RECOLLECTIONS 
 
 SIR CHARLES 
 
 W. MACARA 
 
 BART.
 
 Southern Branch 
 of the 
 
 University of California 
 
 Los Angeles 
 
 Form L 1 
 
 CT 
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 *'jAN4 1928 
 
 
 
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 1
 
 RECOLLECTIONS BY SIR 
 CHARLES W. MACARA, Bart.
 
 Recollections by Sir 
 Charles W. Macara 
 
 Bart. 
 
 WITH A PHOTOGRAVURE FRONTISPIECE 
 
 CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD 
 
 London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne 
 
 1921 
 
 53501 
 
 , }
 
 M \\ 
 
 TO 
 MY WIFE 
 
 by whose untiring assistance so much of the work 
 I have done at home has been rendered possible
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PACB 
 
 1. Early Days 1 
 
 I Influences of heredity, training, and sur- 
 
 roundings. 
 
 2. Strikes ....... 10 
 
 Experiences of strikes. How to prevent them. 
 The historic " Broolclands Agreement." 
 
 ^ INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENTS 
 
 3. The International Cotton Federation . 83 
 
 EstabHshment in 1904. Problems of World- 
 r wide Importance. . 
 
 < 
 
 3 4. Thb International Institute of Agricul- 
 ^ TURE . ..... 45 
 
 Founded by the King of Italy, 1905. Co- 
 operation with David Lubin, originator 
 of the scheme. 
 
 5, Congresses in Zurich and Manchester . 52 
 
 Initial meeting at Zurich, 1904. Head- 
 quarters estabhshed at Manchester, 1905. 
 
 C. A Day with King Edward at Windsor . 55 
 
 The English Royal Family and Industry. 
 
 vii
 
 Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 7. Congress and Committee Meetings in 
 
 France ...... 72 
 
 Receptions by Presidents Loubet, Falli^res, 
 and Poincar6. Other notable incidents. 
 
 8. Experiences in Germany and Austria . 79 
 
 Reception by the Kaiser on board his yacht 
 in Kiel Harbour. In Berlin at the time of 
 the Agadir crisis. 
 
 Reception by the Emperor Francis Joseph. 
 Meeting with the Archduke Francis. 
 
 9. Congresses in Italy and Belgium . . 93 
 
 Reception by the King at the Quirinal, Rome. 
 Banquet given by the International Insti- 
 tute of Agriculture. Meeting with King 
 Albert in Brussels. 
 
 10. In Portugal, Spain and Holland . . 101 
 
 Revolutionary Days. Reception by the 
 President of the Provisional Government. 
 
 In Spain : Reception by the King and Queen 
 in Madrid. Invitation to attend bull- 
 fight in Barcelona declined. 
 
 In Holland : Reception and Luncheon by 
 the Queen and Prince Consort at the 
 Royal Palace at Loo. 
 
 interna tiona l delega tions 
 
 11. America ....... 113 
 
 Journey of 4,600 miles through the Cotton 
 States. Receptions by notable persons. 
 Letter from President Roosevelt. 
 
 12. Egypt 139 
 
 Meetings with Lord Kitchener and the 
 Khedive. 
 
 viii
 
 Contents 
 
 PAGB 
 
 18. India 151 
 
 Deputations to Secretaries of State. In- 
 vestigation into cotton growing. Raising 
 Indian famine funds. 
 
 SOME CAMPAIGNS 
 
 14. Bringing Capital and Labour together . 165 
 
 Industrial Council appointed by the Govern- 
 ment, 1911. 
 
 15. Work in the Lifeboat Cause . . . 179 
 
 Lifeboat disaster on the Lancashire coast. 
 Inauguration and promotion of the Life- 
 boat Saturday Fund. 
 
 16. The Free Trade Battle .... 202 
 
 Resistance to Mr. Joseph Chamberlain's 
 "Tariff Reform" scheme. 
 
 17. The National Health Insurance Act . 217 
 
 Determined opposition to the Act. 
 
 18. Work in the Great War . . . 229 
 
 Suggestions for averting financial crisis. 
 Schemes for raising war funds. The 
 National Register. Organizing supply of 
 fabric for the Royal Naval Air Service, 
 etc. 
 
 19. The Coal Crisis of 1921 . . . .242 
 
 "Work in connexion with the settlement. 
 
 20. Andrew Carnegie ..... 255 
 
 Some Reminiscences. 
 
 Index 267 
 
 ix
 
 RECOLLECTIONS BY SIR 
 CHARLES W. MACARA, Bart. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 EARLY DAYS 
 
 "TOURING my long and varied career many 
 people, knowing that I started life with 
 nothing to depend upon but my own energies, 
 have consulted me with regard to the prospects 
 of others similarly situated, and I have invariably 
 replied : '* No better inheritance could they 
 possibly have." 
 
 I must, however, confess that in the early 
 stages of such a life as mine one often has fits 
 of depression and grave misgivings as to whether 
 the great difficulties to be contended with can be 
 surmounted. At the same time, in my case, had 
 I not had the spur of necessity in my early days I 
 firmly believe I should not have developed the 
 qualities that have enabled me to cope with the 
 many difficult tasks which have fallen to my lot 
 during a long life. But although I did not enter
 
 Recollections 
 
 the world with a silver spoon in my mouth, there 
 were qualities I had inherited which to me were 
 of vastly more value. 
 
 I have always felt that heredity is an influence 
 which has much to do with shaping a man's career. 
 At any rate that was so in my own case. My own 
 boyish wish to enter the Army was not merely the 
 usual boy's inclination to romance. It grew out 
 of, and was nourished by, the knowledge that some 
 of my own ancestry were prominently identified 
 with the Army and with India. At my home in 
 Scotland I heard stories of a relative of my father 
 who distinguished himself in the Napoleonic wars, 
 rising to the command of the Royal Highlanders 
 and meeting his death on the field at Quatre Bras 
 on the day before Waterloo ; of another who was 
 of soldierly eminence and also a Civil Adminis- 
 trator in India ; of others who were still living and 
 serving their country on land and sea. The 
 narratives related about these connexions naturally 
 fired me with the desire to make a career in the 
 profession of arms, and, as to every other ambitious 
 boy, that meant to me a position of command, 
 for I doubt whether any boy ever dreams of a 
 future in which he is one of the undistinguished 
 many. 
 
 There were, too, other hereditary factors which 
 shaped my early character. A son of the Manse,
 
 Early Days 
 
 I could not help gaining something from the 
 qualities of independence of thought, courage to 
 maintain convictions developed by meditation in 
 the face of opposition, and depth of character 
 which I saw daily in my father, a Scottish divine 
 of the old school. In his early manhood, in 1843, 
 he met the excitement and contentions of the dis- 
 ruption in the Scottish Presbyterian Church — the 
 State Church of Scotland — with a strong heart and 
 will, revealing a character tenacious of principles 
 yet softened by generous feelings towards others. 
 His life was a standing exhortation to me to find 
 out what was good and hold to it. Were it my 
 purpose here to write upon this period of my life 
 in detail, I might trace out how the influence of 
 my father and my mother, an equally vivid per- 
 sonality, shaped my character and guxe me some 
 qualities which I have always felt proud to possess. 
 But I can only cast a grateful backward glance 
 upon those fruitful days and pass on to the period 
 when the seed which was sown then began to yield 
 a harvest in practical life. 
 
 I would, however, note a curious factor in my 
 experience. It is that, though I have never visited 
 India, I seem to have been in touch with that 
 Dependency all my life. Left an orphan at the 
 age of five, my mother was taken under the care 
 of an uncle, who rose on no other capital than his 
 
 3
 
 Recollections 
 
 own abilities from a humble position in the Indian 
 Service to the Chairmanship of the Honourable 
 East India Company. Through this great-uncle's 
 career my early days were saturated with the 
 legends of India, and I was fired by the stories I 
 heard of him with the ambition to go there and try 
 my luck. No words can paint how great a hero 
 he was in my youthful imagination. 
 
 At that age I was not overpowered with the high 
 renown he won as an administrator because the 
 other side of his record — his exploits as a soldier 
 who had joined in many fierce engagements in the 
 Punjab War — was to the eyes of youth much more 
 romantic and fascinating. Since then I have come 
 to value his administrative work much more highly, 
 realizing with the growth of experience that the 
 administrative faculty is much rarer than the 
 capacity to face dangers in battle. In possessing 
 both soldierly and administrative attributes he was 
 in the line of great statesmen who served Britain 
 in the days before India was brought into the 
 Empire. He laboured for his country in India for 
 thirty-five years, and, after his return to England, 
 was for fifteen years longer in the service of the 
 Honourable East India Company, of which, as I 
 have mentioned, he became chairman, dying while 
 holding that office. 
 
 As may be imagined, India was a much nearer 
 
 4
 
 Early Days 
 
 and more interesting realm to our home than it 
 was to many people in these islands. Events 
 happening in that distant land — especially, of 
 course, the Mutiny, in which relatives lost their 
 lives and others had hair-breadth escapes — were 
 both near and important to us. I grew up with 
 India written very large in my mental constitu- 
 tion. My first ambitions were to go there as a 
 soldier and emulate my great-uncle. But that 
 was not to be, nor was I to spend any part of my 
 life there ; yet, as I have said, all my life I have 
 found the great Dependency figuring as a back- 
 ground in my activities. The first important 
 commercial post I took was with a firm whose busi- 
 ness was partly in India and partly in Scotland. 
 When, afterwards, I entered the cotton trade, a 
 great deal of one's business was with India. In 
 two Indian famines I was fortunately able to 
 organize promptly very large Lancashire relief 
 funds. I have taken an active part in stimulating 
 the growing of cotton in that great country. The 
 most comprehensive and authoritative survey of 
 the possibilities of India for growing cotton 
 was carried out under my supervision. How 
 much were the stories I heard when a boy 
 responsible for the interest .which led to these 
 activities ? 
 
 I may add here, while writing of India, that I 
 B 5
 
 Recollections 
 
 have in my possession what is perhaps a unique 
 example of her handicraft. It is a child's frock 
 which is still on occasion worn by one of my grand- 
 daughters. Ninety years ago it came from India 
 and formed a part of her great-grandmother's 
 trousseau. I mention it here because it is symbolic 
 of the patience and the manual skill of the East. 
 The cotton from which it is made was grown in 
 India. It was hand-spun into yarn, and the yarn 
 was woven into cloth by hand. The delicate and 
 beautiful embroidery was a hand product too. We 
 boast of the finest machinery in the world for 
 producing cotton cloth of the delicacy and texture 
 of silk, yet this frock, produced in India nearly a 
 century ago by manual methods, is finer than our 
 most finished industrial cotton products of to-day. 
 On account of its excessive cost such fine produc- 
 tion has ceased and the secret of it has now gone 
 from the civilized world ; but I regard this garment 
 as full of hope for the future of India, since it 
 remains to confute the pessimists who say that 
 India cannot yield any varieties of cotton but 
 those suitable for coarse yarns. A small thing in 
 itself — a curio — it is yet a symbol of the poten- 
 tialities of the great Dependency. 
 
 In those early days I was absorbing ideas and 
 forming conceptions the value of which I had then 
 no knowledge. The reflection of later years has 
 
 6
 
 Early Days 
 
 shown me how favourable my surroundings were 
 to the development of broad and bold plans, 
 always having in them room for the principles of 
 right living and fair conduct towards other men. 
 For I was daily learning from the narratives about 
 my relatives' achievements that every man has it 
 within him to accomplish big things, while the 
 atmosphere of religion in my home cautioned me 
 against the success which involved injustice to 
 fellow-men or disregard of their fundamental 
 rights. I attribute many qualities I acquired later 
 to the inspiration I received from the family circle. 
 I will mention but two here. One is that I have 
 all my life seen clearly that the possession of 
 wealth is not in itself an end worthy of man's 
 efforts. 
 
 Poor indeed is he who has no solace but his 
 hoard of money ! I have enjoyed the command 
 of money all my public life, and without it could 
 not have done the public work I have carried on, 
 but I have never regarded it as more than an 
 instrument for aiding a man in the expression of 
 his ideas and individuality. Where the heart is 
 set upon wealth for its own sake, or for the 
 gratification of selfish aims, it withers a man's 
 powers, reducing him to the idolater of that which 
 he ought to control and use. 
 
 The other invaluable quality I got from those 
 
 7
 
 Recollections 
 
 early days was the consciousness of the claims of 
 the other side ; in other words, the Christian 
 teaching of " Do unto others as ye would they 
 should do unto you " took, I hope, good root in 
 my character. At any rate, as I look back now 
 over a life crowded with public work I see that 
 emotions which have become dominant during a 
 crisis must have had their source in that old teach- 
 ing. When presiding, in times of industrial 
 dispute, over joint meetings of employers and 
 employed, I have found myself considering what 
 would be the results to both sides and endeavouring 
 to do what was fair between man and man, and at 
 these momentous conferences I never allowed the 
 claims of the non-combatants, who were seriously 
 affected, to be overlooked. 
 
 In the early stages of my business career my 
 energies were entirely absorbed with the details of 
 the work I had to do. Although occupying a 
 responsible position at an early age in connexion 
 with the representation in Manchester of one of 
 the super-firms in Scotland, it was not till attaining 
 my thirty-sixth year, when I was appointed 
 managing partner of an old and well-known firm, 
 that I responded to the request to enter upon 
 the public life of Manchester. I have since 
 entered upon both national and international 
 movements in connexion with the cotton industry 
 
 8
 
 Early Days 
 
 — an industry in which England has held the 
 leading position during the past 150 years. 
 
 Notwithstanding the many vicissitudes which 
 are inseparable from our greatest export industry, 
 it has gone on developing in magnitude and im- 
 portance. I firmly believe, in spite of the set-back 
 industry has received from the Great War, that 
 with efficient management and harmonious rela- 
 tionship between Capital and Labour, the develop- 
 ment of the cotton industry, which has been so 
 marked during the last quarter of a century, will 
 continue. I have arrived at these conclusions 
 from the extensive experience I have acquired, 
 the personal reminiscences of which I have been 
 urged by my friends at home and abroad to give 
 to the world.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 STRIKES 
 
 T HAVE, in my international and national work 
 for industry, ever had the ideal of conciliation 
 in all disputes between Capital and Labour before 
 me. One reason which has led me to aim in this 
 direction is that I have had practical experience 
 of strikes. Most of us in these days know what 
 it is to be inconvenienced by a sudden stoppage 
 of work by a section of the workers. We have 
 found we could not travel, or that our coal has 
 been withheld. That sort of experience of strikes 
 is bad enough, but it is a very minor affair com- 
 pared with such an experience as seeing one's 
 machinery idle, one's business damaged, and one's 
 capital flowing away through a strike in which 
 you are forced to be a central figure. 
 
 As head of a large business I have known this 
 more bitter experience. And, while watching the 
 damage done to capital, I have seen the untold 
 hardship suffered by the workpeople who were on 
 strike ; and I have wondered why men will trust 
 to such an intolerable and senseless way of 
 
 lO
 
 Strikes 
 
 settling their differences. This is not the place 
 to discuss the .wisdom or the ethics of lock-outs 
 and strikes, but I may say in passing that some 
 of the most strenuous work of my life has been 
 voluntarily done, simply because I realized so 
 intensely and so clearly that out of these things 
 no good could ever come. My propaganda against 
 the strike and lock-out has been in the interests 
 of all parties, for I believe all suffer if force is 
 called in where reason should be arbiter. 
 
 As I have said, my keen desire to avoid strikes 
 grew out of practical contact with them. Before 
 I embarked on public work I had a very trying 
 experience in connexion with one of the mills of 
 my firm. At the Brunswick Mill, in Ancoats, 
 Manchester, in 1884, we were engaged in the 
 changing of machinery for spinning medium yarns 
 in place of fine yarns. Then, as now, there were 
 two wages lists for these two classes of cotton 
 spinning. The renewal of the machinery at the 
 Brunswick Mill brought it within the Oldham 
 wages list, but the workpeople made a claim of 
 5 per cent, above that list because the mill was 
 situated in Manchester, the home of fine spin- 
 ning. Now, it was really absurd for them to 
 take this attitude, since the wages we w^re going 
 to pay were the acknowledged rates for work of 
 that kind, and, as a matter of fact, no firm could 
 
 1 1
 
 Recollections 
 
 have agreed to pay what the workpeople demanded 
 without prejudice to its business. We therefore 
 refused to pay the extra 5 per cent., and a strike 
 was begun. 
 
 I had been in the firm only four years at this 
 time, and was, to tell the truth, somewhat of a 
 novice in regard to trade union matters, especially 
 in the Lancashire cotton trade. Compared with 
 to-day's trade unionism, the workers' organiza- 
 tions of that time were much less highly developed 
 and not nearly so sensitive and aggressive as they 
 became afterwards. But in cotton spinning the 
 trade union, even then, was a very powerful 
 organization ; I did not at the time fully realize 
 how strong it was. 
 
