“GOLDEN RULE” NASH

Taranaki Daily News, 18 July 1929, Page 17

“GOLDEN RULE” NASH

CO-OPERATION ON RADICAL LINES. (Dr. Sydney Strong, in Chicago Unity.) Arthur Nash, of Cincinnati, is a remarkable man. He is the man who, in 1919, started to apply the Golden Rule in his clothing factory. Ho had had a remarkable personal experience. Brought up an Adventist, he was aiming for the ministry. His doubts, working through several years, at last drove him into atheism. He became literally a tramp and a vagabond, then a travelling salesman. Finally, he purchased a bankrupt clothing factory in 1919; in fact, it was a sweat-shop, in which 29 under-fed and under-paid slaves were at work. After a long mental struggle he decided to run his factory according to the principle of the Golden Rule, treating the workers as he would like to be treated.

Here are some of the things that happened. On the first day *f ownership, he raised the wages from 50 to 300 per cent., and the workers began to believe that what he said was not all talk, when he addressed them as brothers and sisters. Those who had been getting four dollars a week were to get twelve; those who were getting seventeen were to get twenty-seven. Then other things happened. There had been a 60-hour week. This was cut down to 45. His business went ahead fast. He had over 2000 women in the factory. Ho noted that they were compelled to do the family washing on Sunday. “That’s wrong,” he argued. Consequently he adopted, after consulting the workers, a five-day week, in order to give the women time to do their house work on Saturday. With the adoption of the 45-hour week, production went up 30 per cent.; with the adoption of the 40-hour week, production went up lor 2 per cent. He next noted that these women represented 3000 children, who went homo from school, not to find their mothers at home. This must not be, he argued. This lea to the adoption of a seven-hour day— so that mothers might meet their children coming from school —with a five-day week. Production went down then, but is higher than in all the other clothing factories in the land. He says that “the spirit of co-operation worked the miracle of production.”

WORKERS HOLD MOST SHARES.

Mr. Nash was Jed further by the “opening vision of the Golden Rule. When he turned to thinking, what the workers wou.d like —the “Voice out of the everywhere” (you see he is a mystic as well as a wise business man) told him that they would want opportunity in life; they w'ould like to say something about their job; they would like to have a chance to own their tools. The result is that the majc part of the stock of this largest clothing factory in America —with IUOO salesmen —is owned by the workers. About a year ago, the Voice and the Golden Rule got after him on the matter of “unionising” the factory. There was a struggle here, for he was paying above the scale prices and the hours were better. His chief reason was his desire to have the workers of the factory get into felkwship with that great body of workers seeking to fair and just conditions. “Now. A. Nash Co. is unionised.” Mr. Nash reminds one of Mr. Ford — who recently put his big industries on the basis of a 35-hour week. Mr. Ford travelled a different road from Mr. Nash; but apart from the motives, they both believe that a 35-hour week is good business. They both believe that the idea of reducing wages in order, to increase production is false economics. Mr. Nash insists that the miracle of production comes from co-operation. The needed co-operation will come not increase production, but higher wages and increased production come out of co-oper-ation. The needed co-operation will come from application of the Golden RnleWhat is wanted in industry is confidence Along with the lack of it go fear and ’hate. Such a situation can be remedied only by working the Golden Some who arc watching Mr. Nash are savin" that he is a very important figure in American industry in pointing out a way for saving America from violent revolution. * . . Men like Nash and Ford are the highest types of industrial leaders who starting from a pure individualist and capitalistic point have actually Placed revolutionary changes that take on many of the aspects of pure socialism. Will there be enough of them in America to have a wide and permanent effect? Will they beat the proletarian movements in the race for a higher social SderT They are certainly J a broad hint to the proletarians to wake up,forget their strife and to work unselfishly for co-operation and efficiency.