus they differ from the usual industrial buildings, which have a gaol-like appearance. Medical examination to secure the health, of the employees is conducted on the entrance of the individual into the corporate service, and in such branches .of the industry as are dangerous:, such, as the paint .Irooms, etc., monthly medical examinational are conducted. The greatest care is taken to secure healthy and comfortable conditions in the workrooms. Thus there is artificial heating and forced ventilation. The allowance of cubic space per employee insisted upon by the law in Britain is exceeded by more than fifteen times in the Lever workshops. All sorts, of devices for the safety of the workers are in use. Powerful fans draw off deleterious substances, such as sawdust, metallic i atnd mineral dust, etc. The machinery is guarded by bulwarks, and special committees are in existence to devise means, for the minimising of accidents and to inquire into accidents ' when ? they ocmir. These committees are j composed of representatives of the firm and of the workers themselves. Surgeries and ambulances are provided in the works, and trained ambulance acid first-aid experts are found among the .workers. Elaborate precautions are taken against fire. WOMEN EMPLOYEES. A suggestion box is placed in every department, and a suggestion committee considers those sent in. Prizes are. given for valuable suggestions, and; if patented the inventor reoeiyes royalties.. Employees are supplied, free with overalls. The 48-hour week for men and 45-hour week for women j employees has been granted volun- j tarily by the Lever firm. The men j and girl employees begin and leave off i work at \different hours, .and thus j "the;mobs are not boxed'.'—4o, use an 1 ?American expressions-oil • those occaj- '|r sioris. The advantages of; tiiis can i easily be perceived and realised by tho»e who have seen the factory conditions, say, in Bradford. Full trades unions rates are paid, even though the hours are shorter than ; the; union rates prescribe. Rest-rooms » are provided for the women em-J ployees. Only single women are j employed, and a woman once married j is not allowed to work in the factory, j save- in a few instances where widows ; are employed. The benefit of this I rule to the future race can be easily j imagined. Tliera are cheap res- I taurants for men and girl workers. Gladstone- Hall, a beautifully-designed \ restaurant, can seat 800 persons at a | •sitting. This hall is also used for [ theatrical and picture entertain- | ments, meetings, music, dancing, etc. j The dining arrangements are managed ; by "dinner clubs" of male and female ) employees. Lover Bros, supply the j utensils, cix>ckery, and coal. j Holme Hall, another restaurant, ■ which cost £18,000, is one of the ; great features of Port Sunlight. It , stands in a garden, and is brilliantly j lighted and decorated ; internally. j About 1800 people can dine therein • simultaneously. This restaurant is ; for the girls, .and is a communal in- | stitution, . which pays working .] expenses, but makes no profit for the j ( proprietors, who receive benefits in j' another.. way by ■ having. - "their'em- j ployees happy, contented, well fed, j and healthy. j I cannot have space to dwell on the j old age pensions scheme for em- $ ployees, the' holiday scheme, nor the ] employees' benefit fund. The condi- i tions of tenancy are interesting. ! There are special rules safeguarding: the family life, and excluding the .j lodger except under conditions. One ■ rule is interesting in view of the \ efforts of civic reformers in Sydney, j It forbids the keeping of poultry, save j in special allotments set apart for the ! purpose. j

Tho dances are controlled by a comlrittee. Then there is the collegium, v hich is used for a mutual improvement centre. There is a. beautiful inn, which is a restaurant and recreation house. It was till ten years ago a'temperance inn; but public opinion at a. referendum de manded a license, and it is now a bxnise where alcoholic drinks may be obtained. Yet there is no drunkenness. There is a library and a fine rnwseum, endowed by Sir William Lever; a cottage hospital, with a full rnedi'ial :in<l imrsmg staff, a beautiful post office, gymnasium, baths, clubs, societies.

The whole village, with industrial as well as the residential, is a testimony to the wonderful organising capacity of the founders. It is regarded by sociologists from all Europe and America as one of the tilings most worth studying in Britain, in regard to modern social experiments, which aim at increasing the comfort, health, wealth, and happiness of the race.