ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21643, 13 May 1932, Page 4

ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

TENTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ADDRESS BY MR S. W. PASCALL The tenth annual conference of the Rotary clubs of New Zealand (fifty-third district) was continued in the Concert Chamber of the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday. There was a much larger attendance than on the opening day, the gathering including a number of ladies. The chair was occupied by Mr Henry J. Guthrie (Dunedin). '' district governor, who was supported oy, the conference officers. The chairman introduced the Mayor of Dunedin (Mr R. S. Black) and Mr Sydney W. Pascell, president of the Rotary International, who were received with a song of welcome. The meeting expressed felicitations to the district governor on the occasion of his birthday, and sang “ For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” followed by cheers. Mr Guthrie briefly expressed his pleasure at the recognition thus given of hie natal Prayer was offered by the Rev. W. Allan Stevely.

WELCOME,, TO DUNEDIN. The Mayor, on behalf of the city, welcomed the visitors to the city—the most British town, he said, in the British Empire. There was less of the foreign element in Dunedin than in any city in England, and the people were as loyal to the flag as It was possible to be: they were 100 per cent, good.—(Applause.) He was pleased - to welcome Mr Pascall a man who did good deeds; he did not only dream them all day long. For the information of the visitors Mr Black gave some -facts relative to the early history of Dunedin. Mr Pascall bad struck them •in troublesome tunes, but he haa been through other countries and would see how they measured up a ° d ,^ et times. After giving -some of. the early history of Dunedin, Mr Black, said they were trying to make New Zealand a whole and complete country without provmcialiem, and Rotary, he hoped, was assisting to that end. The early settlers had shown foresight, and they should take that as a lesson and do fomethingjor succeeding generations. He appealed to Rota rians to live up to their high principles and to be always of good cheer, ADDRESS BY MR PASCALL. In introducing the international president, the chairman said he first met Mr Pascall at Ostend in 1927 as president of Rotary in the British Isles. He would never forget how he felt when, at a past international president moved the suspension of the standing rules to allow Mr Sydney Pascall to be elected by unanimous vote. He was the first Rotanan from the European side to be elected international president in that way. Although the voting power was 75 per cent. North American, Mr Pascall was elected unanimously. . Correspondence with Mr Pascall had. given. hun great pleasure, and it was wonderful to read what other district governors wrote of the visits of Mr Pascall. Hie tour had been successful throughout. He had made very few mistakes, but he had made one when at Geelong he said he was going to attend another conference at Dunedin which was not so important as the Geelong conference. — (Laughter. J On rising to give his address Mr Pascall was received with loud applause and three cheers, with a cheer for Mrs Pas call, and another for Miss Pascall. 1 thank you very much for that charming welcome,” said Mr Pascal!. It is the finest welcome I have had since I lett Home.” He also thanked the Mayor for the hearty welcome to the Clt^- , he arrived on Wednesday night the weather was atrocious; he did not think he had ever seen a worse day in bcotland. He said that Rotary was just what they made it. It was extraordinarily adaptable. Rotary, essentially and fundamentally, was the same everywhere, and it was perfectly amazing as one went from one place to another to see how the clubs adapted themselves to the national habit. Club meetings differed in different places. In Hamilton, for instance, he was nearly sung off his feet. In England they did not sing—they regarded lunch as too important. The Englishman never sang except in his bath. The matter of _Chris* tian names was another thing, in the New Zealand clubs they called one another by Christian names, but he thought that sometimes they were slightly irreverent Christian names or nicknames, In Bngland they did not use Christian names, but surnames, which was more in accord with Britsh custom. If the use of the Christian name developed with acquaintance, well and good, but they did not believe in forcing things. Forcing did not produce the genuine article. However, it they had adopted that idea let them stick to it. It was friendship that they were after. Fundamentally, Rotary was the same everywhere. It should be adapted to the national character and needs of life, and he saw it working in that way everywhere he went. It was in the international hold that Rotary had its most outstanding opportunity at present. It brought men of many minds and of many races into contact, and gave them the chance to undcrstafid each other. Rotarians of all races, holding antagonistic views, could meet on common ground, learn to esteem each other, and respect the convictions of an opponent. Esteem, respect, and understanding must create an atmosphere making for much easier handling of difficult and controversial problems. In France and Germany the chief work that Rotary was doing \yas the personal contact it was establshing; members visited each other’s clubs, and in these personal contacts they were beginning to know each other better. In their discussions they talked about war debts and tariffs, and so on. These were political matters, of course, but they did not pass resolutions. They discussed the things that divided | their countries, and in this way they were beginning to understand each other much better than they could if they discussed ! the things they agreed about, and after I their discussions they were ns good friends ias they were before. That was what j Rotary had to do if it had to do any 1 good in international service. They must get people together, and get them to understand things in a spirit of goodwill.

