NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20491, 17 February 1930, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

BRITISH SILVER COINAGE. ' Although not p. record, the number of pieces struck in the Royal Mint in 1928 exceeded 228,000,000, including an exceptional production of silver coins as a result of the introduction of new designs. Referring to the latter in his annual report, the Deputy Master and Comptroller of the Royal Mint, Sir Robert Johnson, says these are even yet early (Jays to declare that a complete solution of a very conjpjex problem has been reached, "But it is already clear that at least the worst features of the old alloy do not appear with the new composition, and I can feel confident that a. definite improvement has been achieved. There seems no reason, therefore, why the composition of alloy should not now be disclosed. The whitening effect of nickel is well known, and, although our experiences in working with a silver-copper-nickel alloy from 1920 to 1922 were discouraging, all experiments made in our endeavour to discover a white alloy pointed to the use of -nickel as a necessary adjunct. I need not here relate the technical considerations involved. Suffice it to say here that a quaternary alloy, silver 50 per cent., copper 40 per cent., jickel 5 per cent,, zinc 5 per cent., was adopted for the silver coinage of new design authorised in November, 1927.''

MODERN COMMERCE.

"Commerce ,is the great game, the joyous adventure, the fight, the risk, the service to the community, that calls for leadership, organisation, judgment, skill, energy and devotion to principle and to duty. Commerce is essentially a calling which must be based upon the highest principles, and one, therefore, which calls for and is worthy of education on the highest plane,'.' said Mr. Francis W. Goodenough, chairman of the British Committee on Education for Salesmanship, in an address to the Headmasters' Conference at Eton College. "The competent man of commerce, first of all, needs . study. and travel, and the cultivation of the powers of observation . and sympathetic imagination to enable him to discover all who are potential buyers of his wares or services; and to acquaint himself with \heir exact needs. In other words, he must be skilled in market research. Next, hfe must understand the art of conveying accurate and complete knowledge of. what he has to offer to all potential buyers in such a way as to attract, -interest and persuade them. He must be an expert in presentation. He must, understand how to ensure the punctual and convenient delivery of goods and services, and fulfil every promise to the buyer who has been persuaded to place orders with him and meet his every requirement; and he must realise the importance of taking throughout unfailing eteps to ensure that every transaction connected with every sale—from inquiry to completed payment—is carried through in every detail in such a manner and in- such a spirit as will merit the customer's complete satisfaction. In other words, he must be fully equipped and entirely determined to fulfil that duty of , honest service to the community which is the basic law of commerce."

A FIELD OF PUBLIC SERVICE. "The man of commerce needs insight, foresight, imagination, adaptability, judgment, powers of advocacy, a gift for diplomacy and sound taste," Mr. Goodenough added. "He needs capacity for selection, direction and leadership of men. He needs ability to plan " and organise. These are qualities only.displayed to the full by men and women •of the first quality. The answer, therefore, to the question of what educationcan do toward'tthe production of more first-class men of commerce is that our great schools and our universities shall not only not discourage the best of their sons from going into commerce, but positively encourage them to do so by pointing out its opportunities for service to the community and for the exercise of the best of their powers and gifts. If that be so, is there, any room for any lingering prejudice in favour of the professions and the v services as against commerce —for public service in Whitehall or Westminster as against public service in commerce or industry ? Why 1 should we not urge upon the best of our sons to go into the great profession of commerce—where worthy ideals can bo and are followed and are proved to lead to success and honour—and so help to raise the goneral leVel of commercial practice throughout the country and throughout the world ? It is, I suggest, worth notice that there is congestion in most of the professions today, whereas in industry and commerce there is always room in the uppef ranks for first-rate men."

THIS YEAR'S PROBLEMS

Some of the problems awaiting decision were outlined by the Bishop of Durham

in an address at the beginning of tho year. He said the. year whicfc,.had just ended left over to its successors a series of difficult and hotly debated issues, the handling of which could not be longer postponed and must form the specific burden of the year on which they had entered. In the secular sphere there were questions, political and economic, which had taken concrete form and must be directly faced. Was an effective reduction of armaments by tho civilised nations, which was confessed to bo the indispensable condition of stable peace, really attainable 't Was the valorous effort by Great Britain to satisfy the natural aspirations of Egypt and India without suirendering tho Imperial power and thereby throwing back tho vast population of these countries into the anarchy from which that Imperial power rescued and alone protected them really a practical application of that policy ? Could the mutual relations of employers and employed be brought into such a condition of settled harmony as would make possible tho recovery of British commerce and bring back material prosperity to the community f And was the Russian Soviet Republicj-niilitantly communistic and atheistic, self-stripped of tho traditional discipline by which Christianly civilised peoples had sought to curb and fashion human nature into capacity for social fellowship—capable of being brought again within the sphere of civilisation ? Those and other great questions were taking shape in clear-cut form, and were being pressed with energy which could not be ignored or left unanswered, and such was their intrinsic importance tIV on their successful answering the future of civilisation as we hau understood it in ChristenI dom must finally • depend.