Review of Retieics, 219/06, 



Leading Articles. 



271 



AN ACADEMIC CO=OPERATIVE FACTORY. 



It is, indeed, "a unique industrial association" 

 of which Mr. Armitage-Smith tells the tale in the 

 World's Work and Play. The Carl Zeiss Works 

 at Jena eniplov moire than 1450 persons, including 

 twenty scientific investigators and more than eighty 

 engineers and forenien, in the manufacture of opti- 

 cal and philosophical instruments, microscopes, 

 telescopes, photographic lenses, etc., etc., etc. 



The work was founded in 1846 by Carl Zeiss, a 

 mechanical engineer, who tried tO' substitute scien- 

 tific princi])le for rule-of-thumb methods. In 1866 

 he induced Ernst Abbe, a teaclier of mathematics 

 and phys'cs and astronomy in the University of 

 Jena., to join him. In 1876 Able studied a loan 

 exhibition of scientific apparatus at South Ken- 

 sington, and on returning foimded with Dr. Otto 

 Schott, an expert in glass-makini;, a glass works. 

 On the death of Zeiss in 1888, Professor Abbe be- 

 came sole proprietor. Later he renounced his own 

 rights and constituted a Trust, to which he ceded 

 the property and administration. The enterprise 

 was henceforth to be conducted for the benefit of 

 (i) all workers or partners; (2) the University of 

 Jena ; (3) the municipality of Jena. 



NO VERY HIGH SALARIES. 



The scheme took effect in October, 1896. A 

 trustee is appointed by the State to see that the 

 statutes which have been confiirmed by the State 

 are carried out. It is a co-operative concern, with 

 University and municipality as beneficiaries. Fur- 

 ther details are given: — 



All the officials, scientific, technical, and commercial, have 

 fixed aalariea: the majority of the employes are paid by 

 pi«ce-work. but with a minimum wage computed on a time 

 basis. No official may recei\e a salary more than ten times 

 the average yearly earnings of the worker of twenty-four 

 years of age and upwards, and with at least three years" 

 Bervice: as a result of this rule the highest salary as yet 

 paid amounts to £90U; the object of this regulation was to 

 remove causes of discontent arising from strong contrasts 

 between high and low earnings. 



A system of prcjfit -sharing forms part of the scheme of 

 remxtneration. by which a supplementary payment in pro- 

 portion to tlie prosperity of the business is made to all the 

 employf^s with the exception of members of the board of 

 management. Another provision authorises the payment 

 of an honurarhun to employes of the firm of any rank if it 

 can be shown that the association has l>enefitei necuniarily 

 by their special scientific, technical, or economic activity. 

 Rewards are alHo ofTered for practical suggestions which 

 effect improvements in the works. 



EIGHT HOURS DAY. PENSIONS, ETC 



Other reforms have since been introduced: — 



In 1891, by mutual consent, the working day was reduced 

 to eight hours, after a year's experiment, from which it 

 was concluded that eiu'ht hours could be nia<ie as produc- 

 tive as nine, both for the firm and the workers: overtime 

 is not allowed except in special circumstances, and enforced 

 short-time does not incur a deduction from wages. All 

 workmen are entitled t4^ six days" annual holiday, for which 

 they receive :i standard time-waere. 



A sick-fund is also provi(]ed by contributions of the em- 

 pIov(''« of 3.2 ner cent, of their waues. to which the firm 

 adds n sum equal to half the amount subscribed. Sick- 

 pay is given for six months at the rate of three-fourths of 

 the wa^e. and a further amount is triven for other three 

 months at a difir-rent rate- 

 Pensions are provided by a special reserve fund on a 

 scale depending upon length of service and certain otiier 

 provisions, tinder this scheme an employ^, invalide<i after 

 five yeiars* service, can obtain a peitsion equal to 50 per 



cent, of his income; after forty yeara" service or at the age 

 of sixty-five the pension amounts to 75 per cent, of earn- 

 ings. Suitable provision is also made for widows aod 



A UNIVERSIIY FUND OF £100.000. 

 The University Fund created by the Trust is ap- 

 plied to the maintenance of scientific and technical 

 institutions connected with the Uni\ersity : — 



Tlie effect is to pla<'e Jena in the first rank of German 

 universities as regards scientific and technical e<tuipment. 

 No lef-; than £100.000 has thus been contributed through 

 the " Stiftung '■ to the university by. this one local indus- 

 trial association. 



There are other provisions of the Trust: — 



One of these is a " People's Institute," free to the inhabi- 

 tants of Jena and the locality, arranged and equipped for 

 inlellectuai and social purposes in a most complete and 

 almost lavish manner. It comprises an extensive museum 

 of physical apparatus, a library which has been described 

 as " the best, the most modern, and most comfort<ible in the 

 German Empire." a public reading-room, several lecture- 

 rooms and a large public hall capable of seating 1400 

 people, an art gallery, a music-room, and otelie'-f! for 

 artists and amateur photographers. The institute is main- 

 tained entirely out of the funds of the " Stiftung," and it 

 is used without distinction by all chisses — professors, stu- 

 dents, workmen and labourers of every grade. 



The management is almost Republican:^ — 



The industrial works are separately controlled under the 

 statutes by boards of managers, who are selected from 

 persons engaged in the works, a.nd who receive no special 

 salary for their services aa managers, and only in their 

 corporate capacity have any superior position to their 

 fellows. 



Who would expect Oxford to supplement its re- 

 venues by running a co-operative sixiety ? 



WHY GLASGOW IS A MODEL MUNICIPALITY. 



Mr. Fredfiic C. Howe, writing in the July 

 Scribncr. praises the Municipal Government of 

 Glasgow. The citizen of Glasgow is a good citizen 

 because it is his city ; it gives him more for his 

 money than anyone else: — 



It is a government of the taspayera. for t-he taxpayers, 

 by the taxpayers. For only taxpayers vote. I never knew 

 a city that hated taxes as much as does Glasgow, and talked 

 so everlastingly about the rates. Any measure involving 

 tapxation. even for the relief of the poor, and the poor of 

 Glasgow are terribly poor indeed, has to pass a jealous 

 scrutiny. 



Away back in the sixties, the ratepayers defeated Lord 

 Provost Blackie. who had promoted the splendid clearance 

 scheme for the destruction of the city's worst slums. Glas- 

 gow is a taxpayers' administration. I fancy it was these 

 same taxpayers who took over the vaHous undertakings 

 of which the city is so proud. With Scotch thrift, they 

 hated to see prolits go into private pockets. 



The man on the trams is evidently right. He owns the 

 trams; therefore he is interested in them. He owns the 

 gas, the water, the electricity aupply and the telephonea. 

 Therefore he watches them. He loves (JIasgow just as does 

 the T.ord Provost, the hard-headed alderman, "the man in 

 the club, the caretaker of the city's sewage works. The 

 city is his parent- It cares for him. And it is worth 

 woi'king for. It is so big in its ideals, so big in its achieve- 

 ments, so big in its kindness and goodness. 



The Sunday at Home for July is a very read- 

 able numl)er. Most noteworthy among its contents 

 is a very quiet, impaxtial, and searching stimming 

 up of the character of the Kai.ser, by Oliver ^i. 

 Norris. A vivid account of what is going on on the 

 Belgian border is given by the American correspon- 

 flent, Mr. Frederick Moore, and Carn .n Bames- 

 T.awrence tells what he snw on the summit of Vesu- 

 vius before, of course, its recent eruption. 



