The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-04-05


GRAFTON. So the British business
mind is pessimistic and expects little
of the future.
The chairman of British joint
stock company can take a piece of
good news, such as a dividend, and
announce it SO that it sounds like
disaster. He will begin by re-
minding the stockholders that their
company has never paid a dividend.
True, this year there is a dividend,
due to an unexpected fall in the
price of coal and a reduction in ex-
penses. But the outlook for next
year is not promising; in fact, it is
gloomy-very gloomy
The Yankee business mind will
stand discounting. 1t is wisdom to
take twenty-five per cent. off it's
proposition, thirty-three per cent. off
it's expectations and a nat fifty off it's
clothes. But, with the British busi-
ness mind all the discounts have been
taken by itself already; and it
is often advisable to stick on a rea-
sonable percentage, because it apollo
gizes for favorable conditions and
hedges itself about with checks and
safeguards.
In a London house of more than a
hundred years standing there was a
confidential clerk who had been in
the firms employ fifty years. He
knew everything that had ever been
done in his time The proprietor
consulted him in every important
matter; and the old fellow would
say: Don't do that, for we did the
same thing in 1868 and so-and-so
happened" The proprietor was al
ways satisfied to abide by such coun-
sci, and in his time the business
never grew. When his son came in
to the management he consulted
the old clerk too; but, when the lat
ter said that so-and-so would surely
happen If certain thing were done,
the son went ahead and did it any
way, using the old chaps warning
as foreknowledge to guide him
through the consequences. The
house then expanded so greatly that
an optimistic Australian was made
manager. He Immediately pensioned
the veteran to get him out of the
Office.
But it is very unwise to dispense
with his knowledge of past errors -
was British comment.
His knowledge is out of date
said the Australian. What we want
now is lot of brand-new mistakes
suited to the present generation. -
Under this policy the business has
nearly doubled
The British business mind rather
! lacks imagination. A New York
sales manager got to thinking that
there must be money in toothpowder
! He went to pharmaceutical house
and secured prices on formula
asked or quotations on tin boxes anG
printing, figured out complete ad
vertising and marketing campaign
devised means of getting capital anG
spent several weeks developing his
scheme, even talking it over witt
his wife. When the whole scheme
was in shape, however, he tore up al
the plans and forgot it, because hi!
present work gave him plenty of op
portunity. The British bushes!
mind would hardly let imagination
lead it that far. 1t likes to deal will
actualities. Its basic quality is sta
bility. Where we develop novelties
it sticks to staples; and where We
seek new ways of marketing, il
sends goods through timeworn trade
channels. Our enterprises show
wonderful growth from year to yea
if they last. The Briton's usually
last, but show little growth. Whe1
these two different minds come to
gether they strike sparks.
A young Englishman got a job il
New York. At home he had beer
fond of economics. An eminent Bos
ton professor was to lecture on al
economic subject. The Englishmal
went to hear him, taking an armfe
of books. AS the argument unfold
ed he got his authorities ready ant
at the close stood up and began ask
ing questions. In three minutes h.
had the eminent Bostonian so wount
up that he protested he hadn't com
there to answer questions, but t,
lecture. The Englishman though
that very odd
In another instance an English
man, who was manager of the Lon
don branch of a large American
manufacturing company, came to tn
United States to see principals. The
entertained him handsomely, but TO
several days he could not get then
to discuss the affairs of the Londol
} branch thoroughly. The matter wa
referred to casually at lunch or o.
the rear platform of car going ou
to the ball game. The London ma
: had plans for the expansion of hi
} branch, but a week passed before h
: got conference. Then the presi
dent of the company told him tha
, they maintained their London offic
chiefly for the prestige it gave them
and the vice-president said the
could not enlarge that branch be
cause there was no profit at all o
goods sold in England. The British
: er waited until they had finished
; Then he spread out some papers. H
: said that probably Englishmen wer
slow compared with Americans
They were also sentimental in bus
. ness matters. They liked to stick t
one connection as long as possible
And he himself would never give Il
their London office, even in the fac
= of better opportunities, until it wa
absolutely necessary. If the
| thought that the London branc
made no profit, however, they weI
: mistaken. While he had been wal
| ing, during the past week, he ha
q af In,