AT BIRMINGHAM

Southland Times, Issue 20042, 2 December 1926, Page 7

AT BIRMINGHAM

MR. BRUCE’S PARTY. VISIT TO BOURNVILLE WORKS. London, November 30. Favoured YHth a sunny but cold day Mr Bruce’s party, accompanied by the Mayoress of Birmingham, visited Cadbury’s works at Bournville and saw 10,000 employees carrying out every process of manufacture. Every one was impressed with the lofty rooms and excellent welfare, recreation and bathing provisions, especially the cheap dining hall, in which 5,000 are accommodated,, and the continuation schools, where the work-girls are taught three and a-half days per week in work hours. Mr Bruce remarked on the cheeriness of the employees and was not surprised to learn that the girls were most reluctant to forsake such opportunities for games and companionship for the comparative loneliness of matrimony. It was learned that the Cadbury girls marry three years later than the average Birmingham girl. After a tour of the Bournville -model housing area the visitors were the guests of the directors at luncheon, at which Mr Bruce said he would like to see all industries conducted under similarly perfect conditions. After seeing this pattern of cleanliness the party went to quite the reverse, the John Wright and Eagle Company’s gas fire and gas oven works. Mr Bruce was photographed making a casting among a group of grimy workmen, who cheered him for not spilling a drop of the molten metal. Later Mr Bruce made a hurried visit to the Electric Company’s works, where he was also photographed before a huge motor turbine, destined for Broken Hill. To-night he will be the chief guest at a Chamber of Commerce dinner.—A. and N.Z. ✓ MR COATES AT SHEFFIELD. (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) London, November 30. Mr Coates and his party spent a busy day at Sheffield. They visited Brown Bayley’s steel works, Hadfield’s, Edgar Alien’s and Vickers’ and saw railway wheels and guns manufactured. They were the guests of the Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon and then visited the cutlery works and received the city’s freedom, being presented with a beautiful cabinet of cutlery.—A. and NX