ROTARY CLUB ADDRESS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 253, 24 September 1929, Page 4

ROTARY CLUB ADDRESS.

INDUSTRIAL CONDITIONS IN ENGLAND. A GARDEN FACTORY. Industrial conditions and problems and the manner m which they were treated by the Cadbury firm m the garden factory of Bournville formed the theme of an address to tbe Botary Club, yesterday, delivered by Rotarian G. Sara, of AVellington. Rotarian L. H. Collinson 'presided. ,• After conveying fraternal greetings from the AVellington Rotary Club, Mr Sara intimated that he would s P ea " on a great social experiment. Once visitors to Boumville had been rare, he continued, but in the last thi y years they had been becoming more frequent. To-day excursion trains were run almost daily. . The conditions under which the employees worked were ideal, .visitors were not greatl ymterested in tne manufacture of cocoa for, as an American visitor had aptly remarked it isn’t what they are making but how they are making it.” Tracing the growth of the <>r 6?' n ' isation, the speaker commented that the two original proprietors had, at first, only employed 12 men in a factory in Birmingham. As the business grew it became apparent that the town was becoming very congested. ims had led George Cadbury to wonder whether it would not be possible to have a factory where the employees could work under congenial conditions. He had decided to transfer the company to the country. Social reform was then in its infancy and he had been laughed ffo scorn by some ot his business associatees, but had Persevered with his great vision with the success that all the world knew. lii 1879 the factory had been transferred to Bournville. There were then 200 employees. Now there were 11,000 and the factories covered /o acres. No less than 109 i acres were utilised for recreational purposes. Mr Sara dealt With the democratic methods adopted in the factory. Two workers’ councils gave the employees an active participation in the administration of the factory. There were eight groups of workers, classified according to trade, and each group was represented on the men’s council and the women’s council. The management had an equal representation. There were also shop committees, election to these being on the proportional representation system. A matter, continued tho speaker, that was causing the management some concern was the replacement of men by machines. In 1919 there was a proportion of one liorse-power per man. Last year the proportion was three horse-power per man. This meant the loss of employment by some of tho workers. The firm, however, had to progress with the changing times and could not afford to lag behind competitors. Men displaced by machinery turned to new industries, thus making for a fuller life in the community. Experts agreed that the growth of an industry was slower than the increase in the use of machinery. To meet this unavoidable position the pension ago was being reduced, relief works were being put in hand, those wishing to settle in the Dominions or wishing to establish businesses of their own were financed and at the least tlioso thrown out of work were given an allowance for 18 weeks. The management was making a real effort to cope with the position. In conclusion Mr Sara asked lus hearers if there was not a tendency to forget the work that the pioneers had contributed the prosperity of the Dominion. AVas there not a tendency to take too easily life as it was now and, he asked, what progress was being made; were they building on the work of the pioneers? They still wanted the pioneering spirit. Necessity might stilt Ahem but he hoped that this spirit iljald be recovered before it was forced upon the country by necessity. From the example tho company be represented had set 50 years ago, much could be learnt about pioneering in industry. In moving a hearty vote of thanks to the speaker Rotarian A. Seifert stated that the address had been particularly interesting to him . as an employer of labour and one who had pioneered a little in industrial reforms himself.