LABOUR CO-PAKTNEKSHIP

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14336, 5 April 1910, Page 5

LABOUR CO-PAKTNEKSHIP

SIR C. FURNESS'S SCHEME.

WORKERS WITHDRAW.

By Telegraph.—Press Association.—Copyright.

,: . ; ' London, April 3. The co-partners "in Sir Christopher Furness's Hartlepool shipbuilding concern have, by 598 votes to 492, voted against the continuance of the co-partnership scheme, though the men as co-partners received nine per cent, upon their money, in addition to their wages. ...... .". ~_, ~",'

Sir Christopher Furness states that the firm's workmen would have been favourable to the scheme if- the trades unions had left them alone.

Mr. J. N. Barnes (chairman of the Labour party), interviewed, said he appreciated Sir Christopher Furness's motives, -but he had always been against co-operation, because it broke up trades unions. He was glad that the Hartlepool experiment was.not likely to be carried further. (Received April 5, 12.30 a.m.) London,; April '4. . The Hartlepool co-partnership malcontents complain that employment was not continuous, and that they also disliked speeding up, which they declare was due. to some workers desiring to obtain the best results from "the co-partnership.

.INDUSTRIAL PEACE AND EFFICIENCY. ' In October, 1908, Sir Christopher Furness. MP.,.invited a number of representatives of the shipbuilding and allied trades unions to meet, mm at West Hartlepool, and in-an address to them on "Industrial 1 eace and Industrial Efficiency," made two proposals whereby he hoped'the relations between capital and labour might be made more harmonious.'. First he offered to hand over to the trade unions his film's shipyards at West Hartlepool as going concerns ' for such sum or sums as,may be determined by a recognised firm of assessors, appointed by joint nomination." Failing the acceptance of that .offer,'he made another proposal. He invited the employees to become limited co-partners in the shipbuilding yards of Fumes*, Withv. and Co., Limited, which owns /the Middleton" Shipbuilding Yard at Hartlepool and the, Harbour Dockyard at West • Hartlepool. The conditions were that the men should take up 10 £1 shares in the company, to be called employees' shares, paving for them, if they so desired, by a deduction of 5 per cent, from their weekly earnings till the amount should be covered. On these shares 4 per cent, interest would be guaranteed. The existing shareholders would have 5 per cent.' reserved to them out of the company's profits, and any additional profit after payment of the 5 per cent, would be divided between the ordinary shareholders and the men on the basis of their individual holdings. The works would continue to be under the control of a board of directors, as ,/at present, but he proposed to ""set up a works council, composed of an equal number of representatives of employees and of the firm, to settle disputes, to promote friendly communication between the firm and the men. To this council he would invite the secretaries or local representatives of the trade, unions which had members engaged in the works.. It'would be' an imperative condition that under no. circumstances' should' tlic emplovee co-partners iro on strike, and that the firm should not lock the. men out. This was necessary, because it would enable the firm to guarantee delivery of ships ,bv a certain date, "which they could not '■'. do »at present. '■•> -The Trade Union delegates approved the copartnership scheme ■recommending the local branches .of the unions to accept it on trial for 12 months, and the men adopted it by a majority of 10 to one.