Novarum" was Applied to Group of 6 Factories
How the Family Spirit can enter modern industrial relations, and the teachings of Pope Leo XIII be implemented, banishing the spirit of class war, is told in the story printed below.
This shows how one industrialist, Mr. Alan Turner, by full co-operation with the men of goodwill among his employees, has brought the spirit of "Rerum Novarum" into six varied industrial undertakings.
The 50th anniversary of the founding of the group was celebrated by a luncheon, attended by over 100 lea ding British employers, headed by Sir Frederick Handley Page, at which a Jesuit priest proposed the toast of " British Industries," in a stirring appeal to "cea se thinking of industrial groups as groups of masters, bosses or capitalists " and to " dignify their function with the term vocation."
The story is told in an interview with Mr. Alan Turner and an account of the jubilee dinner of his group, at which the technicolour film, "A Family Affair," was shown.
By W. J. IGOE
This is the story of what has been done, and what can be done, by one industrialist who has vision and applies the principles laid down by Pope Leo XIII.
I spoke with Mr. Alan Turner, who controls the group of factories founded by his father, and one messenger boy, 50 years ago, at his London office, this week. He was not born a Catholic, but is a convert of long standing. He has nine children and 550 employees. Another industrialist, he told me, had said of his organisation that a more accurate name for it would be "the Ernest Turner family."
in the past and does much to belittle their dignity in the eyes of their fellow men to-day."
FACTORY COMMITTEES
"All matters that arise and affect the welfare of the firm, employees and employers, are discussed by the factory committees which function within the group. Through these committees, for instance, we estaI „shed a shorter working week earlier than most firms in this country. We have one of the most highly developed welfare systems operating in England."
At this point I intervened. Had Mr. Turner's experience of welfare work exposed any deficiencies in the general run of such work?
"Emphatically yes" was the reply " But one cannot blame welfare workers for this. On the material plane their work is generally excellent. But much more is needed. To come up to the very high standard, implicitly stated, as well as explicitly set down by the Pope, we must have the family feeling which we are striving for in our units,
COLLEGE FOR WELFARE WORK
"There should be set up in this country. as soon as possible, a Catholic college for welfare work. It is a job one can only possibly execute well if one has a real feeling of Christian friendship for those one is employed to assist. Such a school exists already in France; it is run by the Dominicans, just outside Paris; my chief welfare worker, Miss