 The strikers began picketing — that is, prevent- 
 ing all the willing workers from getting to the 
 mill. They asked for a fight, and I was in the 
 mood to give them one. I advertised widely that 
 the mill was in process of being renewed with 
 machinery to spin Oldham yarns, and that the 
 Oldham list of wages would be paid. A number 
 of the workpeople were anxious to continue at 
 their work, and others offered to fill the places 
 that .were vacant. This was not to the liking of 
 the strikers employed in the mill. The originators 
 of the strike were men who had been most difficult 
 to deal with for many years, and, as a determined
 
 Strikes 
 
 stand was now taken, they grew violent, and when 
 men were engaged to take their plaees at the 
 mill these riotous strikers went down to the 
 Vietoria Station, attacked the old-style omnibuses 
 in .which the workers were travelling, and threw 
 them out. In a fight I was always determined 
 to win. I decided that in this I would not be 
 beaten, and took strong measures to ensure it. 
 
 The conflict grew very bitter, but the more 
 tlie strikers opposed me the more determined I 
 became that I would defeat them, feeling I had 
 right on my side. Sometimes in reviewing this 
 I have felt that I could not have realized the 
 magnitude of the conflict. I had before long 
 reason to believe I might be in grave personal 
 danger. Threatening letters were sent to me, 
 and some of the people who were helping me to 
 keep the mill partially at work were terrified by 
 the threats, knowing that the strikers were backed 
 by very undesirable persons. 
 
 I played a bold hand. Instead of being 
 intimidated by the threats, I .w^nt to the mill 
 every day as usual, and if any group of men in 
 an ugly mood were about, I refused to show any 
 trepidation. I got a strong force of police brought 
 up to defend the mill and the workers. The then 
 Chief Constable of Manchester spoke very gravely 
 to me about the risks I was taking. He said I 
 
 13
 
 Recollections 
 
 was quite unaware what a tough proposition I had 
 undertaken to solve, and warned me that there 
 were men in the neighbourhood of the mill who 
 respected neither life nor property. It was 
 impossible for me to give in to the strikers, and 
 I knew after a little while that I was fighting a 
 winning fight, and I was fully determined to turn 
 each advantage I gained against them and to show 
 no weakness in trying to come to terms. 
 
 People who were willing to work at the mill 
 were sheltered from harm by every means in my 
 power. They dare not, of course, move from the 
 mill. I housed them in part of the building, 
 giving them every comfort I could command. 
 Much to my satisfaction I steadily gained more 
 and more volunteers from outside, and I began to 
 see that victory was on my side. So did the 
 strikers, and they appointed a deputation to 
 come and interview me. They made no mystery 
 of their defeat, and asked if I would take them 
 back on my own terms. I said : " No ; now that 
 you are out, you shall stay out. I did not begin 
 the dispute. I was prepared to pay the current 
 rates for your work, but you were not content ; 
 now that j^ou see you have failed, you want to 
 get back to your work. With your past record, 
 I cannot agree to take you back." In a fortnight 
 they came again to ask if I would agree to take 
 
 14
 
 Strikes 
 
 half their number back. I refused ; and they 
 grew so dejected that at last they asked if I would 
 take five of them back. E\cn that request I 
 refused. They had capitulated, but their places 
 were filled, and it was too late. 
 
 It proved of great benefit to the cotton spin- 
 ning industry in Manchester that this fight had 
 been won. I had really fought a battle for the 
 whole trade. Previously fourteen mills in the 
 same district had had to close owing to the 
 intractability of the employees. Mills generally 
 were getting into the position that the employees 
 could not be managed. However, what I did 
 proved to have a restraining effect all round, and 
 things grew better throughout the district when 
 it was seen that violence could only achieve its 
 own destruction if met in a resolute manner. 
 
 It was after this trouble that I called a meeting 
 of employers engaged in the cotton spinning 
 industry in Manchester, and took a leading part 
 in forming the Manchester Cotton Employers' 
 Association. At that time the Federation of 
 Master Cotton Spinners' Associations did not 
 exist. This federation embraces fourteen associa- 
 tions, of which Manchester is one. 
 
 If I were to leave the bare record of the strike 
 at the Brunswick Mill just as it has been here 
 recorded, I am sure that the reader would gather 
 
 '5
 
 Recollections 
 
 a mistaken impression of my general attitude 
 towards disputes between Capital and Labour. 
 Looking back on that grim fight of nearly forty 
 years ago, I do not see how I could have acted 
 differently in such circumstances. But I would 
 like to add here, to prevent misunderstanding, 
 that I have always believed a great deal more 
 firmly in building up the organizations of the 
 workpeople than in doing anything to prejudice 
 them, and the action I took at that time was 
 forced upon me. 
 
 I think I can claim to have been one of the 
 forces which have extended and solidified the 
 operatives' trade unions in the cotton industry. 
 I always held that trade unions had their definite 
 sphere to fill in industry, that all workers should 
 join these unions, and that, on their side, 
 employers should seek the same strong organiza- 
 tion through employers' federations. Between 
 employers and employees, organized in this way, 
 there need be no ill feeling. Collective bargain- 
 ing is most easily carried on if there are efficient 
 organizations on both sides, if the organizations 
 are fully representative, and if the rank and file 
 in them are loyal to their leaders. 
 
 In my forty years' association with the cotton 
 industry I have, of course, been compelled by 
 circumstances to take a leading part in many other 
 
 i6
 
 Strikes 
 
 disputes. It would be tedious to refer to more 
 than the most thrilHng of them all — the twenty 
 weeks' strike of late in 1892 and early in 1893, 
 ended by the signing of the Brooklands Agree- 
 ment, which has remained to this day, in my 
 judgment, the finest example of industrial states- 
 manship that has yet been framed. The strike 
 was a long and, to some extent, an embittered 
 affair. A period of uncertainty and depression 
 in the cotton industry — in which mills were losing 
 money and prospects seemed always to be grow- 
 ing worse — led the employers, at the end of 
 October, 1892, to give their workpeople notice of 
 their intention to reduce wages. A date was 
 stated for the new rate of wages to take effect, 
 but when it arrived the operatives declined to 
 continue at work. 
 
 It is curious at this distance to recall that in 
 the course of the long stoppage one of the points 
 which was argued with most heat was whether this 
 was a lock-out or a strike. History refers to it 
 as the Twenty Weeks' Strike, and since the 
 employers took no positive step in the way of 
 closing their mills, it may be right to use the 
 term which signifies that in the actual cessation 
 of work the initiative was that of the workers. 
 Perhaps the question whether a lock-out or a 
 strike took place is worth arguing now; but in 
 
 17
 
 Recollections 
 
 those days it was the least important aspect of 
 existing facts, and it is symptomatic of human 
 tendencies in these matters that it was therefore 
 regarded as a very vital question. I had personally 
 no concern for such irrelevant topics at the time. 
 I did not share the bitterness evinced by both 
 sides. 
 
 Looking back on events now, I can see that 
 I had been favoured in my ancestry and my train- 
 ing with inherited and acquired qualities which 
 could be brought into use in the solution of 
 difficulties such as faced us in that struggle. To 
 begin with, my point of view was necessarily 
 more detached than that of the Lancashire men, 
 since I had not entered the cotton industry until 
 I had reached maturity. I was a son of a Scottish 
 manse — the offspring of families which had given 
 great administrators and generals to the British 
 people — and at my father's hands had received 
 training in the humanities before I entered upon 
 a business career. In these circumstances I was 
 able to bring to the dispute qualities which some 
 of my colleagues, through no fault of their own, 
 did not possess. 
 
 Without claiming too large a measure of credit 
 for myself, I may, I think, fairly say that it was 
 by reason of my greater detachment from local 
 passion and the qualities I had inherited and 
 
 i8
 
 Strikes 
 
 acquired that I was able to see beyond the mere 
 question of wages with which the dispute began. 
 As so often happens in an industrial dispute, the 
 issue in this one had soon widened into a great 
 matter of principle, for before very long the 
 material question of more or less pay was lost in 
 the question of full recognition of the workers' 
 right to have a say in industry. 
 
 I saw this very early, even before the issue had 
 taken definite shape in the plans of the operatives. 
 I saw no difficulty, revolutionary though the idea 
 then was, in granting the aspirations of the work- 
 people in this matter. I began to help forward 
 their claim, and ever since that time I have fought 
 to secure for the operatives more and more influ- 
 ence and power in the conduct of industry. I came 
 out as a champioR of giving the operatives full 
 credentials in negotiations in the twenty weeks* 
 strike. Thus my personal battle was twofold. 
 On the one hand I had to fight against the workers 
 on the question which had originated the strike, 
 on the other I had to wage war against fellow- 
 employers on the bigger issue of which I have 
 spoken. 
 
 At this distance of time many of the events 
 in the great struggle become blurred, but some 
 others stand out in all the greater relief because 
 of the disappearance of what was only incidental. 
 
 19
 
 Recollections 
 
 Those were days when the operatives were not 
 fortified by large trade-union reserve funds, and 
 the pinch soon began to be felt. There was 
 hunger, and people went ill-clad for the rigours 
 of the season. I could not withhold my personal 
 admiration of the orderliness and fine temper of 
 the strikers. No violence was done, no absurd 
 threats were uttered, nor was there any whining. 
 
 I know of no experience in life so full of 
 poignant sensations to a man of sensibility as that 
 of being forced to be a central figure in a strike 
 of this kind. The generous employer would rather 
 see his workpeople back at their jobs ; he would 
 gladly end their privations ; he hates to see them 
 suffer. Yet he must stand firm upon the principles 
 which are necessary to the sound conduct of his 
 business, and he must be loyal to his colleagues. 
 He has to face a cruel dilemma. For my part I 
 fought to end this great strike in a spirit which 
 has led me ever since to want to end all strikes. 
 Since those days much of my time and effort 
 have been spent in propaganda and personal 
 service directed to estabhshing harmony between 
 Capital and Labour. 
 
 It was during the twenty weeks' strike that I 
 came very closely into touch with the late James 
 Mawdsley, the operative spinners' leader. In 
 another section of these memoirs, where I speak 
 
 20
 
 Strikes 
 
 at length of the great industrial leaders I have 
 been associated with, I say what I know and 
 think of this remarkable man. Here I shall s[)eak 
 only oL" the part he played in bringing the twenty 
 weeks' strike to an end — an important part, as 
 will be shown. At the time of this strike the 
 president of the Master Cotton Spinners' Federa- 
 tion was Arthur Rayner, a man w4io had many 
 estimable qualities, but whose personal gifts were 
 the less useful because of indifferent health, 
 and he had to resign the duties of president very 
 early in the struggle. It was owing to this 
 circumstance that the actual work of leading the 
 employers fell upon me in very large measure. 
 
 I need not enter too closely here into the 
 historical record of the strike. Suffice it to say 
 that every week that it dragged on brought fresh 
 hardships to the workpeople, and suffering became 
 so acute that the strike was compared with the 
 dread cotton famine of a generation earlier. I 
 saw this suffering, and felt for those who were 
 bearing it. I was determined that I would do 
 e\'erything in my po\ver to bring about an end to 
 it, and, if possible, an end to the circumstances 
 which gave rise to deadlocks and strikes. There 
 were repeated attempts to get to grips with the 
 situation by means of joint negotiations. Feel- 
 ing, at first, was so distrustful and antagonistic 
 
 21
 
 Recollections 
 
 that the most deUcate handUng did not bring 
 very much success. Everywhere there was 
 suspicion. Leaders on both sides were submitted 
 to as close a surveillance as Ministers of State in 
 a crisis. But, fortunately, circumstances outside 
 the area of the dispute were helping in producing 
 the atmosphere for peace. 
 
 The general state of feeling, however, may be 
 grasped from the fact that, fourteen weeks after 
 the mills had stopped, a meeting held at Prest- 
 wich, near Manchester, ended without result, 
 although at that meeting Robert Ascroft, M.P., 
 solicitor to a section of the operatives, submitted 
 a rough draft of the terms, every clause of which 
 was discussed and altered, and which ultimately 
 ended the strike at the Brooklands Hotel six weeks 
 later. I was among those who believed strongly 
 in the value of this suggested agreement, and I 
 began at once to work with might and main to 
 convert employers who stood out against it. The 
 next six weeks were weeks of growing crisis, 
 intensified hardship, and great anxiety. At last„ 
 however, came an opportunity for a joint con- 
 ference. It had to be arranged with the greatest 
 secrecy. I heard that certain of the operatives 
 distrusted any effort at joint agreement, and 
 harassed the men who were working for peace. 
 In consequence of this high tension of feeling the 
 
 22
 
 Strikes 
 
 date and name of the place at which the joint 
 conference was to be held was not allowed to leak 
 out. One newspaper representative only got to 
 know ; all the others were absolutely in the dark. 
 
 The conference began at three o'clock in the 
 afternoon of March 23, 1808, at the Brooklands 
 Hotel, Brooklands being a suburb about seven 
 miles from the centre of Manchester. Now, we 
 met at the conference with anxious feelings. I 
 regarded the issues to be settled as amongst the 
 deepest and most important with which industrial 
 leaders could be faced ; and, looking back, I see 
 that, far from over-estimating its significance, I 
 did not perhaps foresee what vast benefits to 
 industry as a whole were to be won by that 
 conference. The wages question, which had 
 occasioned the strike, proved to be the least of 
 our difficulties. We soon got the matter adjusted 
 on a basis which was fair to both sides. But the 
 agreement we had to make covered the wider 
 issues which had loomed out as the strike 
 lengthened, and it was the clauses governing our 
 conduct with regard to these which brought about 
 repeated deadlocks in that vital conference, just 
 as at Mr. Ascroft's house at Prestwich, six weeks 
 earlier, every clause of the agreement gave rise 
 to fresh argument and dispute. 
 
 In my other books I have dealt fully with the
 
 Recollections 
 
 Brooklands Agreement as a document for intro- 
 ducing harmony into industry. I do not want 
 now to examine its clauses in detail. Its larger 
 issues are the important question here. There is 
 no doubt at all that it inaugurated a new era, 
 not in the cotton industry alone, but in all 
 industry. Now, there were a few of us in that 
 conference of masters and men who saw that was 
 going to be the case. It was for this reason that 
 we fought so hard. We were trying in the cotton 
 industry to substitute a reign of reason for one 
 of force, to tie ourselves, both employers and 
 employed, to rules which would make it difficult, 
 and as nearly impossible as human nature would 
 allow, to enter upon either a lock-out or a strike. 
 We were going beyond that. We were dealing 
 with the great issue of the workers' right to a 
 " say " in industry. For the railways that issue 
 was not settled until nearly twenty years after- 
 wards. We were just that length of time in 
 advance of the railways. 
 
 So ^ve knew that what we wanted at that 
 conference was worth a great struggle. The 
 struggle came. The largest principles and aims 
 of the agreement evoked intense opposition. Six 
 times in the course of the conference the two 
 sides broke away from each other. There we 
 were, in that suburban hotel, grappling with 
 
 24
 
 Strikes 
 
 great industrial issues, and six times the opposing 
 elements seemed to feel that peace was impossible. 
 Hearts sank and hopes ebbed. Hours went by, 
 night was reached, and midnight sounded. Still 
 the faithful believing few on each side kept 
 battling on, composing the differences when dead- 
 locks occurred, re-establishing the negotiations, 
 ever getting their colleagues back to the table 
 where peace with honour could be secured. 
 
 We went on sitting through the early hours 
 of the morning. For my part I was determined, 
 as one who had taken a prominent part in the 
 dispute owing to the absence of the president 
 until only a few days before the conference, that 
 there should be no end to the conference until 
 the agreement had been signed. I spared no 
 effort to win over my friends. Fortunately, James 
 Mawdsley — the leader on the other side — had the 
 same end in view. I recall that once, when a 
 very critical breakdown had occurred and the fate 
 of the whole conference hung in the balance, 
 Mawdsley and I encountered each other in the 
 garden of the hotel. We were working, of course, 
 for opposite sides. We had different views, there- 
 fore, on the main questions of the agreement. 
 
 But on the biggest question of all — that of the 
 success of the conference — we found we had the 
 same view. " We must not let them break 
 
 25
 
 Recollections 
 
 away," said Mawdsley. I echoed that view; and 
 we did not let them break away. At five o'clock 
 in the morning, after we had sat through four- 
 teen hours of the most intense feeling and anxiety, 
 the Brooklands Agreement was signed. We went 
 out into the raw morning with a great load 
 removed from our minds, and the dawn of a long 
 era of peace in the industry breaking upon us. 
 
 My personal view that the Brooklands Agree- 
 ment is the greatest stroke of industrial states- 
 manship ever made has been fully confirmed by 
 subsequent experience and events. Shortly after 
 it was signed I was elected president of the 
 Federation of Master Cotton Spinners' Associa- 
 tions, embracing, as I have said, fourteen associa- 
 tions. For about twenty-one years I remained in 
 that position. During the whole of that time we 
 had only one strike regarding wages affecting the 
 whole industry. The strike was brought about by 
 one section of the operatives against the advice of 
 the other sections, as well as against the advice 
 of the General Federation of Trade Unions, and 
 had the effect of stopping the whole industry, all 
 sections being interdependent. Yet before my 
 years of office the industry was known as the cock- 
 pit of industrial strife. 
 
 The Brooklands Agreement was abrogated a 
 year before I resigned the presidency. It had 
 
 26
 
 Strikes 
 
 served its purpose, and its spirit still lives. But 
 for it industrial history would be a different 
 record, for it has pointed the way in many indus- 
 tries to that industrial harmony which arises from 
 wise statesmanship and eschews the weapon of 
 force. 
 
