DEVELOPMENT OF THE BERLIN FIRM. 355 



siderable portion of the burden, yet there still remained 

 for me much arduous and unceasing work. 



^/Jt had very early become clear to me that a 

 satisfactory development of the continually growing 

 firm must depend on securing the hearty spontaneous 

 co-operation of all the workers for the furtherance 

 of its interests. To attain this it seemed to me es- 

 sential that all who belonged to the firm should 

 share in the profits according to their performances. 

 As my brothers acceded to my view this principle 

 came to be adopted in all our establishments. Ar- 

 rangements to that end were settled at the cele- 

 bration of the twenty -fifth anniversary of the original 

 Berlin firm in the autumn of 1872. We then 

 determined that a considerable portion of the yearly 

 profits should regularly be set aside for allowing a 

 percentage to officials proportionate to their salaries 

 and bonuses to workmen, and as a reserve fund for 

 necessitous cases. Moreover we presented the col- 

 lective body of workers with a capital-stock of 9000 

 for an old age and invalid fund, the firm agreeing to 

 pay every year to the account of the managers of 

 the fund, chosen directly by those interested, fifteen 

 shillings for each workman and thirty shillings for 

 each official, who had served in the business uninter- 

 ruptedly for a twelvemonth. 



These arrangements have worked remarkably well 

 during the nearly twenty years of their existence. 

 Officials and workmen regard themselves as a per- 

 manent part of the firm and identify its interests with 



23* 



