FACTORY OPENED

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 289, 7 December 1939, Page 12

FACTORY OPENED

CEREMONY IN WELLINGTON Another modern factory was Bially opened at Wellington on Friday last when a line new building erected for Messr-u. Salmond and Spraggon, Ltd., was declared open by Captain Holm, president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. In the course of his reply, Mr. Edwin Salmond said: “I will not bore you with details of our manufacturers here, but, at any rate, you will be pleased to know that we will here produce, with one hand, medicines winch are warranted to cure all the ills to which the flesh is heir, and that, on the other hand, we will produce here cosmetics which will make ail the women in New Zealand beautiiui. To speak in the vernacular —a man cannot say fairer than that. "It would be absurd for me not to admit that I am, indeed, proud that we have at last achieved this very fine factory, but I can assure you that 1 am much prouder of that which has made it possible, and that is the extraordinary enthusiasm, goodwill, ability and hard work of ail those closely associated with me in this business, from my fellow-directors right through the stall. Most of these men are here to-day. Many have been with me since they were boys, and now occupy important positions m the oilice. ‘on the road,’ in tne store and in the factory. 1 want to tell them how much 1 appreciate ail that they lic’.ve done; how greatly 1 prize their HiciidshiD. which i know weh is I mine. We are, indeed, a happy family in this business; I. of course, am known as “the old man.” “When I recall that there are hundreds of businesses in this country which have reached success by this close and friendly co-operation between the management and the staff, pius the respect and goodwill which exists between the businesses themselves and those served by them. I often wonder if it would not be possible to make New Zealand happy anu prosperous by like methods. You ma. Y be very sure that it is quite impossible to make a country cither nappy or prosperous by Act of Parliament or Regulation, alone. There must be a basis of spiritual things on which to build. Goodwill, respect, loyalty, truth, justice, charity, and xreedom -these things, not only between man and man, but between all the different sections which make up the community, between employers and those employed. between rich man and poor man, and between the Government itself and all those sections, without exception. ‘1 confess I would like to hoar our leading politicians of all shades oi. opinion preach this goodwill gospel, i Yes, 1 would like 1o near it snouted I from the very housetops, and then that lead wound bo followed by all our public men, by our business leaders and by our leaders amongst the pro-

fessions, by our prominent farmers, and, last, but not least, by our leaders of labour, because of all sections, labour has most to gain from goodwill. Then soon, very soon, no longer would we hear talk on the one hand oi 'dividend kings, moneybags, and public enemy No. 3,’ and, on the other hand, of 'loafers’ spongers,, and such like. 1 am convinced that all such talk does infinite harm. It creates resentment and it produces fear. Fear, m its turn, produces hate and cruelty. Fear whicn is the greatest enemy of human progress, anu whicn paralyses ah endeavour. Fear, in some, oi unemployment ,ol : poverty, fear in others, for the loss ot their businesses, for the loss of their practices, lor the loss of their farms, icar of hasty, rash crushing taxation, and, per naps, worst oi all, I'ear lor tne luture Oi loved ones and dependants. But if this Angel, Goodwill, could enchain this churl—this devil, Fear—does anyone doubt that the sun would break through those daik mists of pessimism, almost of despair, which Uneaten at times to envelop us. Does anyone doubt that men would again press for-

i ward with hopeful hearts, that industry would flourish everywhere; and i that the farmer, upon whom, in the 'long run, we all depend, would quickly increase his herds and improve his pastures. Thus, thus, and thus oniy, will this lovely land become what it was intended by nature to be, a land such as the psalmist sang, a land flowing with milk and honey, a happy, ihappy land, and the envy ol all otherlands. You say it is only a dream? Aye, alas, maybe 'tis but a dream, but is it not a dream worthwhile, and could it not be made a marvellous (reality?