 After assuming the presidency of the Master 
 Cotton Spinners' Federation I was invited to 
 take a lead in all the public-spirited movements 
 in connexion with the cotton trade, and to these 
 I responded willingly as far as was possible. Most 
 of these movements involved more or less deter- 
 mined effort and had to overcome considerable 
 opposition and apathy. The Manchester Ship 
 Canal, which was expected to develop largely 
 the import of raw cotton and the export of the 
 products of the spindles and looms to and from 
 Manchester, met with such hostility that the 
 results were most disappointing. When I was 
 asked to take a lead in altering this state of 
 things the impression that the Ship Canal would 
 seriously injure the Port of Liverpool was very 
 pronounced, and the inauguration of the Man- 
 chester Cotton Association for the direct 
 importation of raw cotton to Manchester evoked 
 much adverse criticism. 
 
 I was appointed president at the inaugural 
 meeting, and retained this position for five years, 
 
 27
 
 Recollections 
 
 and in spite of continued opposition the direct 
 imports of raw cotton by the Ship Canal increased 
 year by year. Looking back upon the long 
 period that has elapsed I have seen the Port of 
 Manchester rise to the position of third port in 
 the United Kingdom, and at the same time there 
 has been no injury to the Port of Liverpool. 
 Indeed, a considerable development has taken 
 place, proving conclusively that men with broad 
 views and foresight are necessary to progress. I 
 have long since outlived any ill-feeling engendered 
 by the determined stand that was taken at the 
 end of 1894. This departure has proved a great 
 factor in the development of Lancashire's staple 
 industry. 
 
 Another movement of great importance was 
 the inauguration of the British Cotton Growing 
 Association, of which I was asked to be the first 
 chairman ; but I was compelled to decline, though 
 I always rendered whatever assistance I could. 
 
 In 1902 my attention was directed to a matter 
 of much moment to the industries of Lancashire. 
 It was found that a great handicap in the carrying 
 of goods to the Far East was caused by the 
 charges of the shipping firms included in the 
 China Conference. Goods were being carried 
 from New York to the Far East for about half 
 the freight they were being charged from 
 
 28
 
 Strikes 
 
 Lancashire, although the distance from New York 
 was 3,000 miles more than I'rom Lancashire. 
 Here again I encountered great opposition that 
 I little expected, but after I had led a delegation 
 equally representative of Capital and Labour to 
 the China Conference, the freights were reduced 
 to about the same level, and a saving to 
 Lancashire of about £100,000 a year was effected. 
 This movement for the equalizing of freights has 
 been carried on by the Exporters' and Importers' 
 Association. 
 
 29
 
 INTERNATIONAL MOVEMENTS
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE INTERNATIONAL COTTON FEDERATION 
 
 TT was the logic of facts which turned my mind 
 in the direction of international organization. 
 In my early business days I had seen the value of 
 association with international affairs. For the 
 cotton industry it was a vastly greater necessity 
 than for any other industry to be organized on 
 an international scale, ever>^ civilized country 
 having an interest in cotton. I saw from the 
 commencement of my public work for this in- 
 dustry that many of its greatest troubles would 
 remain unremedied as long as it lacked an 
 organization which could be operative in all the 
 countries where cotton was known. For our 
 own country this had a special importance, since 
 cotton is our greatest industrial export, repre- 
 senting as it did in 1920 considerably over 
 £400,000,000, and we are by far the leading nation 
 in this industry. 
 
 Ideas which are kept revolving in the mind 
 grow and take shape, so that the moment when 
 circumstances occasion their release finds them 
 already adapted and formed to particular ends. I 
 
 33
 
 Recollections 
 
 had often brooded over the subject of an inter- 
 national organization and had recommended it 
 before the crucial year 1903-4, but the pioneer 
 proposals I made did not fall on very ready ears. 
 Men in the industry were immersed in their private 
 concerns and apparently saw little need to open 
 up a wider field of enterprise. 
 
 If there is one thing more regrettable than 
 another in British industrial organizations it is this 
 lack of wide vision. Although the cotton industry 
 is, generally speaking, a great deal in advance of 
 most others, yet it is true that very often it has 
 been difficult to get its leaders to look out from the 
 mountain top. My own policy, when at the head 
 of the industry, was always to take the widest 
 possible view, to try to see things in their world- 
 wide relations, and so the idea of internationalism 
 became one which I felt must be applied to our 
 organizations. 
 
 The translation of that idea into actuality came 
 because of the crisis in the years I have mentioned 
 — 1903-4. I could only give a pale idea here of 
 the anxiety of those years in the homes of 
 Lancashire even were I gifted with much greater 
 descriptive powers than I possess. For some years 
 previously the shortage of the raw material of the 
 industry had occasioned grave concern. iVmerica, 
 the principal source of supply, was failing us 
 
 34
 
 The International Cotton Federation 
 
 through a variety of circumstances, among 
 which were her and our growing consumption, 
 the increasing demands of other nations, and the 
 "cornering" of the raw cotton suppHes by 
 American specuhitors at times of stringency. 
 
 The years I have named saw the crisis come to 
 a head. American cotton supplies were low, and 
 the well-known speculator, Sully, appeared on the 
 scene, causing by his operations on the markets, 
 aided by the actual scarcity, an acute shortage 
 which threatened Lancashire with disaster. The 
 situation was this : on the one side of the Atlantic 
 the operations of the speculator had sent up the 
 price of the raw material to such a height that the 
 spinner on the other side of it could not get cotton 
 at such rates as would enable him to continue 
 running his mills profitably. In this way an 
 impasse seemed to be imminent. I shall have 
 something to say later about a state of things 
 which permits the gambler on the markets to 
 endanger the livelihood of great masses of people 
 by his speculations. At the moment I am mora 
 concerned with the relation of the facts of this 
 period. 
 
 Now our cotton industry at that date employed 
 in spinning and weaving about 500,000 operatives. 
 In subsidiary industries and employments con- 
 nected with cotton another half-million were em- 
 
 35
 
 Recollections 
 
 ployed. Allowing only two dependents each to 
 these employees, the total number of people con- 
 cerned directly could not be less than 3,000,000. 
 But that is only half the tale. Many other indus- 
 tries are entirely dependent on the successful 
 running of this one, and some others are partially 
 dependent on it ; and if we took account of them 
 also we should see that the ruinous state of trade 
 brought about by a natural shortage of the raw 
 material, coupled with the operations of the 
 speculators, at that time injured millions more. 
 
 It is a curious world which gives us such an 
 ironical situation. On the one hand a single 
 speculator — backed, of course, by other people's 
 money — gloating over opportunities of making 
 untold wealth, and on the other hand, millions of 
 people threatened with great losses in the earning 
 of their livelihood. Lancashire saw again — though, 
 fortunately, it did not experience — all the misery 
 and privation of the cotton famine of the 'sixties 
 staring it in the face. Anxiety filled the minds 
 of far-seeing employers as well as the leaders of the 
 operatives as to the means to be employed to avert 
 an impending disaster. 
 
 These were the circumstances in which I con- 
 ceived and proposed the scheme for organized short 
 time in the spinning and weaving mills. In those 
 days the working week was 55| hours, and my 
 
 36
 
 The International Cotton Federation 
 
 plan was to reduce it to 40 hours. I saw in this 
 scheme a way of curtailing consumption and so 
 allowing a good deal of the " cornered" cotton to 
 lie as dead capital on the hands of the speculator, 
 and of playing Providence for the operatives by 
 providing them with two-thirds of their normal 
 wages spread over twelve months instead of full 
 wages for two-thirds of the year and none for the 
 remaining third. Such a plan could only be 
 successful if everybody loyally co-operated to make 
 it so ; and I had the great pleasure at a mass 
 meeting at the end of 1903 of seeing both em- 
 ployers and employed pledge themsehes to the 
 proposal. The scheme saved the cotton industry 
 from disaster and the arch-speculator was broken. 
 He departed from the scene a complete and 
 dramatic failure. Lancashire loyally kept to the 
 plan of organized short time, suffering the loss 
 entailed with fortitude ; and so gave an example' 
 to the world of a whole industrial community act- 
 ing with one motive and upon one plan with in- 
 calculable benefit to industry as a whole. 
 
 A cherished principle of mine is that in times 
 of bad trade a stoppage, if possible, should be 
 avoided. The way to do this is to take account 
 well beforehand what the conditions are likely to 
 be and to adjust the production of industry accord- 
 ingly. Organized short time, when there is 
 D 37 
 
 53501
 
 Recollections 
 
 depression, or when the raw material fails partially, 
 is a method of meeting the situation. To go on 
 turning out a full quantity of goods till the markets 
 are glutted and then to close down the machinery 
 is an amateurish and bungling way of adjusting 
 production to consumption. The workers, living, 
 as the majority do, from hand to mouth, are left 
 suddenly without wages where this latter system 
 obtains, and are plunged into distress from which 
 foresight and organization would save them. 
 
 During the war, when our shipping had been 
 reduced by submarine attacks and when so much 
 of what remained was needed for purely war pur- 
 poses, the production of our cotton industry — 
 then the only one of our great industries which 
 was turning out exports on any considerable scale — 
 had to be regulated according to the amount of the 
 raw cotton, as well as of the export of manufac- 
 tures for which transport could be found. For- 
 tunately the way chosen to meet this difficulty 
 was not that of closing down the mills and 
 factories indiscriminately, but of regulating them 
 by adopting short time and stopping a certain 
 amount of machinery. Provision for the tem- 
 porarily unemployed was also included in the 
 scheme by means of a levy on the machinery that 
 was kept running. 
 
 As I have said, by employers and employees 
 38
 
 The International Cotton Federation 
 
 loyally working short time in the crisis of 1908-4 
 a disaster was avoided by another method. 
 
 It saved the cotton-spinning and manufacturing 
 industry from the most serious losses. But it was 
 not really right that the sacrifices should have been 
 borne by one country when all were to benefit 
 from them. The only way, however, by which the 
 other interested countries could have been brought 
 into the movement of organized short time was 
 by an international organization, and none then 
 existed to carry out such a large proposal. The 
 need of one, which I had seen for a long time, 
 became apparent to all after this crisis. 
 
 At the Lancashire meeting which backed the 
 proposal to reduce the working week for as long a 
 period as was necessary to forty hours, a repre- 
 sentative of the French cotton industry was present 
 and supported the idea, and messages received in 
 reply to telegrams sent to American and European 
 spinners showed that an international movement 
 along these lines would have been possible if only 
 the organization to give it shape and drive had been 
 in existence. Obviously the thing to do was to 
 bring an international organization into being. 
 But how? 
 
 At that time the Right Hon. A. J. Balfour 
 was Prime Minister; he was also Member of 
 Parliament for East Manchester, thus being 
 
 39
 
 Recollections 
 
 brought into very near contact with the great 
 centre of the cotton industry. Mr. Balfour hap- 
 pened to be staying in Manchester in January, 
 1904, and a deputation was organized and led by 
 me to place before him the seriousness of the 
 impending situation. This deputation represented 
 both employers and employed, all deeply concerned 
 by the events which had been taking place, and 
 anxious to see some action taken to prevent their 
 industry being placed in jeopardy. Two proposals 
 were made to Mr. Balfour : (1) That an inter- 
 national conference should be held to deal with 
 the cotton situation and that the British Govern- 
 ment should summon it ; such a conference, it 
 was urged, was the only effective method of 
 dealing with the situation. (2) That the British 
 Government should appoint experts to obtain 
 reliable information as to the supply of cotton and 
 other raw materials necessary for carrying on the 
 great industries ; our possession of such informa- 
 tion, it was ])ointed out, might have a material 
 effect in preventing undue speculation. 
 
 Mr. Balfour listened to us very attentively, 
 admitting that we had satisfied him as to the need 
 for some such steps as we proposed. He promised 
 to make inquiries as to what could be done. 
 Appeals to Government Departments were re- 
 ceived with sympathy but without any definite 
 
 40
 
 The International Cotton Federation 
 
 action. My experience as to Government help 
 has always been the same. Whatever their 
 political colour, Governments are insensitive to 
 the vital needs of our staple industries. They 
 cannot see ahead, nor can they rise when a great 
 occasion calls for them to back an industry. If 
 Governments do move on industry's behalf it is 
 only when they have been spurred into action by 
 the importunate demand of the people whose liveli- 
 hoods are at stake. And the curious thing is that 
 while Go\'ernments will not foster and encourage 
 industry, they have for many years past interfered 
 in its internal affairs with most disastrous results. 
 
 In the case I am dealing with nothing was done, 
 and I saw that it would be waste of time to wait 
 for Government action. I recommended that the 
 English Federation of Master Cotton Spinners 
 should proceed to call an international congress. 
 The place chosen for the assembly was Zurich. 
 The Swiss Cotton Employers' Association was 
 asked to act as joint conveners and we met there 
 on May 23, 1904. It was an historic moment for 
 the cotton industry. There for the first time 
 representatives consisting of the most prominent 
 men in the business in Europe met upon a 
 common platform with a conmion purpose. It 
 was the birth of a new international idea in 
 industry. Out of the deliberations of that Con- 
 
 41
 
 Recollections 
 
 gress grew the International Federation of Master 
 Cotton Spinners' and Manufacturers' Associations, 
 which was formally established at a second assembly 
 in Manchester in the following year. 
 
 I have often said in later years that this was the 
 birth of a League of Nations. I believe to-day that 
 its constitution was one which could be used very 
 profitably in establishing a League of Nations. 
 
 Every cotton-using country either joined this 
 Federation or co-operated with it ; and in addition 
 to the congress in England in 1905, annual 
 congresses were subsequently held in Germany, 
 Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Por- 
 tugal, and Holland, and international delegations 
 visited America and Egypt. Furthermore, many 
 meetings of the International Committee were 
 held in centrally situated cities in Europe. This 
 movement was prosecuted with great vigour vmtil 
 the war interfered with its operations, and perfect 
 harmony characterized the deliberations. 
 
 As its president from its formation to the year 
 1915 I have naturally taken pride in its work ; but 
 if the personal equation be left out altogether 
 I believe that its record of work contained in 
 nineteen volumes of reports will convince any 
 student of industry that it was one of the greatest 
 movements in the history of international co- 
 operation. Elsewhere I have dealt fully with the 
 
 42
 
 The International Cotton Federation 
 
 work it carried out, and will not here pause to 
 review it. 
 
 My own efforts for the success of the Inter- 
 national Federation were unsparing. I undertook 
 quite voluntarily a large amount of propaganda 
 work. On the eve of the first International 
 Congress at Zurich I contributed a comprehensive 
 article dealing with the cotton industry of the 
 world and the reasons for international co-operation 
 to the Revue Economique Internationale, which 
 was printed in English, German and French and 
 circulated throughout Europe and America. It 
 is something of a happy coincidence that when the 
 Federation resumed its meetings after the break 
 caused by the war, the place of meeting was again 
 Zurich. Though no longer president, I was 
 invited by the same review to write another article 
 in anticipation of the resumption of the work, and 
 my article '' The International Idea in Industry *' 
 (embodied in my book "In Search of a Peaceful 
 World") was reprinted in three of our own 
 reviews, quoted in every British newspaper of 
 importance, in the American Press, and in about 
 fifty newspapers on the Continent. 
 
 I was assured by people who follow such matters 
 that the publicity given to this article was un- 
 rivalled except by the weightiest pronouncements 
 of statesmen. I mention this as showing that, 
 
 43
 
 Recollections 
 
 rightly dealt with, the affairs of any important 
 international movement can be made to have the 
 widest possible publicity. These articles were only 
 an insignificant part of the propaganda I found it 
 necessary to do for the Federation. The head- 
 quarters in Manchester, in fact, became as it were 
 the seed ground of a varied and extensive inter- 
 national work all requiring daily personal super- 
 vision, and all carrying the mind to the ends of 
 the earth. 
 
 44
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTLTRE 
 
 ANOTHER international movement with which 
 I was closely connected was the International 
 Institute of Agriculture, embodying the inter- 
 national idea in another form, and I am proud 
 to have been associated with its initiation. Da\'id 
 Lubin, its originator, travelled far and wide early 
 in the present century with his important scheme 
 for setting up an observation post from which the 
 harvests of the world could be surveyed. Lubin, 
 a very remarkable man of wide vision and great 
 persistence, an American citizen, who had worked 
 out his great idea down to its details, found that 
 the Governments of Europe were very difficult to 
 move. He journeyed from country to country, 
 outlining to Governments his plan to build up an 
 organization which would collect and supply to 
 the people concerned information on the quality 
 and quantity of animal and vegetable products, 
 their prices on the various markets, give early 
 warning of diseases breaking out in any section 
 of the plant world, and give reliable forecasts of 
 harvests and crops. All this work was as useful 
 
 45
 
 Recollections 
 
 to producers, manufacturers and consumers as it 
 was damaging to the pure speculators who utilize 
 a shortage of crops anywhere as a means for 
 amassing wealth. 
 
