Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-05
BRITISH GENERAL STRIKE HEAD
COMING TO u. S. ON FIRST VISIT
Arthur Pugh to Be FRaternaI
Delegate to A. F. of L.
Convention.
viii Investigate Economic
and Industrial Conditions
at Factories Here.
Correspondence of The Star.

Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON. August 24.-Arthur Pugh,
who headed the controlling organiZa-
ton of the great British general strike
or general stoppage, as British labor
calls it's going to the United States
for his first visit. He will be one of
the two fraternal delegates of the Brit
ish Trade Union to the national con
vention of the American Federation of
Labor at Los Angeles. He sails for
New York aboard the Lancashire
September 10.
At the time of the general strike
here Pugh was president of the Trades
Union Council. the cabinet" of the
British unions. which directed the
strike. He also was chairman of the
negotiation committee which dealt
with the British government on one
side and the British Mines FEEDER.
alton on whose behalf the general
strike was called, and took a leading
part in the conferences with Sir Her.
bert Samuel. chairman of the last
official coal commission Of investiga-
cation, which led to the agreement on
the basis of which the general strike
was called off
1t is curious sidelight that the man
then leader in labor's war against
Premier Baldwin's Conservative gov
eminent himself once was an en-
ployee in the big iron and steel COM
bine, Baldwin's Ltd.
Holds Two Big Posts.
Today Pugh is vice president of the
Trade Union Council and general sec
rotary of the British Iron and Steel
and Kindred Trades Association of
which he was the principal organizer.
The official occasion for his visit to
the United States is to convey the
fraternal greetings of British labor to
American labor. But most of the six
weeks stay there will be devoted to
an investigation of economic and in
dustrial conditions in the principal
manufacturing districts of the coun-
try. In particular, he is anxious to
study what has been done in America
in regard to the fixing of wages in
relation to production and profits and
the relation of production to consump-
tive capacity.
American producers" began Pugh,
seem to have grasped the idea that
a healthy state of industry and the
retention of a good home market
means the maintaining of the purchas.
ing power of the people-a power
which is opposed to wage-cutting
policy. Then. too. there appears to
be new spirit in America regarding
the relation of the human factor in
industry to the capital invested; the
principle of the men in industry using
capital as a vehicle of production
rather than being controlled by capi-
tai.
Finds America Ahead.
Il also want to study what America
has done about factory management,
in which | believe you are ahead of
this country. | want to see what
America is doing in the way of rails
ing the status of the factory manager
to that of a trained and carefully
schooled profession. Here, so far,
everything in this branch of work
has been haphazard. Men have be-
come works managers not because
of their ability and training, but be-
cause of influence. And even in cases
where they possess the necessary
technical ability. they are sadly lack
ing in any knowledge of human
psychology and an understanding of
how to manage the large groups of
men under them. a..e.
Then there lis the question of
waste in production. which is related
closely to the problem of works man.
agement. / have recently finished
reading a report of an American ex-
pert committee on this subject, in
which the conclusion stated the
greatest proportion Of waste in in
dustry is due to faulty management.
Finally want to go into the general
question Of the relation between en-
ployers in America and labor organi-
cations there.
But we will not be able to solve
our industrial problems here merely
by following the lines on which
America has prospered. Our present
troubles are too serious for that. Eu