THIRD EDITION. PREFERENCE OR MERIT?

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16869, 5 February 1929, Page 11

THIRD EDITION. PREFERENCE OR MERIT?

BRITISH GOODS CONDITIONS AT HOME "It pays to buy British goods, as tJiey are the cheapest in tlic long run because they are belter iiiiulc. give belter service,' and cost less t< intain." This is the contention of Mr. K. li Sharp, A.M.1.K.K.. of a well-known Westminster electrical engineering firm. Interviewed in Wellington, be said that while (hey in Ureal Mrif.nm were very glad indeed of the kindly feeling which suggested P.rilish preference, he though! that in many cases it was nol so much a question of preference because the price was different', but tfiat the Pnitish (.Iter was the cheaper in the. long run by reason of its better service and longer life. Supposing that m England tbev had the same award rale of wages and hours o! labor as on the Continent:! Would their prices then be as low as (he foreigners? Nr>; the prices <>f British goods would still he higher because they were making a different class of article. Ho was satisfied that, Britain's skilled workmen, with modern machin erv, could prcduce as cheaply as the foreigner, bur, could nol work down to their standard. Their goods, plus a life of '£) years, were cheaper and gave more satisfactory service, while the shorter life article cost more to maintain its period o\ use and was never wholly reliable.

Mr. Sharp said he was quite satisfied that Great Britain was recovering from her lons period of industrial sickness, and that there was a much kindlier feeling between employers and employees. '-The big strike was the crisis of "the illness in the corporate life of the country, and we have emerged belter and healthier than we have been for many years," he added. ■•] don't think the fault has been entirely with the workers. T think in the past there have been some inconsiderate employers, too, but they .ire being brought up to the standard of the better employers. Most of ns now look upon trade 'union rates, not as a mimmiin WO have to pav, but as the basis of employment. A certain amount, of wealth and spare time undoubtedly is necessary For the encouragement of the arts ant. sciences, but I do think that the employer who gets wealth and spare time at the cost of the misery of the employees is not much better than a common thief, and .1 am glad to say that that type of man has for the most part disappeared. So far as my firm is concerned, when we are engaging an employee, we think not of how little we "can get him for, bul how much we can afford to pav him, having regard to economic considerations in world competition. We share a considerable percentage of our profits among our employees every year, and we pay them for'all compulsory holidays and generally treat them as human beings, —nominion.