New Britain herald., 1925-05-07
BRITISH SOAP KING
 PNEUMONIA VICTIM
VBcount LeVerhulme, Multi.
 millionaire, Once Humble T0iler
FACTORIES NOW DOT WORLD
Established Model Town Al Port Sunlight and Shared Profits With Employees, Giving Them Six Hour Work Day.
By Tho Associated Press,

Work Day.
 By Tho Associated Press.
 London, May --Viscount Lever hulme, industrial leader and multi millionaire soap king" succumbed to pneumonia at 4:30 o'clock this morning after brief Illness. He was 74 years old.
 As William Hasketh Lever he started work in his youth in the humble role of soap cutter, but within a few years founded a small factory Of his own and built up the business until his enterprises assum- ed world wide importance. He was raised 10 the peerage In 1922 and, combining his wife's maid en name--Hulme-w his own, be- , came Viscount Leverhulme. f William Hasketh Lever found his first job when he was i6. It con- sisted of cutting and wrapping soap. From this humble beginning he became one Of Englands greatest in- dustral captains-Lord Leverhulme --multi-millonaire "soap king" His factories and enterprises have fol- | lowed the British flag over the earth from Port Sunlight, his model Eng fish village, 10 the Congo, to China, i South Africa, Australia, the United ] States and Switzerland.
 Four years after William Lever began cutting soap he lad won pro- motion 10 clerical job In the fac- 1 tory, and when he married two years later every one who knew him thought that he had settled down i for. life.
 l But not 80 William Lever. The idea of becoming a soap manufac- Iturer had taken definite shape in his mind. and soon he had a little fac 1 tory of his own. His romantic rise dated from that moment Ii was a fight, and a hard one. to make for tune smile. but gradually she did, and before many years had passed his wealth had grown 10 such pro- portions that 1t actually disturbed him.
 Part of 1t was spent in creating his model works and model town of Port Sunlight %Fitr It's quaint old English style houses, red tiled roofs and latticed windows, it's gar dens and tree-lined streets, Port ! SunliEht is one of the marVels ot industrial England. The houses are rented to employees of the factory for $2 a month.
 Shared Success With Employes
 Lord Levehulme was the first great British employer to introduce proft-sharing schemes and indus trial co-partnership The only ques- tion of success, he frequnetly said, is "Till you pay the price Of self-sac- rihce?" William Lever was model for the question,
 , He favored six hour working day ! for his employes. but never worked less than 16 hours day himself. Jl" was often described as human dynamo - intense. high-powered, swift-moying and direct. He had 8 thorough grasp of principles and , with it complete mastery o' de- tails. He was an organizer with all l the ruthlessness that goes with or ganizatlon. yet he was gentle and kindly.
 Work and Study His Advice.
 Ills system of copartnership was started in 1901, and never has been changed,
 "Work six hours a day at your maximum power Of production he V noull say 10 his employees, "Study 1 and improve yourselves two hours Q 1 day and l can afford to pay you for l eight hours of work"
 An interesting sideNght on the { character Of Lord Leverhu'me de velopcd in 1921, when he employed a famous artist to paint his portrait. | The complete canvas was too large for a safe in which levcrhulme wished to deposit :t so he sut out i the head and dHCared the rest Of the painting. The artist brought suit. contcn1ing that the canvas should not have been mutiiated without his consent, while at students all over 1 the world denounced the rich manu- facturer for his action in carving up art like a leg O. mutton"
 Lord Leverhulme was born in 1851 at Bolton, Lancashire. and in 1874 married Elizabeth Hume, who died In 1913. They had one son, W. II. Lever, who is the only heir 10 his { fathers vast fortune.