 I have always taken a very active interest in 
 agriculture, and have maintained associations with 
 it throughout most of my business life. The 
 cotton industry itself depends primarily upon 
 agriculture, and the two industries are largely 
 responsible for the feeding and the clothing of 
 the world. My interest in the work of David 
 Lubin was consequently very great, and when he 
 wrote to me in 1904 asking my assistance, as 
 the president of the newly formed International 
 Cotton Committee, in his efforts to set up the 
 International Institute of Agriculture, I felt that 
 I must do all that lay in my power to help him. 
 The position at that time was that Lubin had 
 succeeded, by grit and persistence, in securing an 
 audience of the King of Italy, who, being an 
 enthusiast in agriculture, was deeply impressed 
 by the scheme. 
 
 Lubin described to me this interview with the 
 King of Italy, who listened most attentively to 
 his story and then asked what he wanted him to 
 do. Lubin at once replied : " To summon a meet- 
 ing of representatives of the Governments of the 
 world to discuss the scheme," and on the King 
 
 46
 
 International Institute of Agriculture 
 
 expressing his approval of the proposal, Lubin, in 
 true American style, said to the King : " You 
 are still a young man, but by this act you may 
 go down to posterity with a greater record than 
 the Caesars." A conference of representatives of 
 the Governments of the world was held at Rome ; 
 this conference, after considering the scheme, 
 supported Lubin 's ideas. 
 
 A protocol was issued by the conference to 
 the various Governments who sent representatives, 
 but no definite step was taken to give practical 
 shape to the scheme. Lubin soon realized that his 
 suggestions had been put away in those Govern- 
 ment pigeon-holes which prove the grave of many 
 good proposals. A letter to me showed that he 
 had come to the conclusion that unless some fresh 
 force entered the field without delay his scheme 
 was possibly hung up for ever. 
 
 Shortly after I received his letter he came to 
 Manchester, and it was then that I saw him for 
 the first time. I well remember the impression 
 this great and disinterested man made upon me 
 when he entered my private office, and his striking 
 personality and unbounded enthusiasm stand out 
 just as vividly now as they did at that time. 
 Without undue ceremony he at once began his 
 appeal for assistance. "Since," he said, "the 
 international conference of representatives of the 
 
 47
 
 Recollections 
 
 Governments of the world summoned by the King 
 of Italy was held, I have been trying to find an 
 engine big enough to bring the protocol which 
 was issued by the conference, recommending my 
 scheme at which I have been working for twenty 
 years, out of the Government pigeon-holes. If I 
 fail now I have grave misgivings whether, even 
 with the assistance that the King of Italy has 
 given, it will ever be adopted." He suggested 
 that I should summon a meeting of the Inter- 
 national Cotton Committee, but to this I replied 
 that, until more definite steps had been taken, it 
 was not desirable to do this, as such a step involved 
 the bringing of the members from a wide area. 
 
 I foimd the British representatives at the con- 
 ference summoned by the King of Italy were the 
 Earl of Minto, the Earl of Jersey, and the 
 Secretary of the Board of Agriculture ; and 
 accordingly suggested that Lubin should arrange 
 an interview for me with the last named. With 
 characteristic energy, he telephoned to the Board 
 of Agriculture in London, and arranged an 
 appointment for the following day. At the 
 interview I found an absence of enthusiasm, but 
 when I dealt with the benefits that would accrue, 
 not only to the greatest of all our industries — 
 agriculture — but to industry generally, there was 
 a change of attitude, and subsequently the 
 
 48
 
 International Institute of Agriculture 
 
 Secretary joined me whole-heartedly in supporting 
 Tiubin's scheme. 
 
 Not long after this interview I had occasion to 
 go to Paris, and it was suggested that I should 
 there see the Director of the French Department 
 of Agriculture. I found him enthusiastic in his 
 support of the scheme, and much interested in the 
 account of my interview with the Secretary of the 
 British Board of Agriculture. The information I 
 was able to give, encouraged him to approach his 
 Government with a strong recommendation that 
 it should agree to provide its proportion of the 
 funds necessary for carrying on the work to which 
 the King of Italy had given his valuable support. 
 This recommendation was accepted, and on my 
 return to London I interviewed Mr. Asquith, the 
 Chancellor of the Exchequer. He listened most 
 attentively to my explanations, and indicated that 
 effect would be given to my recommendations. 
 
 The support thus assured on the part of France 
 and England was soon followed by that of the 
 other countries represented in the International 
 Cotton Federation, and in a very short time 
 liubin's scheme came into operation. No praise 
 is too high to bestow on David Lubin, undoubtedly 
 one of the world's great benefactors, who left 
 behind him an institution which will for all time 
 be of untold value to the human race. 
 
 49
 
 Recollections 
 
 At the Quirinal in Rome, where I had the 
 honour of being received by the King of Italy, 
 His Majesty, who had already at his own personal 
 expense provided magnificent headquarters for 
 the institute at Rome, referred repeatedly to the 
 timely assistance I had been able to render at a 
 very critical moment. The institute at once began 
 to render great service to the whole industrial and 
 commercial world. The war itself did not stop 
 its work. Throughout the struggle the institute 
 continued to supply information by the issue of 
 its bulletins, though, of course, they were not as 
 universal as in the times of peace. The repre- 
 sentatives of 59 States are now co-operating in the 
 work of the institute, and are issuing bulletins of 
 immense value. 
 
 I have already referred to the International 
 Cotton Federation as a League of Nations, and 
 the International Institute of Agriculture can be 
 described in the same way. But the two together 
 are even more strikingly an example to the world 
 of genuine harmonious relations between men of 
 so many different nationalities. Since their 
 formation, in 1904 and 1905 respectively, these 
 two international movements have been in con- 
 tinual co-operation, except for the interruption 
 occasioned by the war, and have demonstrated that 
 work for the benefit of mankind may be done and 
 
 50
 
 International Institute of Agriculture 
 
 will be done quite readily by men drawn froni* 
 numerous countries who, in the doing of it, 
 willinglj^ sink their distinctions of nationality. 
 
 Once more I would like to say here that an 
 effective League of Nations will be assured when 
 the spirit in which these two international move- 
 ments have dealt with their difficult problems is 
 imported into our high politics and diplomacy. 
 The central principle of both organizations has 
 been that the common good is supreme. Each for 
 all and all for each may sound an impossible ideal, 
 but here it has been realized. 
 
 5«
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 CONGRESSES IN ZURICH AND MANCHESTER 
 
 TT was a very anxious time between issuing the 
 invitations to an international cotton congress 
 and the time of the meeting at Zurich in 1904, 
 and I was much gratified, in receiving the various 
 delegates, to hear from them that they had 
 followed my career, as they were daily readers of 
 The Manchester Guardian, and that they were 
 much impressed by the article I had contributed 
 to the Revue Economiqae Internationale. 
 
 The congress being a new departure, and as 
 many of the delegates who took part in it had not 
 had much experience of organization, considerable 
 tact was necessary ; but a great impression was 
 made, and it was realized that many vital problems 
 of the cotton industry could only be solved by inter- 
 national action, and the outcome of the conference 
 was highly satisfactory. 
 
 A committee was formed, composed of the 
 most prominent men representing each of the 
 various countries present, and I was appointed 
 chairman. It was arranged that a congress should 
 be held in England the following year, and in 
 
 52
 
 Congresses in Zurich and Manchester 
 
 the meantime the committee were charged with 
 drawing up rules and reguhitions for carrying on 
 an International Federation of Master Cotton 
 Spinners' and Manufacturers' Associations, to be 
 submitted at the next congress. This was duly 
 carried out. 
 
 At Zurich, I remember, our hosts set an 
 example of originality by arranging for an in- 
 formal gathering of the delegates on the summit 
 of the Rigi ; and there, in view of one of the most 
 gorgeous panoramas of mountain and vale, river 
 and lake, the first congress was brought to a most 
 successful ending. 
 
 The second congress was held in Manchester, 
 at the Town Hall, in June, 1905, the guests being 
 received at the Midland Hotel by my wife and 
 myself. 
 
 At this congress it was unanimously decided 
 that an International Federation should be estab- 
 lished, with headquarters in Manchester, and 
 annual congresses held in the various countries 
 represented in rotation, the representative of the 
 country in which the meeting was held to be 
 president of the congress for that year. I was 
 appointed chairman of the international commit- 
 tee, which involved the duties of superintending 
 the daily work throughout the year, the summon- 
 E 53
 
 Recollections 
 
 ing of the committee meetings in central cities 
 in Europe, and taking whatever initiative was 
 necessary. In this capacity it also devolved upon 
 me to prepare and read at each successive congress 
 a report of what had been done during the year. 
 This, and the issuing of the voluminous reports, 
 was a most important factor in the success of this 
 world movement. Unless this part of the w^ork 
 is carried out efficiently no permanent results can 
 be obtained. 
 
 A number of ladies accompanied the delegates 
 to the Manchester congress, and the hospitality 
 and receptions accorded by the cities of Man- 
 chester and Liverpool and other Lancashire towns 
 gave an excellent send-off to this international 
 movement. All the extensive arrangements w^re 
 thoroughly organized, and, as is generally the case 
 when this is done, everything passed off smoothly. 
 This was characteristic of all the subsequent 
 congresses. 
 
 54
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 A DAY WITH KING EDWARD AT WINDSOR 
 
 TN connexion with the establishment of the 
 International Cotton Federation acknowledg- 
 ment must be made of the valuable assistance 
 received from the Marquis of Lansdowne, who 
 was at that period Minister of Foreign Affairs. 
 It was by his courtesy that the Report of the first 
 International Congress, which was held in Zurich 
 in 1904, was forwarded to the chief Governments 
 of the world under the auspices of the Foreign 
 Office. This procedure was continued from year 
 to year, but unfortunately the personal recognition 
 of the Head of the State was accorded to the 
 International Cotton Federation in France and 
 Germany before this could be arranged in England. 
 In view of the cordial assistance to which I 
 have referred on the part of the British Foreign 
 Office, it was to that Department I made repre- 
 sentations in the hope of securing recognition in 
 England similar to that obtained in France and 
 Germany. It was just in that direction, however, 
 that opposition was encountered, and I am con- 
 
 55
 
 Recollections 
 
 vinced that had this not been the case His Majesty 
 King Edward VII, with his profound desire for 
 international co-operation, would have been the 
 first to lend his powerful support to a world-wide 
 industrial movement which originated in England, 
 was led by England, and has its headquarters in 
 this country. It was, as a matter of course, 
 acknowledged by all the other countries that 
 England's preponderating position in the world's 
 cotton industry made it imperative that a repre- 
 sentative of this country should occupy the 
 foremost position in the international organiza- 
 tion, and the presidency has been occupied by 
 an Englishman ever since the initiation of the 
 movement. 
 
 Abroad we have the reputation of being the 
 most practical-minded people in the world. It is 
 a reputation which, curious as our methods at 
 home may seem, is sustained by our success in 
 practical affairs in all parts of the world. But 
 we do, nevertheless, often find remarkable para- 
 doxes in our national character. While pursuing 
 our objects abroad with a genius for great affairs, 
 w^e often at home seem utterly unable to appreciate 
 the importance of the task to which we have 
 put our hands. The cotton industry affords 
 very remarkable instances of this peculiarity 
 in our character. This matter of official recog- 
 
 56
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 nition of the International Federation .was 
 one. 
 
 Foreign nations had, as I have said, shown 
 appreciation of its claims before our English ruling 
 powers. I need not emphasize the fact that 
 England had most reason of all the countries to 
 welcome any representative body of men from the 
 cotton industry. We were the supreme country 
 in that industry, more important in our equipment, 
 our skill and our resources, than all the rest of 
 Europe put together. Cotton products were our 
 greatest and most valuable export. Surely it was 
 a very remarkable thing that our own authorities 
 were not first in bestowing honour upon the body 
 which banded the industry together into an inter- 
 national federation ! 
 
 I began to take action with a view to obtaining 
 Governmental recognition because certain mem- 
 bers of the International Federation who were 
 connected with the industry abroad expressed 
 their surprise that England neglected us while 
 President Loubet and the Kaiser showered every 
 kind of honour on us. To succeed in such an 
 undertaking is no easy affair. There is a barrage 
 of officialdom to get through before your justifiable 
 request reaches the ear of those whose help you 
 want. I have had, in my long experience of public 
 work, many occasions to face that formidable 
 
 57
 
 Recollections 
 
 barrage, and I do not wonder at the man who gives 
 up. However, in this instance I felt it absolutely 
 necessary that I, as chairman of the committee 
 of the Federation, should take steps to obtain 
 recognition of our efforts from the King of 
 England. 
 
 There was to be a meeting of the committee 
 of the Federation in London in November, 1906, 
 and I felt that this would afford a suitable occasion 
 for the realization of my scheme. I therefore 
 approached the heads of the Foreign Office and 
 other Government Departments with a view to 
 obtaining the recognition we sought. The pro- 
 position was, I need scarcely say, coldly, indeed 
 frigidly, received in official quarters. There was, 
 I was told, no precedent for such a thing, and 
 it was extremely doubtful if anything could be 
 done. 
 
 I knew there was no precedent, but could not 
 see in what way that affected the proposal. Before 
 the International Cotton Federation and the Inter- 
 national Institute of Agriculture were formed — in 
 the initiation of both of which I took a leading part 
 — there had been no precedent for such inter- 
 national organizations ; but that had not prevented 
 their birth nor interfered with their growth. In 
 great commercial and industrial affairs we are more 
 concerned with making precedents than in foUow- 
 
 58
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 ing thcni, and I felt sure that King Edward was 
 just the man to see the wisdom of making a pre- 
 cedent in this matter if only the request could be 
 got to him. 
 
 I refused to be defeated by the obstacles which 
 the official class placed in the way. I replied 
 categorically that there was no precedent for such 
 worlv as that which the International Cotton 
 Federation was carrying on, and that it was im- 
 possible, in view of what other countries had done, 
 and in view^ of the position England occupied, 
 that this recognition could be withheld any longer 
 without seriously affecting the future of this great 
 international movement. 
 
 By adopting various methods I w^as at last 
 successful. King Edward readily agreed not only 
 to receive us, but personally to entertain us at 
 Windsor Castle. On the day appointed for our 
 visit we received full instructions from Lord 
 Knollys, the King's Private Secretary, giving us 
 a complete outline of the day's events. We went 
 by train to Windsor about noon, where we were 
 met at the station by Colonel Frederick, Deputy 
 Master of the Household. In his courteous and 
 frank manner Colonel Frederick introduced him- 
 self to me and asked me to present the representa- 
 tives of the various nationalities to him. He also 
 asked me to convey to them the very flattering 
 
 59
 
 Recollections 
 
 information that King Edward had himself super- 
 intended the arrangements for our entertainment. 
 It was to us all an evidence of that tact which made 
 him one of the most beloved of kings in our history. 
 We had many other evidences of it during the 
 day. We found, for instance, that the train that 
 .was to convey the King and Queen of Norway to 
 the City, where they were to be entertained 
 to luncheon by the Lord Mayor, had been 
 delayed ten minutes in its departure so that we 
 might have the pleasure of seeing them at the 
 station. 
 
 Carriages were in waiting at the station to take 
 us to the royal residence on a route which the 
 King had planned as being the most interesting. 
 We rode through the great park and visited the 
 mausoleum at Frogmore which had been specially 
 opened. After a walk through the beautiful 
 gardens we entered the Castle and were received 
 by the ladies and gentlemen of the Court, the 
 Duchess of Buccleuch, Mistress of the Robes, 
 acting as hostess. It was an agreeable reception, 
 without stiffness, and, indeed, with a great deal 
 of cordiality. There was something about it which 
 subdued the note of formality and made us feel 
 that the generous spirit of the King ran through 
 his Court. I had some conversation with the Earl 
 of Granard, the Lord-in- Waiting, who told me 
 
 60
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 that he would present me to His Majesty, and that 
 I, in turn, was to present the various members of 
 the committee. The Earl explained to me that 
 His Majesty desired to know the order in which 
 the various nationalities were to be presented, and 
 we made full preparations in accordance with this 
 wish. 
 
 The next occurrence was something of a marvel 
 to the plain business men of our committee. Fol- 
 lowing a message that Plis Majesty was ready to 
 receive us, folding doors were thrown open, and 
 at the far end of the room we saw King Edward, 
 accompanied by Queen Alexandra and Princess 
 Victoria, standing upon a dais. I remember, as 
 I approached the King, thinking how well he bore 
 his dignity, looking every inch a king. There was 
 something friendly as well as regal in the way he 
 held out his hand with the words: "I welcome 
 you to Windsor. I have done all in my power to 
 make your visit a pleasant one and I hope you will 
 have a very happy day." His Majesty then pre- 
 sented me to the Queen, who gave me a cordial 
 handshake, and then to Princess Victoria. I pre- 
 sented the members of the committee, to each of 
 whom His Majesty said a few words of welcome, 
 speaking the language of the guest in each case, 
 a fact which made them marvel at our monarch's 
 linguistic attainments. King Edward afterwards 
 
 6i
 
 Recollections 
 
 presented the committee as a body to the Queen 
 and the Princess. 
 
 The King made a happy httle speech to the 
 members of the committee. Having expressed 
 his pleasure in welcoming us to Windsor, he said : 
 "I hope the efforts of the International Cotton 
 Federation to promote the welfare of the world's 
 cotton industry may meet with the success they 
 deserve. On a previous occasion I referred to 
 an international scheme for the improvement of 
 agriculture, initiated by the King of Italy, and 
 I am glad to think that it is likely, when fully 
 developed, to further the aims of your Federation 
 and to be of service to the cotton and other 
 kindred industries which are so dependent on the 
 tillers of the soil for their raw material, the supply 
 of which has been somewhat inadequate during 
 recent years." 
 