President Pascall paid a tribute to Americans, whom, he said, were not so self-centred as some people thought. That was shown by the fact that, notwithstanding their overwhelming membership, they elected an Englishman as their president. He took it that that was tribute to the fact that Rotary had become permanently established in the Continent of Europe. Rotary’s aim was to make people good nationals and not washed-out copies of other nationals —to make Germans good Germans and Frenchmen good Frenchmen —but not to raise international borders so high that they could not reach over and shake hands with the person on the other side. Club service and community service were also touched on by President pascall. who urged Rotarians to carry the principles of Rotary into their lives and into their businesses and professions. He closed,his address with these words; “We believe that in a man’s business he has perhaps a greater opportunity than in almost any other sphere of life proving the stuff of which he ig made. It is in your business or in your profession that the real test comes. You are there seen for what you are rather than what you pretend to be. You can do things and see things growing under your eye. It is there you cpn carry out, I believe, a mope useful service to your fellow-man than you can in the outside things of charity and community service, however valuable they are. Therefore, Rotarians feel that in our business and our profession lies the chief line of service wherein wc can carry out ; our object of ‘service above self.’ (Applause.) In thanking Mr Pascall for his address, the chairman said he could endorse _ all that their visitor had said on the subject of Christian names. The meeting sang “Land of Hope and Glory,” being conducted by Mr H. P. Desmoulins, with Mr Roy Spackman at the piano. Three addresses were given appertaining to vocational service. ROTARY IN BUSINESS.

Mr James Hock, (Dunedin), who spoke on “ Rotary in Business,” said that Rotary was previously a group of representative business and professional men seeking: (l) To study, collectively the theory of service as the true basis of success in business. (2) To give practical, demonstrations of it to their community, and (3) individually to translate its theory into practice in business and everyday life. This theory and these principles could only be applied, so far as business and professional life were concerned, through Rotary in business and vocational service by Rotarians. If the basis cf their activity was solely that of personal gain or private profit, they could not subscribe to Rotary’s ideals and their presence in a club was a real danger to its progress and expansion. Rotary had learned that the service a Rotarian rendered to bis community, through his vocation, was the most accurate standard by which to measure him. “ Many of you.” he added, “ must sometimes pause and wonder, as I have done myself, if we are really doing oirr job as Rotarians and if Rotary has made any difference to us, to our business, or professional outlook or ethics, and to our relationship with other members of our vocation who are not Rotarians. Our only answer can be, that if we had a strong grip on the true ideals of Rotary, gave thought and application to it, and really practiced it, we would be keen and enthusiastic Rotarians, eager to serve Rotary through every available channel which runs our way. Or, we might be inspired by contact with the founder and builders of Rotary. Could the ideals and ethics of Rotary be expressed in vocations by the thousands of Rotarians in this and other countries it must eventually have an uplifting influence and produce a higher code of business dealings. That it may not be doing so must be the fault only of many of us as individuals and not of Rotary itself.” Probably no one in Rotary had done more for Rotary in business than their distinguished guest. President Pascall, who gave recently an outstanding address on “ Bribery ” to an international congress. He then said: “Bribery is a menace to international peace ” and “ There is no goodwill in a business founded on bribery.” That address summed up the dangers of bribery so accurately that he would like to see it printed and circulated to every Rotarian in New Zealand. It touched on the vital things of every-day business. Rotary insisted as a cardinal principle that they must serve others first —in the home, towards friends, towards employees, towards customers, and towards competitors. He had found from experience at trade association gatherings that personal contact 'and a riper acquaintance outside of business hours broke down many barriers that previously appeared unsurmountable. As individual Rotarians they had a definite duty to sink prejudices and dislikes and to lead the way in promoting better business relations. That was their task and their contribution to rotary in business. Membership in Rotary was purposely limited to one man in each distinct line of business, so that each business and profession should have one worthy and active exponent in Rotary and that Rotary might have one direct avenue of approach to each business and profession in the community. A Rotarian could find a wide field of usefulness and helpfulness in his relations with his competitors. The old school of thought and practice was to take every possible advantage of a competitor in his difficulties, and when his factory or his shop was destroyed by fire or damaged by earthquake or flood to seize the opportunity to rob him of his customers anti trade. To-day they found numerous and increasing examples of kindly assistance and valuable help to competitors in time of trouble, as at the times of the earthquakes in Hawke’s Bay. In the big trade associations’ meetings and business conventions throughout the world competitors mixed freely together, giving each other business hints and trade secrets and freely discussed those thinus which would give better business conditions. New Zealand was more conservative in this direction than the larger countries. Rotary aimed at placing all men in equality in business and professional relations. They had only to look around them' to see that the businesses that had the most enduring success and that had the greatest goodwill were those that followed the higher standards and “ plaved the game.” “ We have many of them in New Zealand,” said Mr Hogg. “ throughout the British Empire, and all over the world. Their success is the hallmark of integrity and morality and the goal of attainment. What we need in Rotary to-day is men of ideals and men

