INDUSTRIAL SUCCESS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12897, 7 February 1906, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL SUCCESS.

BRITISH AND AMERICAN METHODS.

In the course of an address at the quarterly meeting of tie Auckland- Kmpioyefs' Association, Mr G. T. Booth, who has just returned from an extended visit to England and America, said he believed the influence of trades unionism in England was thoroughly bad. They seemed to have gone in a direction which he- thought was utterly destructive to any hope of indusjrial prosperity. The British workman seemed to Have got hold of the theory that- he must not do too much -work, as there was only ! a certain amount so go round, and if he did more than his share he would be taking the bread out of another's mouth. Tb£. " ca-canny" arrangement was fullv in force.

Mr Booth gave instances of the conservativeness of the English manufacturers, and said that one trade after another had been 'ruined by the 'apathetic doggedness with-which all sorts inventions and improvements 'had been met. There was also a. ; ence about the British workman, and tho whole nation seemed to have become moro or less pauperised. Given fair conditions, however, the British workman could 'quite well hold his own. For instance, a leading architect stated that in his experience a fair average day's work for a bricklayer in Lond< n was 250 bricks a day. and yet in Manchester, whea the Wejjtinghouse \\\. r ks were being built for an American firm by British uri'.-klayers, they started by laying 1500 bricks a day. The contractors \verv not satisfied, and the workmen increased their output to 2000 a day. In CalirVnia, when he was there, the- bricklayers were (retting 30s a day, and talked about striking for another dollar,.-but they were laying their 2000 bricks a day, and were "considerably cheaper to their employers than the London bricklayer at 7s a day. It was possible that some of the <nergy of the American might be due partly to* intermixture of races. Climate alsc. might j have a little to do with it; but the method of payment was the chief factor, j Piecework was adopted very largely. and where it was not, the bonus system was adopted. For an excess of work- »v«>r what was considered the .s:.-.r,d.tr<s. the workmen g;.( extra pay.

Mr ftootli went on to s.iv : " ? :c:l y«-n in all hor.ep'y and frankness, (hat the average workman in niy own Hue in America will turn out double. r.«. much a* the colonial workuvm. or the Flnglish workman, using the scur.e tnois in the s.mic kind of work.'* That, he wcui. on, was due h-.rge'y to th~* nie:iio<! of payment, and also to the anibiiiojy .-f xhv nit::. ;i.« shev knew there w?s p J ways room ;«i Uie :«■■« ;md j-mple opjinrisn i'v f«r n.iv:sn« cm^n".. The shops 5- F.V's'rVl .•■■ J Alwr.'ri v.'- ;;.-,• it. wouH ;vy •'..? «jsi:i"oy-.r ;,-. enrolls .-...e the workman. It )>;-.;d to ex en rage She

nieu to J urn out a* much as ibcy could, and to p 3 y them for it.

"If I could get such tnca as I *aw in America. j| w«u)d j-mv me well Jo giv© them £1 a day. and! 1 would do it." In reply to question*. Mr IJoo3b said bo thought a great deal inigis he 4<rse toward* Americanising industrial condition* in Nrir Zealand. He did not think colonial workmen had quite adopted the Kngtish oniontiieoiy that thetn? wi* only w much work to go louud. He believed they were amenable Jo any yoggt*ti«n that it would be to their inte.-m* of Americanising the factories without establishing the piecework *y.»Jetn. ar.u without the mlsri* mum system, ar.<l without infringing tl>© minimum wage clause. "Ibtre *ra* no tt*> sen why a man »hmjld mi ' . „,. ~»..ji. - fair d:.y"s wage for a hi, -iiwyV nuk. The thing wa» to get him u> 4© a biggw day"s work for a bigger day's pay, and that was the direction in which they should work.