 I delight to repeat this short speech since it 
 shows, as every one of King Edward's public 
 utterances showed, a personal knowledge of his 
 subject. The linking together of agriculture and 
 the cotton industry is one of those strokes of real 
 insight for which he was famous. Even among 
 men engaged in its manufacture the fact that 
 cotton is an agricultural product is sometimes lost 
 sight of, but it is essential that it should always 
 be remembered, as King Edward remembered it. 
 
 62
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 Keeping this in mind helps us to remember that 
 we are dependent upon the tillers of the soil not 
 only for our food, but for the greater part of our 
 raiment, a fact which should stimulate our interest 
 in the well-being of the fundamental industry of 
 agriculture. 
 
 The King, the Queen and Princess Victoria 
 again shook hands with us after His Majesty's 
 speech, and we then adjourned to the reception- 
 room and afterwards to the dining-room, where 
 we were accompanied by the ladies and gentlemen 
 of the Court. I was greatly struck by the interest 
 in and knowledge of the work of the International 
 Cotton Federation which was shown by the Court. 
 An incident which greatly impressed and charmed 
 us here was that the little Prince Olaf could be 
 seen at play from the windows in the care of his 
 nurse. After lunch we were taken through the 
 castle. We returned to London late in the after- 
 noon to dine with the President of the Board of 
 Trade. 
 
 The experiences of the day made a very deep 
 impression upon the members of the committee, 
 who .were all prominent men in their various 
 countries. The remark was freely made that they 
 could scarcely realize that they had been met with 
 such cordiality from the greatest ruler on earth. 
 There can be little doubt that the impression was 
 
 63
 
 Recollections 
 
 profound and permanent. It was so great a 
 demonstration of courtesy and tact as none but 
 our own Royal House could have given. I have 
 always regarded the day at Windsor as being 
 the greatest single event in the history of the 
 International Federation. It brought us the 
 due recognition of an important international 
 movement and gave us the prestige which is 
 so valuable in the conduct of a great public 
 work. 
 
 This wonderful royal influence lived on in our 
 counsels even after King Edward had passed away. 
 A remarkable example of it was seen at the time 
 of His Majesty's death in 1910. For several weeks 
 before a wages dispute in the cotton industry had 
 been in progress, the employers having, in con- 
 sequence of the depressed state of trade and in 
 accordance with the terms of the Brooklands 
 Agreement, taken steps for securing a 5 per cent, 
 reduction. As the operatives' representatives were 
 not prepared to agree to any proposal involving 
 a reduction, the Federation of Master Cotton 
 Spinners' Associations decided to ballot their 
 members as to what action should be taken to 
 enforce the demand. The employers voted in 
 favour of notices being served upon the operatives, 
 but, as it proved, the very date they should have 
 taken effect fell upon the day of the funeral of King 
 
 64
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 Edward. The whole nation was deeply moved at 
 the unexpected death of His Majesty, and it was 
 felt that this, at all events, was no time for 
 wrangling. The Federation committee met and 
 decided to send a circular letter to its members 
 suggesting a postponement of action. The 
 letter, after announcing the result of the ballot, 
 read : 
 
 " Since the ballot of the members was com- 
 menced the whole nation has been profoundly 
 moved and saddened by the unexpected death of 
 His Majesty King Edward VII, and it has been felt 
 that a time of national mourning was peculiarly 
 inappropriate for the commencement of industrial 
 strife. 
 
 "While it would have been difficult on the 
 notification of the death of the late King to have 
 immediately ceased from taking further action, 
 seeing that the ballot was in progress, and while 
 such action would have been liable to serious mis- 
 construction, your committee, being now fortified 
 by such a satisfactory vote of the members, are of 
 opinion that the time is opportune for giving 
 practical expression to their desire that nothing 
 should be done at the present moment to disturb 
 the continuance of industrial peace. 
 
 " I am therefore directed to notify you that out 
 
 65
 
 Recollections 
 
 of respect to the memory of the late King, and 
 being desirous not to cloud the first few months 
 of the reign of His Majesty King George V by 
 a great industrial struggle, your committee have 
 unanimously decided to refrain from taking further 
 action in the wages question for a period of three 
 months." 
 
 This letter, signed by the secretary of the 
 Federation, was received in sympathetic spirit by 
 the members, with the result that a postponement 
 of the dispute took place. It is gratifying to be 
 able to record also that at the end of the three 
 months' grace the parties found a basis of agree- 
 ment whereby wages were stabilized for a period 
 of five years. 
 
 The same interest shown by King Edward in 
 the welfare of the cotton industry has, we in 
 Lancashire are delighted to see, been sustained by 
 King George ever since he came to the throne. 
 An evidence of this was given when the committee 
 of the International Federation of Master Cotton 
 Spinners' and Manufacturers' Associations met 
 in London in November, 1910. His Majesty's 
 Government entertained the committee to 
 luncheon in the Terrace Dining Rooms at the 
 House of Commons on that occasion, and the 
 Right Hon. Lewis Harcourt, M.P. (now 
 
 66
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 Viscount Harcourt), Secretary ol; State for the 
 Colonies, who presided, gave the greatest possible 
 pleasure to the guests by announcing that he 
 had a message to deliver from the King. In 
 submitting the royal toast he said: "I have 
 the honour to be charged with a message from 
 the King to the foreign members of the com- 
 mittee whom we are entertaining here to-day — 
 a message of welcome to our shores and to his 
 Palace of Westminster, and an expression of the 
 deep interest which he feels in the prosperity of 
 the cotton industry throughout the world. King 
 George's subjects are the largest consumers and 
 the largest manufacturers of cotton. It is there- 
 fore to him a matter of deep concern that the 
 greatest enlargement in the production of the 
 raw material should take place, whether in 
 his own dominions or in any other part of 
 the world." 
 
 At this luncheon Sir Edward Grey (now 
 Viscount Grey), Secretary of State for Foreign 
 Affairs, paid a magnificent compliment to the 
 International Cotton Federation. After alluding 
 to the efforts of the Federation to increase the 
 cotton-growing area of the world, he said : 
 
 " As an International Federation of Cotton 
 Spinners and Manufacturers you are perhaps doing, 
 
 67
 
 Recollections 
 
 or at least contributing, to a greater work than you 
 know, or at any rate a greater work than is con- 
 tained in your reports, or in the immediate objects 
 which you set before the Federation. It is recog- 
 nized by everyone who studies history or who 
 studies nature that in the scheme of things in this 
 .world there are both people and things who will 
 labour for one immediate object and with a limited 
 purpose, and may yet be doing work which may be 
 contributing to an ultimate end and object and 
 purpose much greater than the one which they have 
 immediately before them. Your immediate object 
 is the prosperity of the cotton industry, but I would 
 hope that the ultimate end to which your thoughts 
 are tending is to make felt amongst nations a 
 greater sense of the interdependence of nations 
 upon each other — making it not merely known but 
 felt — because the thing that is known is of com- 
 paratively little use until it is felt. To know is not 
 the same as to feel. Now the nations have reached 
 this point of industrial development : the welfare 
 of each is bound up with the welfare of others (I 
 believe financial circles, because finance is so in- 
 timately bound up between nations, are already 
 feeling that), and when all those connected in 
 industry feel that also, then I think we may 
 agree that the peace of the world is being 
 
 assured. . . . 
 
 68
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 " I will couple with the toast (the International 
 Cotton Federation) the name of Mr. Macara. We 
 know well in this country how much he has done 
 for the cotton industry, how much his energy 
 and thought and ability have contributed to 
 that organization which is so necessary for the 
 prosperity of great industries. He has taken a 
 prominent part in the initiation and management 
 of the International Federation, and I hope he 
 feels that in this work which he has done in pro- 
 moting the International Federation he has been 
 serving not merely the cause of the industry, but 
 the cause of comity between nations." 
 
 In my reply I heartily endorsed what Sir 
 Edward Grey had said, that these international 
 movements were not only being carried on for 
 the welfare of great industries, but also for pro- 
 moting the peace of the world. I concluded 
 with the words used by Earl Carrington (now the 
 Marquis of Lincolnshire) at a luncheon given to 
 the committee of the International Federation 
 when they met in London on a previous occasion 
 that " such gatherings as these demonstrate 
 clearly that, notwithstanding the great increase 
 of armaments, the peoples of the world are 
 friends at heart and there is room for all 
 of us." 
 
 A further testimony to King Edward's 
 F 69
 
 Recollections 
 
 interest in the cotton industry came from Queen 
 Alexandra herself. The International Cotton 
 Congress at Brussels happened to be held shortly 
 after King Edward's death, and the delegates sent 
 a deeply sympathetic vote of condolence to Queen 
 Alexandra and the Royal Family, signed by the 
 representatives of almost all the cotton-growing 
 and manufacturing countries of the world. In 
 reply, in my capacity as president of the Federa- 
 tion, I received the following letter from Her 
 Majesty's private secretary ; 
 
 *' Buckingham Palace. 
 
 "July 22, 1910. 
 
 " Sir, — I have had the honour of submitting 
 to Queen Alexandra the address of condolence on 
 behalf of the cotton employers' associations of the 
 principal countries of the world assembled at 
 Brussels for the seventh annual congress. 
 
 " I am desired by Her Majesty to say how 
 deeply toucned she is by the expression of sym- 
 pathy from such an important body of international 
 commerce. 
 
 " Queen Alexandra well remembers the repre- 
 sentatives of so many nations being received by the 
 late King Edward VII, and Her Majesty knows 
 what interest His Majesty took in this particular 
 industry. 
 
 70
 
 A Day with King Edward at Windsor 
 
 '• I am to ask if you will kindly convey 
 Queen Alexandra's heart-t'elt thanks to all those 
 who have shared in sending the address to Her 
 Majesty. 
 
 '• I have the honour to be, sir, Your obedient 
 servant, ~ (Signed) Sidney Greville. 
 
 "C. W. Macara, Esq." 
 
 71
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 CONGRESS AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN FRANCE 
 
 AT all our international congresses and meetings 
 '^^ of the committee we were shown the most 
 lavish hospitality, and the one held in France in 
 1908 was no exception to this rule. I have 
 recollections of generous and splendid receptions 
 in various European capitals which wxre the out- 
 ward and visible signs of inward good feeling 
 present everywhere, and in most of which heads 
 of State and Ministers of State took part. In 
 Paris we were a large company, and no available 
 place was large enough for the principal social 
 function, so a temporary building situated on the 
 island in the lake of the Bois de Boulogne was 
 utilized, to and from which we went in small 
 boats. A picture as of a child's fairyland comes 
 to the mind now as I recall these goings and 
 comings, with the twinkling lights reflected in the 
 placid water and our island banqueting hall in 
 the near distance. Paris by night is an 
 ethereal and wonderful sight, and a great con- 
 trast to our grey and black North of England 
 cities. 
 
 72-
 
 Committee Meetings in France 
 
 Another social function of our visit was a 
 reception at the Hotel de Ville, given by the 
 President and members of the Conseil Municipal. 
 On this occasion I suppose there were about 2,000 
 of the leading people of the city present. We 
 were naturally very greatly impressed by the 
 beautiful building, especially its fine marble stair- 
 case and mural decorations. A procession walked 
 through the main corridors between lines of 
 Chasseurs and onlookers, the President of the 
 Municipal Council with myself, as chief guest, at 
 its head. Reaching the great hall, we found a 
 brilliant company, the women in gorgeous dresses 
 worn and made with the taste and charm that 
 save the French woman of fashion from ever 
 looking over-dressed whatever abundance of style 
 and colour her clothing may hiixc. Here we were 
 given a very brilliant entertainment, including 
 some fine music by the orchestra. 
 
 A remark made by a lady during the pro- 
 cession has led me often to speculate upon the 
 value of a good presence on occasions of this kind. 
 I give the story simply as a curiosity of our minds, 
 so readily influenced by outward appearances and 
 first impressions. The lady I speak of — a well- 
 known Parisienne of her day — said how fortunate 
 the English were in having leaders of some 
 presence, since that mere fact gave them an initial 
 
 73
 
 Recollections 
 
 advantage on ceremonial occasions. The dignity 
 of office, she said, could not be successfully worn 
 by stunted or short and fat men when the public 
 eye was upon them. But one may ask to what 
 extent this shrewd judgment is true of people who 
 think. There can be little doubt that of the mass 
 of mankind it is true to say a tall and well-built 
 man finds these physical attributes a passport to 
 good opinion. But do men and women of judg- 
 ment undergo such subconscious influence from 
 initial prepossessions? If so, all our organizations 
 having public help to win should be represented 
 by men of commanding and agreeable presence ! 
 Before leaving the Hotel de Ville we were asked 
 for our signatures, which our French hosts wished 
 to attach to the permanent record of this great 
 congress. 
 
 Another example of the French genius for 
 entertaining was afforded by a great day we had 
 at Chantilly, where high honour was done us and 
 in most brilliant surroundings. I also remember, 
 on the occasions when meetings of the committee 
 were held in Paris, the cordial receptions and 
 entertainments at the Elysee given by Presidents 
 Loubet, Fallieres and Poincare, and our receptions 
 by the Ministers of State, and banquets at which 
 many of them were present. 
 
 It was at these functions that I realized how 
 74
 
 Committee Meetings in France 
 
 immensely valuable was a clear, distinct enuncia- 
 tion in one who has to deliver speeches. Part of 
 my duty as head of the International Cotton 
 Federation was to make a speech at each of the 
 functions. There was a very formidable handicap 
 in the fact that I could not attempt to do so in 
 French. But I knew that many of our hosts" 
 could understand English if it were spoken with 
 clearness and at such a speed as would allow them 
 properly to catch the words. I was pleased to 
 find that the remarks made were quite easily 
 followed, and was afterwards told by Ministers 
 of State and members of the congress that they 
 had been delighted to be able to follow me so 
 easily. I remember in my young days feeling 
 that my father's insistence in regard to my learn- 
 ing Latin and Greek was not among his many 
 admirable qualities ; but I have since been grateful 
 for that training on two principal grounds : first, 
 the clearness and sense of form which one gets 
 from the classics, and, second, the wonderful 
 assistance one gets from them in the use of one's 
 own language. 
 
 One of the events which I recall in connexion 
 with another visit to France is the great water- 
 spout which happened while we were there. So 
 remarkable was it that the news was flashed all 
 
 75
 
 Recollections 
 
 over Europe. We were driving to the Elysee in 
 motor cars at the time of its occurrence, and, as 
 a matter of fact, had only just passed along one 
 street when suddenly the roadway collapsed. 
 
 While writing of our French Allies, I may 
 express my pride in having known three French 
 Presidents — ^M. Loubet, M. Fallieres and M. 
 Poincare — besides coming in contact with many 
 Ministers of State. I was very greatly impressed 
 by some remarks made by M. Loubet when he 
 was President. He spoke of the political effects 
 of great industries and of commerce. He said 
 that they must inevitably tend to stimulate inter- 
 national friendship. Their example to the world 
 .was one of international good will. Frontiers 
 were not, he believed, absolutely permanent parts 
 of the scheme of things. To the railways, tele- 
 phone and telegraph there were no frontiers, nor 
 were there any to the great cotton industry. 
 Thus already the national frontiers had been 
 broken down, and a time would come when inven- 
 tion and industry would carry that good work 
 farther. This was in 1905, at a reception at the 
 Elysee, when no shadow of what was to happen 
 in 1914 had crossed the minds of the great 
 majority of the people of Europe. I believed in 
 M. Loubet 's words then, and I believe in them 
 to-day. The world did not learn the lesson 
 
 76
 
 Committee Meetings in France 
 
 of harmony at that time, but I have no doubt 
 that when once the chaos arising from the Great 
 War has been reduced to order, men will see that 
 co-operation in the work of feeding, clothing and 
 fulfilling the other needs of mankind is vastly 
 superior to destroying one another on outworn 
 fields of battle. 
 
 President Fallieres was a personality one could 
 not fail to find interesting. He had the greatest 
 passion for knowledge. I recall the pertinent 
 questions he put to me concerning the extent of 
 the cotton industry ; and when I told him that its 
 estimated annual value, at prices then ruling, was 
 five hundred million pounds sterling, he showed 
 great amazement. "A gigantic industry," was 
 his exclamation. 
 
 M. Poincare recei^•ed us a few weeks before 
 the outbreak of war. Since then he has played 
 an exalted part in his country's history. None of 
 the many French personalities whom I have met 
 struck me as having quite the rich individuality 
 of President Poincare. More than one writer on 
 French politics at this period — nearly three years 
 after the war — describe him as being still, though 
 no longer in official harness, the most powerful 
 man in France. He is unmistakably a man to be 
 reckoned with. His hold on his countrymen 
 arises, in part, from the fact that he is ever and
 
 Recollections 
 
 always the essential Frenchman, the embodiment 
 of his countrymen's psychology. He is the soul 
 of France. And just as he expresses truly the 
 best feeling of Frenchmen, so does he exhibit that 
 spirit of intellectual inquiry and realism for which 
 the mentality of France is celebrated. His passion 
 for facts impressed me greatly. He seemed to 
 want to get to the very core of his subject when 
 putting wide and very searching inquiries about 
 the cotton industry. Nor was he slow to assume 
 command of his material. Once he was informed 
 of the significant facts, they all fell into place in 
 his logical mind, and his mastery and grasp of 
 them became apparent immediately. 
 
