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The other. side of Labour Co-partnership work was the 
adoption by private firms of the co-partnership principle. 
Quite a number of private firms in this country and others 
have a profit sharing system in operation, and some of them 
are very successful. He cited the firm of William Thompson 
& Sons, of Huddersfield. George Thompson, the present head 
of the business, is a disciple of John Ruskin and was a close 
friend of his during his life. Such confidence had Ruskin in 
him that he appointed him one of his trustees of the Guild of 
St. George. This Huddersfield business in the heavy woollen 
worsted goods trade had been a profitable one on the whole. 
But there were ideal] conditions of labour, and a minimum wage 
list was in operation. As to the goods manufactured, Mr. 
Thompson had always had before him a high ideal of the 
quality, which was as near perfection as goods of that sort 
could be expected to be. 
Another instance is that of J. T. & J. Taylor, of Batley 
(Yorkshire), where every worker of over one year’s service was 
a shareholder and participated annually in the profits of the 
business. The system began in 1896 with some of the principal 
clerks and heads of departments, and after two or three years 
developed into profit-sharing all round. Other instances 
included Armstrong, Whitworth & Co., whose shares were 
regularly traded in on the market. The South Metropolitan 
Gas Company was probably the largest in the British Isles. This 
scheme was started to counteract the influence of trade unions 
and to avoid strikes. Every workman who participated in 
the profits had to sign an agreement that he would not belong 
to a trade union, and these agreements were so arranged that 
they terminated at different dates. It had been a cleverly 
managed piece of work and the application of the system had 
been a good thing for the Company. 
The application of the principles to another class of business 
affected cases where time wages were the basis, and here there 
was the greatest scope for its application. 
The outline of one co-partnership business was given, which 
provided for standard wages, and the following division of 
profits :—First, 5 per cent. on capital; then, of any surplus, 
10 per cent. to the common fund of the Employees’ Society, 
40 for workmen’s bonus, 25 for management, and 25 for 
increase of dividend. There was in connection with it the 
formation of an Employees’ Society. All employees par- 
ticipated in the profits if they had eight weeks’ service 
during the year, but members of the society got the 
full 40 per cent. bonus, and non-members less, whilst the 
