PRINCIPLES THAT STAND

Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3555, 8 December 1934, Page 4

PRINCIPLES THAT STAND

" Old-fashioned Principles and Modern Methods" was the title of an address given by Sir Herbert Morgan at the Conference of the Incorpoi*ated Secretaries' Association at Cambridge, England. "Old-fashioned principles," Sir Herbert pointed out, reports the Cambridge Daily News, " are simply those of honesty, integrity, energy and enterprise.

" There is no change of principle because the world has speeded up, only a change of method. Nor has there been any change in the honesty and integrity with which British business is being conducted.

"The standard of character in business has not been loAvered; in fact, it may have improved. Ido agree that we, as a nation, are slow, although I do not believe that the habit of punctuality is as great to-day as in previous generations. "There is a strong feeling- among many," he continued, " that the limited liability system which is a growth of the last two or three generations, affects the relationship between principals and employees. It is frequently lamented that tihe old-fashioned spirit between the proprietors of businesses and their staff does not exist to-day. I frankly think this is mostly bunkum. " I believe that the majority of employers to-day, whatever the constitution of the company may be, are on the whole far better employers of labour and far more human than those of past generations. I cannot see that the feeling of responsibility toward employees is lessened; in fact, it is my belief that many of the labour troubles from which this generation has suffered have been inherited from past generations whose old-fashioned principles on the treatment of economy of production is an old-fashioned principle and advertising to increase production is a great element in preserving that principle. British trade has been built up on quality and value and only those advertisers who give these will survive. The British merchants' promise is a binding pledge and an advertiser's promise must be the same. "I believe that as the result of advertising the mass production, of which advertising is the fairy godmother, thai the standard of living throughout the country has been raised, that the comfort and happiness of the people has been materially increased, and that it has played a great part in that sober progress which has its result in the return of this country to its former prosperity in which it is leading the world."