 President Loubet was the first head of any 
 State to receive the committee of the International 
 Cotton Federation. This was when they met in 
 Paris in 1905. It was President Fallieres w^ho 
 conferred on me, as President of the International 
 Cotton Federation, the coveted distinction of 
 Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. At that time 
 I was one of the comparatively few foreigners who 
 had been so honoured by France, a fact which was 
 significant of the high estimation in which that 
 country held the industry I had the honour of 
 representing. 
 
 7^
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 EXPERIENCES IN GERMANY AND AUSTRIA 
 
 TOURING the eleven years I was president of 
 the International Federation of the Master 
 Cotton Spinners' and Manufacturers' Associations 
 the committee were received by the rulers and 
 Ministers of State in many of the countries of 
 Europe. By some remarkable chance these visits 
 to continental countries in several cases coincided 
 with serious commotion in political opinion. 
 
 For instance, on the occasion of our visit 
 to Berlin the Agadir crisis suddenly developed, 
 rendering the utmost tact on the part of our 
 delegation necessary. And again, on our arrival 
 at Lisbon we were received by the President of 
 the Provisional Government which arose out of the 
 revolution that ended the kingdom of Portugal. I 
 shall not here try to touch upon the political aspects 
 of these upheavals of national feeling, but shall 
 simply give a sketch of how the imstable environ- 
 ment affected a body of industrial leaders visiting 
 the countries during times of crises. 
 
 The year following the meetings in England the 
 third Congress was held in Germany, and very 
 
 79
 
 Recollections 
 
 elaborate preparations were made. The opening 
 session took place at Bremen, and when commenc- 
 ing to read my annual report I noticed a large 
 number of ladies in the gallery and expressed my 
 satisfaction in seeing so many of them taking an 
 interest in the great cotton industry which gives 
 employment to millions of women and is largely 
 engaged in providing the clothing of women. 
 
 An elaborate programme of business meetings 
 and social functions was carried out most success- 
 fully, and afterwards a three days' cruise from 
 Bremerhaven to Kiel, through the canal, was 
 arranged by the North German Lloyd Steamship 
 Company. Their liner, the Gneisenau, had been 
 specially fitted up for the trip, being the largest 
 boat which at that time could navigate the canal, 
 and the cooks and stewards from the liner Kaiser. 
 WiJhehn II, which was lying at Bremerhaven, 
 were temporarily transferred to the Gneisenau. 
 She anchored in Kiel Harbour just a quarter 
 of a mile from the German Emperor's yacht. 
 William II happened at that time to be holding 
 the annual inspection of his fleet, and as the whole 
 German nation was then concentrating upon 
 building up naval power, the interest in the big 
 procession of battleships, to anyone who could get 
 a view of it, was very great. The Kaiser loved 
 these spectacular displays, as everyone knows, and 
 
 80
 
 Experiences in Germany and Austria 
 
 was generally anxious and pleased to show the fleet 
 to representatives of other nationalities. 
 
 A tremendous fuss was made about us, much to 
 our surprise. Previous arrangements had been 
 made for the committee of the International 
 Cotton Federation to be received on board the 
 Emperor's yacht, and an aide-de-camp came to 
 the Gneisenau to acquaint us with the Kaiser's 
 wishes. The aide-de-camp told us that the Kaiser 
 had no liking for frock coats and silk hats aboard 
 ship, and would prefer that the members of the 
 committee should come in yachting suits. This 
 was a poser for some of our party. The members 
 of the committee who belonged to inland centres 
 had never required yachting costume, having been, 
 in the main, much too occupied in their commercial 
 affairs to think of so expensive and time-absorbing 
 a recreation as sailing. Yet here was an expression 
 of the Kaiser's wishes in the matter. We could 
 scarcely refuse the invitation to his yacht, yet we 
 could not conform with his request. We therefore 
 deliberated what was to be done. It was evident 
 that we should look a little odd if one or two went 
 in yachting suits and the others in silk hats and 
 frock coats, so we unanimously ruled out the 
 former. And there was nothing left but to go 
 in the frock coats and silk hats or in some more 
 work-a-day attire. We decided that it was better 
 
 8i
 
 Recollections 
 
 to have that touch of formality which the more 
 ceremonious costume provided. After a good deal 
 of running to and fro this course was agreed to by 
 the Master of Ceremonies. 
 
 When we had taken up the position on the 
 quarter-deck assigned to us, the Kaiser, in the full- 
 dress uniform of an admiral, his breast ablaze with 
 decorations, and attended by his aides-de-camp, 
 came to receive us. Herr Plate, chairman of the 
 North German Lloyd Company, presented me to 
 the Emperor. He gripped my hand and shook it 
 with such strength and vigour that I was greatly 
 surprised. Speaking excellent English, with only 
 a slight guttural sound to mar it, he commenced 
 by saying : "I see you have had the assistance of 
 the ladies." For the moment I could not think 
 what he meant, but then it flashed across my mind 
 that he was referring to the remarks I had made 
 in opening my address at Bremen, which had been 
 reported in the newspapers. He went on to make 
 quite clear that that w^as in his mind. I was not 
 sure from the tone of his remarks that he entirely 
 approved of women taking part in public move- 
 ments of any kind. I rather fancy he thought the 
 domestic sphere was wide enough for them. 
 
 On that matter I may say at once that in my 
 view such an attitude is entirely wrong. I have 
 always felt, in a long career of public effort, that 
 
 82
 
 Experiences in Germany and Austria 
 
 no co-operation is more valuable than that of 
 women. Their clear vision and practical common 
 sense, their readiness to endure hardship in a good 
 cause, and their perception of the finer distinctions 
 and aspects of a subject which are not readily seen 
 by men, make whatever aid they give to big public 
 movements invaluable. 
 
 I should have recorded that when we got to the 
 Kaiser's yacht it was our impression that we were 
 to be entertained to hmcheon, that having been the 
 original arrangement. When we had boarded the 
 yacht, however, there was considerable stir and we 
 were informed that Prince Henry, the Kaiser's 
 brother and Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, had 
 unexpectedly arrived to transact important busi- 
 ness, and that, under the circumstances, it would 
 be impossible for the Kaiser to carry out his inten- 
 tion to entertain the committee to luncheon, a fact 
 he very greatly regretted. 
 
 During his conversation with me the Kaiser 
 asked many apt questions about the cotton 
 industry. He had apparently studied the subject. 
 He wanted to know about the prospects of develop- 
 ing cotton-growing, along the lines of the work of 
 the British Cotton Growing Association, in the 
 colonies of European countries, especially those of 
 Germany. He also asked most pertinent questions 
 about the development of the cotton industry as a 
 
 83
 
 Recollections 
 
 .whole, and how its growth in Germany compared 
 with that in other countries. All through the inter- 
 view he impressed me by his evident interest in, 
 and knowledge of, great industries, and showed 
 himself to be a practical man of affairs. I had no 
 great difficulty in answering his questions, having 
 the facts and figures at my fingers' ends ; but I 
 confess to some surprise that one who quite ob- 
 viously had so many preoccupations should have 
 had so full a knowledge of this industry and so com- 
 plete a realization of its importance in clothing the 
 people of the world. I thanked the Kaiser, who 
 was the second Head of State to receive the com- 
 mittee, for the gracious welcome he had accorded 
 us, and expressed the hope that he would lend 
 his great influence to the promotion of the work, 
 which was not only of so much importance to one 
 of the world's great industries, but was, I ventured 
 to think, encouraging friendly relations among the 
 nations and thus promoting the peace of the world. 
 His reply was, " Oh, certainly ; but I cannot hope 
 to compete with the ladies." This reception was 
 the last function of a very successful congress, 
 after which we returned in the Gneisenau to 
 Bremerhaven and thence to our respective 
 countries. 
 
 Not only was there a yearly congress in 
 
 84
 
 Experiences in Germany and Austria 
 
 various countries, but committee meetings were 
 held between the congresses. Of all the ex- 
 periences I had in foreign countries when leading 
 the International Cotton Federation, I think that 
 the most trying and thrilling was that of arriving 
 in Berlin to attend a committee meeting at a 
 critical period in the Agadir crisis. At home in 
 England feeling about the matter was not intense 
 till after the danger had blown o\er. But in 
 Berlin, on the night of our arrival, the air was 
 electric with rumoius, and we soon learned that we 
 had come to the German capital just at a time 
 when a sudden crisis was straining relations be- 
 tween Britain and Germany almost to breaking 
 point. 
 
 Ilerr Kidcrlen-VVachter was to ha\e received 
 us at the Foreign Office but was so deeply engaged 
 in affairs of international policy that he could not 
 keep the appointment. He sent his secretary to 
 receive us, conferring on me, as chairman, the 
 Order of the Red Eagle, on the Kaiser's instruc- 
 tions. He also sent a message that the Emperor 
 was four hundred miles away or would himself 
 have given us a personal welcome. Herr von 
 Bethmann-Hollweg was to have entertained us, but 
 he, like Herr Kiderlen-Wachter, was too en- 
 grossed by the sudden crisis and had to be excused 
 from doing so. He deputed that duty to Dr. 
 G 85
 
 Recollections 
 
 Delbriick, who was at that time Minister in 
 Charge of Home Affairs. 
 
 We had arrived on a Sunday night, and the 
 reception took place on the next day. On the 
 evening of this eventful Monday we were enter- 
 tained by the Merchants' Corporation of Berhn, 
 a remarkable and powerful body of commercial 
 men who, among other things, had at the time 
 6,000 students engaged in the study of industry 
 and commerce. Every man of note in Berlin who 
 was not engaged in dealing with the international 
 crisis was at this function, held in an immense 
 hall, which glittered with brilliant lights and, it 
 seemed to me, palpitated with anxious and dis- 
 turbed feelings. Being the principal guest, I was 
 taken into the room by Herr Kampf, then 
 Vice-President of the Reichstag, and later, during 
 the war, its President. 
 
 I had naturally a deep sense of the overhanging 
 crisis. One could not get away from it. In the 
 Government circles in Berlin that night it was 
 realized that great forces which might end in a 
 staggering clash of arms were only leashed by the 
 slenderest of bonds. At any moment they might 
 break loose. The speech I had prepared was use- 
 less on such an occasion. I felt that I could only 
 await inspiration when the time to stand up came, 
 having on numerous occasions found that the 
 
 86
 
 Experiences in Germany and Austria 
 
 appropriate words have come when wanted, and I 
 had confidence that they would not fail me now 
 when the need was greatest. Herr Kampt' pro- 
 posed the toast ol' the International Cotton 
 Federation, making a model speech characterized 
 by temperateness and friendship for England and 
 consideration for the guests of the evening. And 
 then it fell to me to respond, as the president of 
 the Federation. I do not think I ever rose to my 
 feet with a greater burden of responsibility ; for, 
 although we representatives of the cotton industry 
 of the world had no power or place in the negotia- 
 tions then going on between the two nations, our 
 presence on that particular night at a function in 
 I^erlin made it incumbent upon us to do what lay 
 in our power to interpret the spirit of the average 
 commercial man. 
 
 I recall vividly the words I used. I said : " I 
 am quite certain that not one of us round this 
 festive board, having met amid rumours of war, 
 has the slightest conception of what a war between 
 two great European Powers in these days would 
 mean. It is now forty years or so since we had 
 experience of war between two great European 
 nations. What has happened in those forty years.'' 
 There has been an enormous growth of population, 
 a tremendous development of industry and com- 
 merce, and the intricacies of international finance 
 
 87
 
 Recollections 
 
 are greater than ever in history. Germany has 
 become England's best customer, and England 
 Germany's. England and France have a vast 
 international trade too. The yearly trade between 
 Germany and England is about 120 million pounds 
 sterling, and between France and England 80 
 milHons. Colossal as are these figures, they are 
 trifling to what would be thrown away if a war 
 between two Continental Powers were to take 
 place. If war occurs between European Powers 
 victor and vanquished will come out of it ruined." 
 These words received quite an ovation from my 
 hearers. Looking back on that speech, after the 
 Great War of 1914-18, I cannot help feeling that 
 the words were little short of prophetic. 
 
 The next night a reception was given by 
 Dr. Delbriick, on behalf of the Chancellor, at 
 his official residence. Representatives of the 
 federated German States had come to Berlin in 
 connexion with the crisis, and many of them 
 were present at Dr. Delbriick's reception. The 
 place was simply a blaze of decorations. The 
 only ladies present were the Minister's wife and 
 daughter, and it fell to me to take Frau Delbriick 
 in to supper. I remember that we entered a room 
 in which there was a large number of small tables 
 instead of several large ones as is customary in 
 England on such occasions ; and at the table to 
 
 88
 
 Experiences in Germany and Austria 
 
 which I had to conduct Frau Delbriick were a 
 German prince and Herr Kiderlen-Wachter, the 
 latter looking a complete wreck through his recent 
 harassments and exertions. 
 
 I cannot remember the names of the other 
 important personages who sat at this table. When 
 we entered into conversation, after the formalities 
 were over, Frau Delbriick said to me : "I am 
 really very pleased indeed to meet you, for I have 
 been watching very closely your great scheme for 
 establishing harmony between Capital and Labour. 
 My husband has recently had to do with the Berlin 
 labour riots, and we have always looked to England 
 for examples of how to deal wisely with great 
 industrial matters." 
 
 Frau Delbriick then went on to make some 
 remarks which can only be understood by remem- 
 bering that 1911 was the year of the great strikes 
 in England. She said : " We formerly looked to 
 England for an example. But what is going on 
 among your people now seems to show that you 
 are following in our ways ; and I ventiu-e to predict 
 that we shall some day, before long, have revolu- 
 tion in Germany, which will be followed by 
 revolution in your country." I venture to believe 
 that her prophecy as to her own country received 
 a fulfilment she little dreamed of and that her 
 prophecy as to this country will not be fulfilled. 
 
 89
 
 Recollections 
 
 Her whole conversation showed remarkable in- 
 sight and knowledge. She told me of the visits 
 of the Kaiser to Ministers of State and to great 
 industrial leaders ; of his summoning them to 
 stay with him at Potsdam whenever he felt he 
 required their help and advice, this being done 
 without publicity. Here was one part of the 
 secret of the Kaiser's unmistakable popularity 
 and strength among his people before the war. 
 He was, so to speak, hand in glove with the men 
 who ran the great industries of the country. 
 Through his intercourse with practical men accus- 
 tomed to control great industrial affairs he 
 mastered the details of Germany's leading in- 
 dustries and made his individual contribution to 
 their success. A certain practical common sense 
 was evident in many of his actions. For instance, 
 he once said of the wife of the chairman of the 
 North German Lloyd Steamship Company whom 
 I knew : "I understand your wife has a most 
 wonderful kitchen. Very well, I am going to 
 bring the Kaiserin to stay with you for a few 
 days so that she may master the details of that 
 kitchen." The Kaiser in those days certainly did 
 seem to have his hand on the levers of Geniian 
 affairs. The industrial and commercial leaders 
 .were summoned to Potsdam, or he went to stay 
 with them. Precisely the same thing happened to 
 
 90
 
 Experiences in Germany and Austria 
 
 his Ministers ; they never knew when they were 
 to expect him. They never knew what he was 
 wanting, but they had always to be ready. 
 
 This knowledge of men and affairs on the part 
 of the Kaiser enabled him at once to put the right 
 men in the right place in mobilizing the industries 
 for war. 
 
 On few of our visits to foreign countries had 
 we more memorable experiences than in Austria 
 in May, 1907. The reception given to us by the 
 Viennese was magnificent. The people seemed 
 actuated by the utmost cordiality. One cannot 
 imagine how two such countries as England and 
 Austria could so soon afterwards come to blows, 
 and one is convinced that had Austria been a free 
 agent she never would have quarrelled with us. 
 
 Royalty as well as the populace did everything 
 possible to make the visit of the delegates a success. 
 The committee of the Federation were received 
 most graciously at the Hofburg Palace by the 
 Emperor Francis Joseph, there being present at 
 this function also representatives of the Govern- 
 ment and foreign ambassadors. 
 
 The following day we saw the Emperor again, 
 but this time walking bareheaded at a Corpus 
 Christi festival and in one of the most striking 
 street processions I ever saw. Dignitaries of the 
 
 91
 
 Recollections 
 
 Church and State in all their pomp and regalia, 
 monks in their simple dress, types of the Austrian 
 Army in their brilliant uniforms, and white-robed 
 choristers were features of a display carried out on 
 a colossal scale ; and the sight of the monarch 
 casting off his dignity and joining bare-headed 
 with the meanest of his subjects in a great religious 
 celebration was most impressive. 
 