of enthusiasm, or, as Kipling said, ‘We need crusaders.’ When things looked blackest at the Battle of the Marne. Marshal Foch wired to the men at home: ‘My centre is giving; my left wing is retreating; the situation is excej|ent; I am attacking.’ Fellow Rotarians, even though the economic and business, position looks black and difficult, it is the time for attack and fair fighting. — (Applause.) BUYER AND SELLER RELATIONSHIPS. Mr F. N. Ambler (Auckland) spoke on “Buyer-seller Relationship” He said: “It is one thing to talk Rotary ideals —quite another thing to practise them in daily life. The ideal and the actual are so widely separated that it takes courage of a high order to apply the aspirations of one’s highest moments to the ordinary problems of life, and this is not the only difficulty. Seldom, if ever, does one realise the full import of a 1 principle at the time it is enunciated. To take an instance near home —the working'out in actual practice our own watchword—“ Service above Self ” is a ceaseless problem. Most people wish to do the right thing. The difficulty often is to distinguish the right from the wrong. It is true, therefore, that any man who would serve his fellows must carefuuy consider his actions. EveTy aspect of life must engage his thoughts that he may discover how to apply his golden rule of life; his most commonplace actions and- tasks must be scrutinised in the light of his ideal standard that defects in his conduct may be exposed; for it is only by this rigid self-examination a man is able to achieve any moral advance. “ To-day it is my task to take one aspect of the ordinary business of life, ‘ buying and selling ’; to subject these processes to a close analysis; to thrust alongside the Rotarian ideal; and then to endeavour to show how the two may be combined to form practical precepts of daily conduct. It is almost superfluous for me to indicate the importance of the problem, for every one of you—every man in the civilised world for that matter —is both a purchaser and a seller of merchandise. We can go back as far as records carry us, and find buying and selling going on. At first it was by. barter, then by monetary media; sometimes it was goods, sometimes it was services; sometimes the market was large, sometimes small; but always the moral problem was there —what should the relationship of buyer and seller be? “Any exchange of goods or services which involves buying and selling must be satisfactory to both parties—that is to say, the buyer and the seller must both reap an advantage from the transaction. If they do not, the whole fundamental object of it all is not attained. Going back to the beginning of commerce, we find that at first everyone did everything for himself, and there was no trade; then it was realised that a number of people might co-operate with advantage to all parties, by means of a System of division of labour. Every man did that work for which he was best suited by aptitude and inclination, and this specialisation resulted in a marked increase in production. The problem then arose as to how, and in what ration, these various products and services might be exchanged. Through the centuries we have ceaselessly continued to face the problem; the production aspect we have largely solved, on the technical side at any rate. The exchange aspect we have not solved, and our failure is writ large around us in the present depression. I suggest to you that the exchange mechanism has broken down' because we have lost sight of its fundamental object—the attaining of greater material good, for all parties co-operating; that our interdependence in all commercial relationships has been completely disregarded, and each of us has worked on the fallacious assumption that our own good can be attained only at our neighbour’s expense. We set out to wrest from Nature more of her treasure for the benefit of human kind. We started on the basis of co-operation in division of labour; we achieved much, but in achieving we lost sight of the spirit which had made it possible, and, like children, commenced to fight over the product of our industry. , The fight has grown more and more intense, until to-day our fighting remains, while the product of our industry is rapidly disappearing. Competition, from be- f ing the healthy rivalry of the playing' field or the laudable desire to do something somewhat better than it has ever been done before, has developed within itself a personal bitterness which finds expression in commerce in ‘putting it across ’ one’s competitors. It is said business is a game. Business always was a great game, and to-day is the greatest game in the world, and, as such, must be played according to the rules. If one desires to play football or lawn tennio he must follow the established rules of procedure. These rules constitute the science of the game. But anyone can learn every rule of the game and yet not be able to play the game. So we must go back —right back to fundamentals, in order to go forward to the construction of a new commercial point of view. “To-day commercial success is synonymous with integrity, high ideals, specialised knowledge, and a realisation that the only way to succeed is to give the buyer a square deal, and that when ■you are selling you cannot afford to take advantage of any lack of knowledge be might have. You have to advise him and require to be careful not to oversell him. When a buyer puts faith in your judgment, knowing that he can rely on vou and your goods, yon have then created that goodwill which is such a tremendous asset in any busincs. “ There are four essentials to the building up of sound business—profit, turnover, service, goodwill. Profit and turnover stand or fall together, but are | of no enduring worth without the other essentials of service and goodwill. “ I turn now to the general attitude of the buyer. If it is incumbent on the seller to be sincere, so it is with the, buyer. He should not assume that he is in a superior position with power to do what he likes. When he makes an appointment with a salesman he should keep it promptly. His attitude should be as courteous as though he were selling. He should give his undivided attention to the man he is dealing with, for it is as unpardonable for a buyer to waste a salesman’s time with idle chatter as it is for a salesman to take up an unreasonable amount of his client’s time. The buyer has the right respectfully to criticise, but not to disparage. The salesman who offers his goods in honest fashion should be met with a polite response; no buyer should ever assume that the salesman is bluffing. If

