BUSINESS NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11026, 14 March 1914, Page 6

BUSINESS NOTES.

THE HUMAN MACHINE. It is not the fellow who is jumping tip and down all the time who produces the best results. It is the fellow who koeps his human machine in good shape, using his brain, and doing some good consistent thinking. ,*» * » * Just in proportion as wo set ourselves trained into habits of right thinking and the forming of habits of accuracy, habits of sincerity, habits of honesty, just so much have'we got out of our will power, leaving us free to do bigger tilings. Old thoughts are easy, because they go through the same channel, but new thoughts are hard. * * * # # You know wo sometimes get the wrong conception that the way of increased" efficiency is to 'speed up" and so a whole lot faster. But increased efficiency must como from the systematic working out of these things and the avoidance of waste. *■* * » « ■ _ The last fifty years was given to the improvement of machinery. The next fifty years must bo given to the human machine. The money value of an employee to a. business is determined by two factors—first, his market value ; second, his proportion in the cost of doing business. 'You must pay him his market value, or you cannot keep him. After the cost of material and manufacture, it is estimated that tho cost of doing business varies from 12£ to 25 per cent. Tf a wage-earner fits into this cost, he lias a money value to the firm. If his proportion of the entire cost of doing business is too liigli, be is an expense, • v»*» The pay-roll is usually an index efficiency. Pay a man what he is worth, and he will work for bis wages; givo him more, and he will work for you. As a rule, an employee is as valuable, to the business as tho business is to liini.