OUR U.S. RIVALS.
BRITISH BUSINESS MAN "STAGGERED.”
The Rochiale correspondent of the Daily Mail writes: When Mr. Samuel Turner told me to-day that he was "staggered" by the. result of his visit to the United States I was impressed by his use of the word. because he is a typical, cool, long-headed, far- sighted Lancashire man who has bails-up the great asbestos manu- facturing concern of Turner Bros., Ltd.
Mr. Turner knows all that can can be learned about American labour-saving devices and organ- isation. He has also written dur- ing the war two' notable bookė, Eclipse or Empire?" of which he was part-author, and "From War to Work...
What was it that staggered this modern business-builder? "I went to the United States,** he told me, to find out what wore the prospects of this coun- try and its world trade in coin- petition with the United States under..after-the-war conditions: I... spent
two months in the East and Middle West in- vestigating industrial conditions. and I was staggered by the re- sult. I found that in hardly any industry are we able to compete with the United States,
CHEAPER & QUICKER BUILDING.
"I found coal of 14,000 British thermal units-2 very high quality, better than our average industrial coal-sold throughout the East at a price not exceeding Ss, to 10s, per ton, pit-mouth price. I found that pig-iron could be produced at £6 a ton, against our 69, and steel rails at £14 a ton. against £19, which will be the price here when the new cost of coal is added.
"Looking into the question of factory construction I found that it is now considerably cheaper in the United States, particularly sa if the well-known American standardised system is adopted.
Wages in the United States are from 25 to 50 per cent. higher,. the rate varying with the locality. One of the largest manufacturing concerns in Cincinnati pays nnskilled labour Is. 8d. per hour and skilled labour, such carpenters, 3s. per hour.
1ཐ
"If a man wishes to put up a new factory in the United States he can place a contract, subject to penalty if the time is exceed- ed, for construction, during the spring and summer, in four months. Here a similar building would take a year. The British restriction upon the number of bricks a man may lay comes in here.
"I found evidence on every hand that the United States is fully aware of these advantages. Nationalisation is out of the question there. No one wants, it or asks for it.
PROFITS BEYOND THEIR
DREAMS.
'As to ficance, the position of American firms is better than ever.
No firm which came within my notice was an excep- tion to the rule. They have practically unlimited funds in their own treasuries. For two years before they came into the war they sold their output at auction to the warring nations, making profits beyond dreams, And now they are using these funds for purposes of national aggression.
On the top of the advantages you have the fact that the ex- change is all in their favour. When the United States is.buying from us she gets £10 worth of goods for £9: when we buy from her we pay £11 for £10 worth.
"Her industrial position is far better than ours. While certain measures bave been taken against uprest her condition is nothing approaching ours. Labour in America is not political. While it fights determinedly and ruth- lessly for its own hand, there is no underlying principle at the root seeking to upset existing social cónditions."
Mr. Turner, a quiet, earnest, thoughtful man, who is a master of detail in his own large mills and has organised a world-wide trade in its products. gave me these facts with the air of a man who is revolving them all the time in his mind.
"For us there is only one hope," he said, "to bend our backs to the task of raising production per man to the United States level. High wages and short hours can be permanently maintained only with large production. The root cause of the Americans' growing prosperity is that labour there. accepts the necessary discipline and control from the directing ability of men placed over it and makes no attempt to restrict out-}
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EARLIER
TELEGRAMS.
THE LABOUR OUTLOOK.
London, Sept. S
A meeting of four thousand engineers at Glasgow dis- cussed a scheme for amalgamating the fourteen engineering trades unions with a membership of half a million and funds of approximately £3,500,000 It was decided to take an immediate ballot thereon.
Much interest is evidenced in the Trades Union Congress opening in Glasgow to-day. The two chief subjects for dis- cassion will be nationalisation and the fighting in Russia, co both of which direct action is temporarily suspended. There were demonstrations in Glasgow last evening under the auspices of the Triple Alliance and Independent Labourites. whereat the speakers dwelt on the coming bitter fight be- tween workers and capitalists. Mr. Clynes, speaking at Carlisle, said this was the most momentous week in the his- tory of organised labour. He warned labour that by threatecing a wrong method to attain its ends it risked alienating the public. There is much speculation as to whether Colonel John Ward, just returned from Russia, will attend the Congress. He was interviewed in London yester- day and emphatically denied that Admiral Koltchak, whom he knew well, was a reactionary. Koltchak was a great student of English laws and customs and was a constitu- tionalist, thoroughly imbued with English ideas of Govern.
ment.
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE.
Paris, Sept. 5.
Following the appeal of the Executive Committee for general consideration of labour 3 Clemenceau has prevail- ed upon the Inter-Allied Supreme Council to invite Ger- many and her allies to send delegates to an Internationa!, Labour Conference at Washington. Havas.
THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE.
Paris, Sept.
All France honoured yesterday the heroes of the memorable first Battle of the Marne. Religious services at Meaux Cathedral were presided over by the Bishop of Verdun and representatives of the Allied Governments, Military, Navy and Government officials were present. An official luncheon was held at the Hotel de Ville. Services were also held at Chambry Cemetery-Havas
AIDING BELGIUM, AND FRANCE.
Paris, Sept. e.
French papers suggest that America should contribute aid to merchants and inhabitants of the devastated re- gions by arranging long terms of credits for material, Both raw and manufactured of which France stands in need, otherwise French and Belgians would be compelled to turu. to Germany, where 100 marks were equal to 20 francs- Havas
VISITING THE WAR ZONE.
Paris, Sept. &.
Among the questions considered by the Conseils Gen- eraux of the Devastated Regions which met at Paris the most important is the encouragement of touring parties to the war zone. A credit of 30 million francs should be provided. “An- other question is the setting apart as historic monuments of famous places Havas,
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EARLIER TELEGRAMS.
BULGARIAN TREATY READY.
Paris, Sept. 7.
The Balgarian Treaty is completed and will be present.
ed to the Bulgarians immediately.
A WAR SOUVENIR.
Paris, Sept. 3. The French Government is seriously considering the suggestion that the special train put at General Pershing early in 1918 and used by him as the disposal of mobile headquarters should be presented to the American Government as a souvenir of American participation in the wa-Haras.
KOREA AND JAPAN,
Paris, Sept. 5.
Korean circles in Paris state that as long as Japan tries to force her rule upon Korca there will be trife. The only manner of reconciling the two countries is Korean "indepen- dence, with amicable relations established with. Japan. Ната
GOVERNOR OF KOREA ATTACKED.
Shanghai, Sept. 6.
It is reported from Seoul that a bomb was thrown at Baron Saito, the new Governor of Korea, who was not injured.
THE PASSPORT SYSTEM.
Paris, Sept. 8
The Italian Government has approached the Allies to abolish the passport system for Allied subjećta as soon as peace is ratified. Havas.
GREAT FIRE AT ROTTERDAM.
Rotterdam, Sept. 9:
Fire occurred in a cotton warehouse at the docks, the damage being two and a half million guilders.
CHOLERA IN. PETROGRAD,
Stockholm, Sept. 8
Two hundred and fifty deatha from cholera are cogurting. Petrograd daily.
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