 One circumstance in connexion with the royal 
 favour shown to us did not make its impression 
 imtil long afterwards. During the congress week 
 ,we visited the Royal Summer Palace, a beautiful 
 place outside Vienna, and here, I remember, we 
 met a personality who had little idea of the tragic 
 fate in store for him, and how his name would go 
 down to posterity in connexion with the greatest 
 war in history. I refer to the Archduke Francis, 
 the prince whose assassination at Serajevo on 
 June 28, 1914, was the immediate cause or excuse 
 for the beginning of the Great European War. 
 
 I ought not perhaps to omit the mention of 
 the programme of delightful entertainments our 
 Viennese friends had arranged for us. We retain 
 many pleasant memories of their kindness, and the 
 glorious day in the Semmering Mountains, with 
 which the visit was wound up, is unforgettable. 
 
 92
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 CONGRESSES IN ITALY AND BELGIUM 
 
 T HAVE previously referred to the strange 
 fact that our visits to European countries so 
 frequently coincided with occasions when national 
 feelings were aroused or moved by some great 
 international event. In 1909 the annual Inter- 
 national Cotton Congress was held in Italy. The 
 earthquake at Messina had a little time previously 
 stirred the sympathies of all the world, and at the 
 time of our arrival Italy was still in mourning for 
 the victims. King Victor Immanuel received us 
 at the Quirinal, and in his first words apologized 
 for the absence of the Queen, telling us that she 
 had been attacked at the scene of the earthquake 
 by a distressed woman who had lost her reason 
 owing to the shock, and that the Queen had not 
 yet recovered from the effects of this imtoward 
 experience. We knew well the brave and self- 
 sacrificing part the King and Queen of Italy had 
 played during the calamity, and expressed our 
 sympathy with and admiration of the Queen. 
 The King showed an engaging personality, and 
 perhaps no better compliment could be paid to 
 
 93
 
 Recollections 
 
 him than to say he was what the Enghsh call 
 " homely." I can imagine no more estimable gift 
 in a monarch than the power to lay aside on proper 
 occasions the pomp and circumstance of great 
 position and to speak as man to man with his 
 fellows. King Victor Immanuel did so with us, 
 sacrificing no jot or tittle of his kingly dignity. 
 Our own Royal House have this gift par excel- 
 lence, and none more than the young and gallant 
 Prince of Wales, whose gifts and general lovable- 
 ness have captured the hearts and the imagination 
 of the Empire. 
 
 The King related many of his experiences at 
 the scene of the earthquake. They were then fresh 
 in his mind, and he described them with touches 
 of thrilling detail which gave us a far better picture 
 of what had taken place than we had been able 
 to gather from the newspaper accounts of the 
 disaster. For a short while His Majesty entered 
 into personal talk with me, and it was a sur- 
 prise to see how real a knowledge of affairs he 
 possessed. In conversation with the committee as 
 a whole, he expressed his indebtedness to the 
 International Cotton Federation for their assist- 
 ance in promoting the International Institute of 
 Agriculture, an organization dear to his heart. 
 He alluded in a very complimentary waj' to the 
 work I had done in bringing the Institute to a 
 
 94
 
 Congresses in Italy and Belgium 
 
 solid existence by intervening at a critical time 
 and persuading the English Chancellor of the 
 Exchequer to include in his Budget figures a levy 
 for the sum to be paid by England in connexion 
 with the Institute. 
 
 I need not here tell again the whole story of the 
 movement to found the International Institute of 
 Agriculture, as it has already been dealt w^ith in 
 this volume. But I may say, in explanation of 
 what the King said in this interview, that the 
 movement to found the Institute was in a parlous 
 state owing to official shortsightedness and neglect 
 when I began my efforts to win for it a proper 
 recognition from our own Government. From 
 the first the King of Italy had, how^ever, shown 
 the greatest interest in it, and, as is known, him- 
 self at a later stage provided the beautiful home 
 for its headquarters in Rome. I had a fight with 
 bureaucracy in advocating the just claims of this 
 great movement, and felt, naturally, very much 
 gratified when the King of Italy paid personal 
 tribute to the work I had been able to do. 
 
 The King was well equipped in knowledge of 
 the cotton industry, a fact which naturally pleased 
 us; but one could see that his chief concern was 
 the interests of agriculture. It was of cotton 
 as a plant that he spoke most interestingly. He 
 reminded us that this plant was some centuries 
 
 95
 
 Recollections 
 
 ago extensively cultivated in the districts round 
 Rome. One of his most interesting remarks was 
 a comparison of the growth of the International 
 Cotton Federation and the International Institute 
 of Agriculture. The former, he said, in the 
 natural order of events, must increase the more 
 rapidly. Run by business men with a knowledge 
 of practical affairs, it had an advantage, in his 
 judgment, over an organization which was pro- 
 moted by Governments and carried on by delegates 
 of Governments. In this remark is a deep truth. 
 It is no reproach to Government servants. It is 
 simply a recognition of the faults and delays 
 inherent in all systems controlled by the State. 
 
 It was in the beautiful building provided by 
 the King at his own expense for the International 
 Institute of Agriculture that we met Count Faina, 
 then President of the Institute. In front of the 
 most magnificent view of Rome in the sunlight we 
 were entertained in the roof garden. The palatial 
 headquarters of the Institute are set in a wonderful 
 garden, which glowed then with all the beauty, 
 freshness and verdure of spring in the rich Italian 
 climate. The Count, later, gave a banquet to us. 
 There were many distinguished people present, 
 including ladies. I took the Countess Faina 
 in to dinner. This gave rise to one of those 
 difficulties which can only be solved if you see the 
 
 96
 
 Congresses in Italy and Belgium 
 
 comedy of the situation, for I knew nothing of 
 Italian, and my hostess nothing of Enghsh. We 
 were therefore condemned either to silence or 
 dumb show. Nevertheless, we were able to com- 
 municate at least our good will and friendly senti- 
 ments and to get through the occasion perha[)s 
 with less of boredom than if we had been possessed 
 of readier means of ccmmiunication. Intuition and 
 good humour may do much at such times. 
 
 During the evening Count Faina made a line 
 speech on the world's agriculture and on the 
 purpose and scope of the International Institute. 
 David Lubin — a great and wonderful man, of 
 whom I speak elsewhere — followed with a per- 
 sonal reference to myself, which was very high 
 recompense for the support I had given to him 
 when I took up his plan to found the Institute of 
 Agricultiu'e at a time when his efforts seemed 
 doomed to failure. Calling upon me to speak, he 
 said they all wanted to hear one who '' had had a 
 vital share in founding the International Institute 
 of Agriculture, and but for whom it might never 
 have come into existence." I made the remark 
 of the King of Italy, that we should all work 
 together though belonging to separate nations, the 
 text of my response. It gave me an opportunity 
 of saying what I most firmly believed — that har- 
 mony and conciliation are the best bond between 
 
 97
 
 Recollections 
 
 peoples. Some people have lost that belief since 
 the Great War. I hold to it as firmly to-day as 
 ever in my life. I think the war has only shown 
 the greater need of these principles. In our 
 International Cotton Federation, as in the Inter- 
 national Institute of Agriculture, men of numerous 
 nations worked together in harmony for the good 
 of all. Why should not the Nations do the same? 
 
 Italy did not fall behind any of the other 
 countries that had entertained us. The business 
 meetings of the congress were held in Milan, and 
 from there we took an excursion to the blue waters 
 of Lake Maggiore, this trip imdoubtedly being 
 the gem of the whole tour. From Milan we went 
 to Florence, and from Florence to Rome, and 
 thence to Naples, where we visited the sites of 
 the buried cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, 
 and also made the ascent of Vesuvius. 
 
 While in Rome we had a long run along the 
 Appian W^ay, from which one obtains a com- 
 prehensive idea of the magnitude of the Eternal 
 City, and took lunch at an hotel perched upon the 
 edge of an extinct volcano. From our seats at 
 the tables in the hotel we could see the whole 
 contour of the crater, the sides of which were lined 
 with vines and the bottom filled with deep black 
 water. 
 
 At the time we made this trip the Appian 
 
 98
 
 Congresses in Italy and Belgium 
 
 ^^'ay, we found afterwards, had an unsavoury 
 reputation, and we were congratulated on our 
 return on having escaped robbery or even worse. 
 It appeared that it was no inicoinnion thing lor 
 motorists to be held up on this famous highway, 
 the playful habit of the bandits being to scatter 
 broken glass along the road and to bring the cars 
 to a standstill by puncturing their tyres. We 
 never quite made out whether we had happened 
 to make the journey on the robbers' off-day, or 
 whether the security vouchsafed to us was one of 
 the many acts of politeness which the Italians 
 showed to us on that memorable tour. Shortly 
 after our return from Italy, King Victor Immanuel 
 conferred upon me the decoration of Commander 
 of the Crown of Italy. 
 
 The next meeting of the congress was at 
 Brussels in June, 1010. As I mentioned before, 
 I had written an article on the cotton industry 
 for the Revue Economique Internationale, which 
 is published in Brussels. When I was presented 
 to King Albert I felt much pleased to find that, 
 six years after its publication, he still remembered 
 it. He told me that his father, the Comte de 
 Flandre, had been deeply interested by it, and 
 that he himself had been enabled thereby to grasp 
 something of the magnitude of the cotton industry. 
 
 99
 
 Recollections 
 
 Belgium's cotton industry, he said, was relatively 
 very small, but he was delighted that his country 
 had been associated with our international move- 
 ment from the first, and that its seventh annual 
 congress was being held in that country. He con- 
 ferred on me the Order of Leopold in appreciation 
 of the work done by the International Cotton 
 Federation and myself, its founder. 
 
 With M. Jean de Hemptinne (now the Comte 
 de Hemptinne), as the kindly and genial leader of 
 the local reception committee, the meetings in 
 Brussels could not be other than successful. When 
 the congress was not in session there were abun- 
 dant attractions for the delegates, in addition to 
 the banquets and entertainments, for it was exhibi- 
 tion year in the Belgian capital. 
 
 One of the days was set apart for a visit to 
 the fine old town of Ghent. There we lunched 
 at the famous chateau, and saw a number of sights 
 for which the city is famous, not forgetting the 
 great Ghent canal. I had been asked to prepare 
 a comprehensive paper on the history of the cotton 
 industry of the world from the earliest times, and 
 this I read to a large audience during our stay 
 in the city. 
 
 lOO
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 IN PORTUGAL, Sl'AIN AND HOLLAND 
 
 /^ITR visit to Lisbon in 1911, which, as I have 
 ah'cady said, i'ell shortly after the Ke\ohition, 
 was undertaken against the advice of the British 
 Foreign Office. We were told that things were 
 all in a state of tension, and that fresh outbreaks 
 might occur among the populace. Two of our 
 earliest experiences there were sufficiently impres- 
 sive in the contrasts they offered to our minds. 
 In the cathedral church we were taken to see the 
 embalmed bodies of King Carlos and his son, 
 assassinated in Black Horse Square a short time 
 previously, which were preserved in accordance 
 with national custom and open to popular view. 
 Then, as if it had been specially desired to impress 
 us with the extraordinary way in which earthly 
 institutions maj'^ change as with a breath of wind, 
 we were conveyed to the Royal Palace at Cintra 
 — joyous and sparkling only a few weeks before 
 with the society of the young King — to be there 
 entertained by the Provisional Government. The 
 setting was exactly as King Manoel and his 
 
 H loi
 
 Recollections 
 
 mother, Queen Amelie, had left it when compelled 
 to flee into safety. 
 
 We have since seen the same drama repeated 
 on a bigger scale, but in circumstances which 
 prepared us to witness it with less shock to the 
 feelings than when it arose against a background 
 of European peacefulness in Portugal. I shall 
 never forget the profound feelings aroused in us. 
 Men's affairs are as unstable as water. There in 
 Cintra w^e saw the same permanent garment of 
 loveliness with which Nature clothes the glorious 
 place praised by Fielding two centuries earlier : a 
 rich scent of flowers and a vision of gorgeous 
 colours all around ; even the rocks wearing their 
 ornaments where the camellias were growing. 
 The palace, with its luxurious furnishings un- 
 disturbed ; but within the palace a new order, 
 the sceptre in fresh hands, the sobs of the 
 excluded few drowned by the loud cries of the 
 masses. 
 
 I had an amusing experience during the stay 
 in Lisbon. During the morning we had a business 
 meeting, after which we were going a considerable 
 distance into the country for the afternoon. I 
 returned to the hotel to change my clothes, and 
 while I was doing this the others of our party had 
 left in detachments, each party believing I was 
 with the others. I could not find anyone at the 
 
 I02
 
 In Portugal, Spain and Holland 
 
 moment who understood English, and therefore 
 could not explain what had happened or where I 
 wanted to go. At length I managed to get some- 
 one who seemed to grasp the fact that I wanted to 
 get to the station so as to catch a train to the place 
 in which our party was being entertained. I knew 
 that the station was not more than a mile away. 
 A motor-car was brought, and I set out in hopes 
 of overtaking my friends. Instead, the motor-car 
 went bowling on through the city, then through 
 straggling suburbs, and then out into desolate 
 countiy roads, sometimes running between bleak, 
 cave-like banks. I could not understand the 
 meaning of this dismal ride, and all my gesticula- 
 tions seemed to be quite incomprehensible to the 
 driver. We had been so much warned of the 
 dangers of travel in Portugal at that particular 
 time that I began to w^onder whether the driver 
 was plotting some mischief, for the whole character 
 of the route made capture by brigands look a \'ery 
 easy probability ; and when tyre trouble occurred 
 at the loneliest spot on the road, and several 
 shrouded figures came round the car, I felt that 
 the possibilities of the situation might not be as 
 remote from brigandage as I had been inclined 
 to think when first the idea entered my head. 
 Although looking perfect villains in that setting, 
 the new-comers proved to be quite constitutional.
 
 Recollections 
 
 helping us in our troubles and getting the tyres 
 into order again. 
 
 Soon we arrived at the place of entertain- 
 ment, where our delegation, having discovered 
 my absence and having exaggerated notions of 
 the dangers of the road — due, as in my own fears, 
 to the warnings that had been given us — had been 
 filled with anxiety. By dint of interrogation by 
 those who spoke the native language it was 
 found that my motor driver had seen that the 
 train that I wished to catch at Lisbon had gone, 
 and, knowing my ultimate destination, had driven 
 straight on thither, over the many miles of deserted 
 country roads. 
 
 On this Continental tour we also visited Spain. 
 A splendid reception awaited us at Madrid, where 
 the King, Queen, Queen Mother and the Spanish 
 Ministers of State welcomed us at a reception at 
 the Royal Palace. Here also events of a turbulent 
 character had taken place. We saw the carriage 
 of the King and Queen in w^hich they drove on 
 their marriage day, and which still had upon it 
 the marks of the bullets fired in the attack on 
 that day. Atoong those present at the recep- 
 tion was the Infanta, who died very shortly 
 afterwards. 
 
 King Alfonso talked with me for some time. 
 It was quite clear he had studied the cotton 
 
 104
 
 In Portugal, Spain and Holland 
 
 industry. During our conversation he reminded 
 me that Barcelona had, three hundred years 
 ago, held the position in the cotton industry 
 of the world that Manchester holds to-day, and 
 added that he scarcely thought this would ever be 
 so again. I replied that a study of the cotton 
 industry from the earliest times led me to the 
 conclusion that it was impossible to say what 
 might occur in the evolution of time. Though this 
 is true, I have my doubts as to Barcelona ever 
 proving a rival to Manchester ! 
 
 With the Queen of Spain I also had a very 
 interesting conversation. She began by saying 
 that she was " so delighted to have a talk with one 
 of her own countrymen." She then expressed the 
 pleasure she derived from planning her visits to 
 England, which, she said playfully, she always 
 tried to extend. She referred to the recent death 
 of her uncle — King Edward — and said it would 
 mean a tremendous change to England to be 
 without his sagacious counsel. Between her and 
 the Queen Mother of Spain, who was also present, 
 there was a remarkable contrast, for the latter, 
 true to her race and its customs, wore magnificent 
 jewellery. The Queen herself was most simply 
 dressed ; her rare beauty seemed to dispense 
 with all ornament quite easily. I gathered 
 she was then seeking to reduce the expenses of 
 
 105
 
 Recollections 
 
 the Court and get back to a more simplified 
 life. 
 
 We had an interesting experience in Barcelona 
 — the city of bombs. On arriving, I found myself 
 in a very awkward situation. It was a Sunday 
 morning when we reached the city, and we found 
 that a bullfight had been specially arranged for 
 that day in our honour. I felt I could not go. 
 It was against all my instincts to witness such 
 a spectacle, and after hard thinking I came to 
 the conclusion that the punctilios of the guest must 
 give way to higher considerations. It needed 
 courage to decline to go, but I felt it was the only 
 course I could take. I told our hosts that I 
 appreciated the honour very greatly, but could not 
 bring myself to witness a bullfight. They received 
 this decision with true Spanish courtesy. The rest 
 of our party went to the contest, and after- 
 wards confessed their horror at what they 
 had seen. 
 
 Another English commercial figure happened 
 to be in Barcelona at the time, a man of wealth, 
 well known, not for the part he played in leading 
 industry, but for his wealth and the social uses 
 he had made of it. I was told that it had been 
 intended that the toreador was to present me with 
 the bull's head. It was presented to the other 
 visitor instead. 
 
 io6
 
 In Portugal, Spain and Holland 
 
 We were all fascinated by Barcelona, a city 
 combining some of the diverse features of Paris 
 and Manchester, and having in addition adjacent 
 sea and mountain scenery. The people, we 
 observed, worked an hour or two in the morning 
 and rested during the heat of the day, and after- 
 wards again went back to their occupations. 
 
