Evening star., 1926-09-26
'sBIC BUSINESS METHODS
! CITED AS BRITAIN'S NEED
Wartime Aide to Lloyd George Says
England Would Profit by Substitu.
ton of American System.

BY WILLIS j. BAIIINGER.
n 7 OF American money. but Amer.
N 'S;s s:;s: ss:sns s.'s''. . is what IT., h',s's
economically. Years ago Eng
land broke the grip Of her aristocrat.
on government. Now she must hreal
the grip Of those aristocrats on hel
industry.
To do this England must adopt the
business methods of American bis
Sir Philip Henry Kerr, wartins.
secretary to David Lloyd George. was
talking to me Of the problems of the
Old World. and the sentences giver
above sum UP his diagnosis of the
Ills which now beset England and al
Europe.
English Methods Still Little"
In England. he explained. business
is still little" business-small con
Germs controlled unprogressively ny
family dynasties who are tremen
dously resistant to any business con
solidation in England to any big husi
ress in England So long as business
in England Is a conservative family
matter. lacking the consolidation. the
bigness and the leadership of merit
that You have in America. Engla nc
will he back number in prosperity.
Sir Phillip was explaining to me
how the Old World could get on its
feet. pay its debts and prosper better
than by borrowing any more money
from the United States.
In America we think of Lloyd
George as the great English demo
crat. We remember how he was the
first to exploit the press in England
the first to teach English politics the
use NJ publicity. We think Of him as
the incarnation Of the skill. aggres
siveness and resourcefulness required
in popular politics. and | was very
interested TO see what kind of man
he would have for a secretary. Would
he be a symbol Of the popular faith
that Lloyd George had preached--a
miner. mechanic, just one Of the
common people?
Thinks Like Lloyd George.
II was easy to see that Sir Phillip
had been converted to the faith. He
was the kind Of an Englishman that
one would have imagined lived on a
great family estate and had been born
into an environment Of perfect culture
and good manners. Sir Phillip Is
strikingly eood-looking. And he has
the ease of the centuriesma aristo
crat But grated upon the polished
heredty are the unmistakable marks
Of association with Lloyd George. SIR
Phillip has the Lloyd George way ut
putting things crisply and interest
ingly. He talks almost r"eticaliy
about liberalsm-has the Lloyd
George sparkle to his thoughts.
England and the Old World has
made a transition from royalty and
aristocracy 10 democracy" continued
Sir Phillip, and not infrequently we
fnd remnants of the old system stu
clinging on and doing harm In the
new one. In America YOU did not
have TO make this transit.o". N'o
started out with new ideas. tfeSh
environment. and YOU have gone on
adding new ideas and progressing. IN
England We nav" had to CONTEND con
stantly with The old ana to prevent Il,
from hinderinG the new. Eng" III
was the first to sponsor the rlachine
And the great industrial revolution.
Capitalists First i'm Field.
"Our capitalists we're the first in
ths field They founded great indus
trias in their day, but today their de-
srendants have not kept up the pace
sat nv these founders. Why? Because
business in England has been famh!
affair. Business in America mas peeh
a struggle for leaderEhlp tecause pu>'-
ness in America is done by corpora =
tions. and corporations are dfeis
owned hy single families. Every cor
poration is usually seethlnS with
struggle for control, ami corpora IONS
are ever looking for better talent II
management.
I'm England there are very lew cor
porations. When the founder of big
industry dies his family keeps the
husiness and they do not part with
their ownership because there are no
stocks to sell. There Is no way OF
getting rid Of part interest IN Eng
land like there is in America. In
America an heir can sell his interests
in business in Il few moments On the
stock exchange. In England an es-
tate or business usually descends 10
one heir. and he represents the family
bride Of ownership.
Such an heir may, however. nave
no interest in the business aside from
the distinction Of ownership. His
father may have been a great business
leader. He may he an artist by m
Clination. He will go to Paris and not
care a rap whether his fathers bust
ness is improving or not. SO t"nX as
he gets something from ii and is not
greatly worried he is content.
The intense individualism OF the
average Englishmau Is standing in the
way Of business progress In England
The owners OF British industry are
tremendously opposed To anything that
will consolidate business. An Eng
liehman likes to have a thing AL to
himself. He doesn't want to share it
with anybody else. II YOU don't be
lieve this try and use the same comb
and brush with an Englishman, try
and get him to let YOU share anything
Of his. He might 60 il for once as a
great favor. nut An Englishman likes
to have things :or his own exclusive
use II is strong sense OF lndividu-
elism that has been planted in him
through centuries.
No Industrial I.eador orship.
ENGLAND must begin To do business
through corporations, through con
solidations Of her inefficient little con
Germs What chance in America does
a small concern have :.Ganst a big
one? America is a land of chain
stores, huge corporations, consoiida.
tion and amalCamation. What cha nee
haa the little concern in England Of
competing for world markets With the
big business in America" We cannot
produce as much. we cannot produce
as cheaply, our machinery gets out of
date because the family owners OF our
industries are not enterprising. We
lack aggressive and Cp-to-date husi-
ness leadership. All o. this is due to
family control Of businesses in Erg
land. Until England incorporates her
business, builds up the same kind 81
large units Of production as you have
In America. opens the road to enter
prising business leadership and scien.
tifc mana cement. England will not b.,
able TO bid for prosperity against
America.
For examnls Of how little Msiness