The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-16 00:00:00

MR. FORSTER ON CO- OPERATION.

In London, on Friday evening in last week, the
Right Hon. IT. E. Forster, M.P., presided at a tea
party given in Exeter Hall to some hundreds of the
ernploye,s of Messrs. Cassell and Company (Limited),
the object of the gathering being that of celebrating
the recent conversion of the old firm into a limited
liability company.
In opening the proceedings, after tea, Mr. Forster,
who was warmly welcomed, said he bad long wished
to meet a gathering of London artizans as be had
been accustomed to meet the "work people" of the
North. He was very glad to meet them as his
"partners." The old firm of Cassell and Co. had
taken a new departure, and started as a Limited Com-
pany. It would not differ much from what it had
been in the past except that ,its benefits would be ex-
tended to more persons. Theipartners had always felt
and realised their duty to those whom they employed,
and had endeavoured to keep on good terms with them,
and to make them feel happier and more prosperous.
They were now attempting to carry out to some extent
the principle of co-operation. In that movement he had
felt great hiterest ever since he had had to do with
work people—now more than forty years. It was
_

one good sign of the times that there was growing up
a better feeling between masters and men—it was very
noticeable in his part of the country—owing mainly to
both classes having better done their duty to each other.
As a master, he had found the best way to get men
to do their duty was not to talk about it, but to set an
example, and then there was a strong probability that
the lead would be followed. It was the greatest
Possible mistake to suppose that the capitalist gained
when the labourer lost, and rice versa, for when wages
were bad almost as a certainty profits were small. In
his view partnership ought to be more developed and
realised. Many experiments in the direction of
real partnership had been tried, and it had proved to
be not so easy in production as in distribution. He
was glad to know that in their new Company fad-
lities were to be given to those employed, men and
women, to become partners by investing their savings,
and that, in feat, he was addressing there some three
to four hundred of his partners. (Cheers.) Every One
who watched industrial progress would be much inte-
rested in the success of the experiment. (Hear, hear.)
Be was glad to hear that that new feature was com-
bined with another feature of the old firm, viz., a good
business-like and very liberal principle of life assurance
and of payment on becoming incapacitated. In that
they were setting a very good example to other
employers throughout the kingdom. (Hear, hear.)

Mr. Petter and Mr. Galpin also addressed the as-
sembly, the former making a valedictory speech,
while the latter, who remains as managing director,
explained the new arrangements for Oving employes
an interest as shareholders, and for giving all of them
an interest in the profits in the form of contributions
(after paying five per cent. to the shareholders) to the
insurance and benefit funds.

A resolution was then moved, tendering the thanks
of the meeting to Messrs. Petter and Galpin, and ex-
pressing the appreciation of the spirit of liberality and
goodwill towards etnployes which had been manifested
in the operations of the establishment, and which had
culminated in such an extension of the co-operatixe
principle as would probably mark an epoch in the
history of the printing and publishing trade. This
resolution was seconded and unanimously carried.
In replying to the usual vote of thanks to the
Chairman for presiding, Mr. Forster predicted that
the spread of education could not fail to lead to an
immense increase of demand for such literature an the
new firm intended to produce.