he thinks so he had better politely, but firmly, terminate the interview. The old slogan ‘ Business is business,’ implying that it is the duty of the buyer to watch the seller, is obsolete. Modern business recognises that buyer cannot exist without the seller. Any transaction involving both buyer and seller must be’ beneficial to both parties. The buyer must not nrofit at the expense of the seller and vice versa.

“ Many people hold strong views on the merits or demerits of instalment selling. Do the evils of instalment selling outweigh the goods? The cheapest method of buying is for cash, and any other method costs more. The instalment seller gives long credit, takes a bigger risk, and somebody has to pay, and the logical person is the buyer. The only article I should say which justifies instalment buying is a home. Not one in a thousand could possibly save enough to pay for a home outrignt, and it is sound government to do all possible to let a man own his own home, since it gives him a status in the country, and so helps to make him a better citizen. But what about furniture, sewing machines, pianos? Unless you can afford to pay cash you should not buy them, , I will leave the instalment problem with just this word. Most of I hope, instalment sellers rather than instalment buyers. If we would say ‘No!’ more definitely and often to people requiring credit, and then explain why, we would' be doing a service to the community and in the long run to ourselves.

“ Before I complete this paper I would like to deal with one last instance of the buyer and seller problem. Just now most of us are thinking round the various questions which will shortly engage the attention of our statesmen at Ottawa—questions of tariffs, reciprocal trade arrangements, and suchlike. We are looking for great things from Ottawa, measures which will lift us out of the trade stagnation into which we have drifted and which will set our feet on the road to prosperity again. Are we going to be disappointed I suggets to you that the answer to this question depends absolutely on the spirit in which discussion is carried on. If the delegates go with the idea of ‘ getting all—giving nothing ’ it will be a case of ‘ getting nothing' for everyone. But if they go realising that trade- relationships involve giving as well as taking, that no country or nation cart live unto itself, then the conference will achieve its object. I trust that the ideal of ‘ live and let live ’ will be featured there; that patience, sympathy, sincerity will permeate the deliberations, for only so can really constructive work be done.” EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP.

Mr C. E. Jones (Christchurch) addressed the meeting on “Employer-Em-ployee Relationship.” What was the good, he asked, of Rotary ethics, trade associations, and buyer and seller organisations unless employees were trained to carry out the principles The employees of to-day were the future Rotarians, and it was the duty of the employers to inculcate in them zeal, enthusiasm, integrity, loyalty, and business ethics. One business man, who had given his salary two cuts, hud shown a profit on the year’s operations, and had divided the balance among his eight employees. He was not a Rotarian, but there were better men outside the movement than in it. Let no man presume to give good advice to others unless he first gave counsel to himself. The international president could not have paid a visit at a worse time, the worst in New Zealand’s history. He should not go away with the impression that New Zealand was a hotbed of Communism, as, at its heart, the Dominion was loyal, sound, and law-abiding. No person in New Zealand was secure in his • position, and, on every hand, was demanded patience, tolerance, and goodwill. The problem of the relationship Detween employer and employee had to be tackled from the Christian point of view. Religion could not be kept out. When they asked: “Am I my brother’s keeper? the only answer was that they should do unto others that which they would have done unto themselves. If that principle were carried out in its entirety half the problems of employer-employee relationships would disappear. One of the most disturbing things between master and man was the desire of employers to use their employees for their own ends, i irms which treated their employees well were rewarded with service and loyalty., He gave an instance of deep loyalty in a North Wales factory, where sons and daughters of the firm founder had established personal relations with nearly all the employees. . , Employers either made or broke tneir employees. The minds of the young were plastic, and the employer’s commercial morality and character would - absorbed by the young employees. They could not count the cost of unethical action and lies, exposed to their employees. He believed that since Rotary was introduced a better commercial life had been found in New Zealand. A few years ago New Zealand was suffering from a dearth of domestics because of the sins of past mistresses. The mistress should get away from the “ slavey ” business, and treat the domestics as human beings. As the hour of adjournment was at hand, discussion on the addresses was postponed until the following day. ENTERTAINMENT. The ladies of the party were given a motor drive around the city, leaving the Town Hall at 2 p.m., and subsequently they were entertained at afternoon tea at the Otago Women’s Club. The conference dance was held in the Savoy Tudor Lounge in the evening. Bridge tables were provided for nondancers.