OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19315, 4 May 1937, Page 2

OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUTH

1 FORD'S £8,000,000 MUSEUM MACHINERY DOWN THE AGES RECORD OF PROfiRESS In responding to Mr. H. Holmes' proposal of the toast- to the Ford Motor Company of New Zealand, Limited, at the 25 years' anniversary dinner tendered by Messrs. Bignell and Holmes last evening, Mr. H. (Jr. Jackson, managing director, said that it, had given him great, pleasure to be privileged to attend the gathering and -he was most appreciative of the hospitality extended to him since bis arrival in Gisborne. Continuing, Mr. Jackson told of the remarkable Greenfield village when has been started by Mr. Henry Ford in Detroit. In the village Mr. Ford has attempted to show the youth of to-day Iho difficulties and conditions with which I heir grandfathers bad to contend, and also to show the opportunity which today was afforded modern youth by the progress of science and engineering.

Some, Mr. Jackson said, were inclined lo say that business to-day was so keen that there was not the same opportunity for progress and success, in the Greenfield village, there were tangible facts to show what great advantages there were to-day. Agriculture, transportation, and manufacture were depicted in their true march of progress. If any of his listeners should happen to visit- Detroit they should not fail to visit, the Dearborn Inn, established by Mr. Ford to accommodate visitors to the village. It was a magnificent place of 126 rooms, completely air-conditioned—-the only hotel in the U.S.A. to be., airconditioned in every room. Evolution of the Plough In the village, were the stages of evolution of the plough, from the first known plough—a piece of human bone—the old wooden plough, and right down the ages to the modern plough of the present time. Illustrating the early stages of mechanical transportation was a bicycle with a square wooden wheel, and a tandem bicycle, built in Germany for 10 riders. The latter was the only one of its kind in the world and had actually been ridden in Detroit by 10 men, but it was not a success as it would not negotiate Corners. There was the wooden cart up to the present form of transportation. The evolution of the automobile was shown; from Henry Ford's 999, in which P.arnev Oldfield first touched 100 miles an hour to the 25,000,C00th VFord. The progress of machinery was fully depicted from the crude implements and equipment used by our grandfathers to the modern steam tnrbipe. The development of the railways was shown also from the wood-fired engines, against which Tanners used to loudly protest, because of the spark menace, to the latest type of locomotive, built in the Ford railway workshops. No Cars; Allowed in Village The bu'ge museum building was built witli a floor of Burma teak, which was considered to be everlasting. The, evolution of the people from the time of Abraham Lincoln was shown in a concise way. No automobile was allowed in the village for this would spoil the setting, and so the horse and carriage were used for transporting visitors, this maintaining the necessary atmosphere. .Mr. Henry Ford had spent 40,(KW,000 dollars (about £9,000,000) on this village, which if was thought, lie would eventually hand over to the Government as somethin" tangible, showing that youth/ should not be, discouraged by modern conditions and fully demon-1 straliug that with all the. assistance of modern science thev were better able to face the difficulties of to-day and achieve Ford's Wide Operations Telling of the wide organisation of the Ford industry, Mr. Jackson said that in the endeavour to secure independence •from strikes and shortage of materials which would hold up production the firm in U.S.A. had its own coal mhrs, steam ships on the great lakes, between Canada, and U.S.A., and coko ovens for the production of steel. Until recently it had its own railroads, which it was not allowed to place at public, use because it was thought by the Government that the rates would be so reduced that other railroads would be seriously affected. This, despite the fact that operatives were paid Ford factory rates, which were higher than those paid by tho average railroad. Ford also had its own glass factory, manufacturing gilass by its own methods —methods which, at first, were said to be impossible. Tho foundry, in which, in summer, men formerly worked at temperatures ranging from 100 to 110 degrees, had been air-conditioned and the lot of the employees materially improved. This had been an evolution in foundry operation, and unthought of some years ago. Supplies of Materials

Ford's activities had played a very important part in Canada in developing the sources of supply of materials. They had provided equipment and expert knowledge for smaller operators and manufactures.

The Ford policy was to manufacture as much as it could in the country where the organisation was established. At present, Mr. Jackson said, he was studying prices of equipment manufactured in New Zealand. They did not have the testing apparatus in New Zealand, but local manufactures were sent to Canada for testing. Any product obtained from any course had to fully measure up to Ford specifications before it was incorporated in the Ford. New Zealand woollen fabrics for upholstery had passed inspection in the majority of cases, and it was only a matter of finding the correct- method to bring all up to the specifications. Seat springs and paint were other litles in which assistance would be given the local manufacturer by placing at his disposal the information and experience of (lie Ford organisation to bring the products up to Ford pfandard,