OBITUARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22845, 28 September 1937, Page 10

OBITUARY

MR. E. A, FILENE ~ J AMERICAN PACIFIST '(Received September 27, 5.5 p.m.) ' PARIS, Sept. 26 The death has occurred of an American business man and pacifist, Mr. Edward A. Filene, from pneumonia contracted while on a European tour. ' Mr. Edward Albert Filene was born iat Salem, Massachusetts, in September, 1860. His father was the owner of the jgreat ready-made clothing stores in Boston and Salem, and in 1890 he transferred their management to his two sons. In 1908 Edward became president of William Filene's Sons and Company, the biggest concern of its kind in 'America. Edward Fileno was an economist with modern views. He introduced into his business a profit-sharing scheme for the employees, who were permanently represented on the directorate. A strong pacifist, he contributed after the Great jWar to numerous newspapers in America and Europe, and offered 50,000 dollars for peace prizes, competitions being held in Britain, Franco, Germany and Italy. Ho travelled much in Europe and was keenly interested in the economic rehabilitation of the former belligerent States'.

Mr. Filene's book, "The Way Out of Chaos," t dealt with methods by which he considered Europe could overcome the effects of the war. He saw in the nationalisation .of production the only .'hope of bringing things back to the normal.

Mr. Filene served on a number of public bodips wliich, in addition to those concerned with commerce, included the War Shipping Committee, the Committee for Financing the War and the League to Enforce Peace. He wrote "More Profits from Merchandising," which is a text book of American commerce. ;