THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF LABOUR.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."J SIR,—In your article on Professor Smart's admirable letter you assert the impracticability of adopting co-operation in many fields of industry owing to the very small influence which the labour of each workman can have on the success of the business: My experience leads me to the same conclusion, unless either the industry is a small one or, if large, divisible into departments, each working out its own profit and loss accounts separately. In such cases the individual may be a sufficiently large fraction of the whole. In nearly all industries, however, a modified form of co-operation can be adopted with the best results. It consists of giving to all heads of depart- ments, foremen, and leading hands, i.e., all those specially picked out because their work definitely affects results, a bonus in addition to their regular wages, such bonus forming a specified share of the profits of the industry. As these men are to a large extent selected from the ordinary hands, this scheme holds out prospects to those who by their industry and ability raise themselves above the average. There is no novelty in this, but in my experience it gives excellent results.
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