 The times were excited, as I have said, and 
 shortly before our arrival in the city anarchists 
 were marched up a hill and shot. The royal box 
 at the theatre was not the place where it was most 
 pleasant to be with the populace in the insurgent 
 mood of those days. Yet I was conducted to it, 
 and obliged by the occasion to wear all my decora- 
 tions. It struck me that it was a happy circum- 
 stance that I was not, even to the dimmest sight, 
 like the King, who has, however, since won such 
 great popularity with the people. 
 
 The King of Spain conferred on me at this 
 time the Gran Cruz del Merito Agricola, in re- 
 cognition of my work in developing the cotton 
 fields of the world. I may here say that though 
 I have decorations from the leading countries in 
 Europe, I have never, save on one occasion, worn 
 them all at once in this country. The odd occasion 
 was at a function in the Manchester Town ITall, 
 when the Lord Mayor pressed me very earnestly 
 to put them on at the civic reception of a 
 
 107
 
 Recollections 
 
 Manchester man who had become Lord Mayor of 
 London. 
 
 The last international cotton congress, held 
 before the outbreak of war, took place in Holland 
 in June, 1913, and was notable for a new depar- 
 ture. The Dutch members decided to establish a 
 precedent by taking the congress away from a 
 great centre and holding it at a seaside resort, and 
 consequently the principal functions in connexion 
 with the meetings of the Federation were held in 
 the Kurhaus at Scheveningen. The innovation 
 was in every respect successful, and the place 
 selected proved to be quite convenient for carry- 
 ing out our work. 
 
 As in other countries we had visited, the 
 members of the reigning house took the greatest 
 interest in the congress proceedings, and the com- 
 mittee of the Federation received an invitation to 
 appear before the Queen at the Royal Palace of 
 Loo. Before being entertained at a luncheon at 
 the palace, presided over by the Prince Consort, 
 we were received in audience by the Queen, 
 who conversed with each member, speaking in 
 English, German or French as the occasion 
 demanded. 
 
 In addition to showing her interest in the work 
 of the International Cotton Federation, Her 
 
 1 08
 
 In Portugal, Spain and Holland 
 
 Majesty had a talk with me in regard to the British 
 Lifeboat Service. Her special and particular 
 interest in a work I had \cry much at heart .was 
 no doubt due partly to her obviously wide sym- 
 pathies in all great movements, and partly to the 
 fact that her husband, the Prince Consort, had 
 some time before rendered notable assistance in 
 the saving of the passengers and crew of a 
 British \essel wrecked somewhere off the coast 
 of Holland. 
 
 The reception and luncheon over, the Prince 
 Consort accompanied us on a long drive through 
 the palace grounds, and in conversation showed 
 himself to be particularly well informed with 
 respect to the doings in the cotton industry. I 
 had another opportunity of noting the Prince's 
 interest in industrial matters at a banquet given 
 at The Hague later on, and also of finding that he 
 was a man of some business ability. 
 
 The last-named qualification was shown in a 
 conversation we had as to the new Palace of Peace, 
 then nearing completion. On discovering that I 
 was a friend of Mr. Carnegie, the donor of the 
 building, the Prince asked if I could not use my 
 influence with the millionaire towards getting an 
 endowment fund established for the upkeep of the 
 great hall. The prince agreed that the object 
 aimed at by Mr. Carnegie was in every respect 
 
 109
 
 Recollections 
 
 admirable, but to put down a building at the cost 
 of half a million pounds sterling and leave it with- 
 out an endowment was to involve the country 
 where it was situated in an enormous expense. 
 In this respect, of course, the prince showed 
 himself to be a practical man of affairs. 
 
 During the week we visited many places of 
 interest, including the town of Delft.
 
 INTERNATIONAL DELEGATIONS
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 AMERICA 
 
 TN 1907 and 1912 respectively I organized and 
 led international delegations to the United 
 States and Egj'pt. Although under the auspices 
 of the International Cotton Federation, these 
 delegations were much wider in their scope than 
 that body and did not represent any definite 
 organization. 
 
 In 1906 a Lancashire private cotton imestiga- 
 tion commission, which at my suggestion had 
 been promoted by leading Lancashire spinners, 
 visited the cotton-growing States of America 
 twice — first at the time of planting and then at 
 that of picking ; and this commission had paved 
 the way for the large delegation I led in the 
 year following. The commission, it should be 
 said, was a remarkable success, and the report 
 it issued on the cost of growing cotton in the 
 States, and the methods of ginning, baling, 
 handling, marketing and transporting the product 
 .was the most comprehensive and valuable that had 
 hitherto been issued, and contained advice which 
 has been the means of showing how a tremendous 
 
 113
 
 Recollections 
 
 waste of money in handling the cotton crop could 
 be saved. 
 
 The report, which among other things recom- 
 mended the purchase of land in America for 
 cotton-growing purposes, in order that its produc- 
 tiveness might be increased and better methods 
 adopted in cultivation, harvesting and transport, 
 had a very large circulation in all the principal 
 languages of the world, and led to a request being 
 made that I should organize an international 
 delegation of cotton spinners and others to visit 
 America and make further observations on the 
 spot. 
 
 We accordingly visited America, where we 
 made a tour extending over 4,600 miles, visiting 
 the Cotton States and interviewing authorities 
 everywhere. The principal object of the delega- 
 tion was to attend a three days' conference at 
 Atlanta, Georgia, to which were invited not only 
 representative cotton spinners and manufacturers, 
 but cotton growers in the Southern States and 
 members of the cotton exchanges of the world. 
 The conference at Atlanta, held in October, 
 1907, was attended by fully eight hundred 
 delegates. 
 
 Most of the European members of the delega- 
 tion to Atlanta sailed from Liverpool on the 
 Cunard ss. Campania, and the chairman of the 
 
 114
 
 America 
 
 company, who received us on board, informed us 
 that he had given special instructions to Captain 
 Dow, K.N.R., who became Commodore of the 
 Cunard fleet later, that every attention should be 
 given to our comfort. With so much kindly con- 
 sideration as we received the voyage could not fail 
 in being enjoyable. 
 
 As we approached New York the Campania 
 was invaded by an army of Press representatives 
 seeking interviews. Having been forewarned of 
 this I had prepared a summary of anything I cared 
 to say to them regarding the objects of the inter- 
 national delegation's visit, copies of which were 
 handed out by the secretaries who were with me, 
 and I was enabled to get on with other work 
 securely locked in my cabin. This plan saved me 
 an immense amount of inconvenience. It had its 
 amusing side too, for use was made of the informa- 
 tion throughout our tour, and if our arrangements 
 were upset by unforeseen circumstances, it still 
 enabled the enterprising Press reporter to make 
 up copy for his newspaper. I had to miss 
 speaking at several of these centres. The press- 
 men, however, declined to notice my absence 
 on these occasions, and it is on record 
 that I delivered speeches at places I had not 
 visited. 
 
 On landing I received an invitation to address
 
 Recollections 
 
 the members of the Arkwright Chib, at Boston, 
 of which a large number of the American cotton 
 spinners and manufacturers are members. I took 
 advantage of the opportunity to urge upon the 
 members the importance of the American Cotton 
 Manufacturers' Associations becoming officially 
 connected with the International Cotton Federa- 
 tion. Their co-operation has always been of the 
 most amicable character, but their incorporation 
 with the international body was essential if the best 
 results were to be obtained. 
 
 I returned to Rhode Island, where I was for 
 the time being the guest of Mr. James R. 
 MacCoU, the president of the conference, who 
 was and is still a leading figure in the American 
 cotton industry. From his home in Rhode Island 
 I had to catch a train next day to New York, 
 where in the evening I was to be principal 
 guest at a dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 
 given by the New York Cotton Association, 
 and which was presided over by the president of 
 the Association. I arrived at the station just in 
 time, as it seemed, for the train to New York. A 
 slight delay occurred in getting a ticket, a delay 
 which would not have greatly mattered, as another 
 train for New York was almost due. But though 
 I chafed under it, the delay proved very fortunate 
 for me, as the train by which I was to have travelled 
 
 if6
 
 America 
 
 was run into by the one I eventually took. The 
 collision was not very serious, though many people 
 suffered a nasty shock and some were bruised. The 
 incident brought home to me the amazing prompti- 
 tude of the American newspaper men, for, as if 
 they had sprung from the ground, there were 
 reporters all over the platform seeking interviews 
 with the passengers in the colliding trains, and 
 other newspaper men w'ith cameras taking snap- 
 shots of the passengers, the trains and the scene 
 on the station. The collision caused considerable 
 delay, and I got to the dinner only just in time, 
 and without having had any opportunity of 
 meditating in quiet upon what I was going to 
 say. The happenings of the journey had not 
 given me any opportunity or the mood to 
 assemble the subjects or the headings of my 
 speech. 
 
 When I was seated by the president and had 
 exchanged greetings with a number of people 
 whom I knew, I had another experience of the 
 American newspaper man. A reporter came for- 
 ward and said : " Mr. Macara, I shall be so glad 
 if you will let me have a copy of your manuscript." 
 I replied : " I have neither manuscript nor notes, 
 nor do I know what I am going to say." This 
 occasioned considerable surprise, since all the other 
 principal speakers had already handed to the Press 
 I 117
 
 Recollections 
 
 manuscripts of their forthcoming speeches, a habit 
 .which .was then much more prevalent in the 
 United States than in this country, though our 
 own pubHc speakers have copied it extensively 
 during later years. Of course I had no intention 
 of inflicting on my distinguished audience, among 
 whom were Senators, Congressmen and leaders of 
 industry, any ill-considered remarks, as might have 
 been inferred from my having no visible proof of 
 preparation. My whole commercial and public life 
 had been a sort of preparation for occasions of that 
 kind ; the subject of industry and commerce in its 
 widest applications was one with which I was from 
 day to day in closest touch, and I have always 
 found that, given the requisite knowledge of one's 
 subject, a speech is much the better when the 
 speaker takes something from the inspiration of 
 his surroundings at the time he is delivering his 
 remarks. So I was not disturbed by the prospect 
 of speaking unaided by notes. I might say here 
 that one interesting personahty present on that 
 evening was the famous Miss Giles, who enjoyed 
 an international reputation as a cotton crop 
 estimator. She sat in the gallery where my 
 daughters and other ladies were. 
 
 I had some leisure during the early part of the 
 post-dinner programme to watch the American 
 orator's ways. Before long, various great leaders 
 
 ii8
 
 America 
 
 .were being successively called upon to deliver their 
 speeches. One after another they rose, drew out 
 their manuscripts, delivered their remarks, and sat 
 down. It was remarkable with what numbers of 
 quotations and references to authorities they em- 
 bellished their speeches, and I learned during many 
 American experiences that not only the speakers 
 but the listeners delighted in these passages. I 
 was a little surprised to see some of these speakers, 
 after completing their task, leave their ow^n seats 
 and take others in front of me ; and one of them, 
 probably observing the question arising in my 
 mind, gave this flattering explanation : " Now that 
 we have done our part we are getting down to 
 hear you." It was typical of the American's 
 keenness, which is astonishingly intense when the 
 speaker is believed to be an authority on his 
 subject. 
 
 When my own turn came I was conscious that 
 I had a very difficult speech to make. In my 
 propaganda on behalf of the British and the inter- 
 national cotton industry I had denounced in no 
 measured terms this very New York Cotton 
 Association .which w^as entertaining us, for the 
 gambhng that it carried on in connexion with the 
 raw material of this industry. Here, then, was a 
 problem. How was one to say what one ought and 
 yet maintain a spirit that would be in keeping with 
 
 119
 
 Recollections 
 
 the great reception and unbounded hospitality 
 .which was being shown? I need not outhne the 
 speech with which I contrived to surmount the 
 difficulties. I was, indeed, indebted to inspirations 
 of the moment which I cannot now recall ; and I 
 have often found myself fortunate in such situa- 
 tions in being able to face successfully obstacles 
 upon no other resources than the impulses that 
 have arisen unbidden while I was speaking. Next 
 day, as much to my surprise as pleasure, I saw 
 that my speech had been reported at full length. 
 With some trepidation I read the report and 
 was relieved to find that I had managed to steer 
 safely between the reefs besetting my course, 
 saying what I ought to say and yet avoiding 
 offence. 
 
 On October 3 the European delegation, accom- 
 panied by many leading American cotton manu- 
 facturers and other prominent men on their way 
 to the conference at Atlanta, began its journey 
 southward. The train, composed of Pullman 
 palace cars, was about a quarter of a mile 
 long, and was to be our home for nearly 
 four weeks. By the time yve returned to New 
 York (October 21), we had travelled 4,600 
 miles. 
 
 Experiences of the unbounded hospitality of 
 the American people marked every step of our 
 
 120
 
 America 
 
 progress on this wonderful tour. Fifty miles 
 or so away from the centres at which we were 
 to be entertained prominent local representatives 
 boarded our train and discussed the arrangements 
 that had been made for our entertainment. When 
 we stopped at these centres carriages of all descrip- 
 tions were in waiting to enable us to make the 
 best possible use of our limited stay. Luncheons 
 and dinners .were an essential part of these 
 visits, and as I had to speak at every one of 
 them, and was reported fully in the Press, 
 I had constantly to seek for some variety of 
 subject. 
 
 On arriving at Atlanta, where we were to 
 remain three days for the Cotton Conference, we 
 experienced American hospitality in all its 
 fervency. But here we had serious business also 
 to attend to. I do not propose to deal with the 
 .wide range of subjects discussed at the conference ; 
 they were almost exclusively business topics and 
 have found their appropriate record in the report 
 .which was subsequently issued from Manchester, 
 England, by the committee of the International 
 Federation of Master Cotton Spinners' and Manu- 
 facturers' Associations. I may say, however, that 
 some of the reforms advocated in the discussions 
 were of so far-reaching a nature that even 
 to-day they still remain unadopted, although 
 
 121
 
 Recollections 
 
 they have been brought forward again at sub- 
 sequent conferences.^ 
 
 It may be interesting, however, if I touch 
 upon some of the more popular aspects of the 
 sittings of the Atlanta Conference. On the first 
 day the president of the conference, an American 
 citizen, occupied the chair, and the conference was 
 opened with prayer. After the president had 
 dehvered his address conflicting interests at once 
 began to show themselves, for here were gathered 
 the men who represented sectional interests 
 — the three main ones being the cotton spinners. 
 Cotton Exchange men, and the planters — 
 and among the delegates were smooth-tongued 
 Senators and Congressmen whose chief aim was 
 to make political capital by championing the 
 interests of the planter, and to argue that the 
 planter and the spinner could work together with- 
 out the help of the middleman. The president 
 was unfavourably circumstanced for dealing with 
 the warring elements, and the audience soon got 
 so out of hand as to make one think that the 
 subdued opening was but the prelude to a growing 
 discord that would lead to a breakdown of the 
 
 1 In 1919 a second World Cotton Conference was held in New 
 Orleans, and in 1921 a third was held in Manchester and Liverpool. 
 Pressing engagements prevented me from taking part in these con- 
 ferences, but in both cases I wrote comprehensive surveys recording 
 the work already accomplished. 
 
 122
 
 America 
 
 proceedings. However, the worst did not 
 happen. 
 
 It was my duty to preside on the next day, 
 and I profited by the first day's experiences. I 
 had devised a plan of procedure which I felt would 
 have a salutary effect. Part of my plan was to be 
 perfectly frank with the men who might promote 
 strife in the discussions, and I opened the pro- 
 ceedings by saying plainly that we visitors had 
 come across the seas to discuss important matters 
 relating to the cotton industry, not to listen to 
 political contentions. We had come determined 
 to deal with business propositions and to advocate 
 reforms. I outlined the three principal interests 
 represented in the meeting, and laid down the 
 ruling that representatives of each interest would 
 be allowed to speak in turn, but that no speech 
 was to exceed ten minutes. When a man has 
 something of value to say, ten minutes may not 
 always prove long enough for him, but the impo- 
 sition of a time limit has a favourable effect in 
 that it tends to reduce verbosity and the rhetorical 
 flow, which were, in our case, proving the cause of 
 disturbance. It required very great firmness to 
 carry out this ruling, but with my chairman's 
 hammer I brought an end to every speech which 
 was exceeding the limit, whatever the position or 
 standing of the speaker. Once this apparently 
 
 123
 
 Recollections 
 
 arbitrary method nearly brought trouble. There 
 was a very well-known orator among the speakers, 
 and when, at the expiry of his ten minutes, I 
 attempted to closure his remarks, such a howl 
 .went up from his admirers that I deemed it wise 
 to allow him to be the exception to the rule of 
 the day. 
 
 I recall one interesting retort made during this 
 day's speeches which is not without a touch of 
 wit. A well-known New York cotton broker 
 spoke of the Exchange man as being similar to 
 the man in the parable who had ten talents and 
 made the best use of them. A well-known South 
 Carohna cotton planter retorted later that the 
 broker might be right, but should have added that 
 the planter was the poor devil who put his one 
 talent into the soil. 
 
 During the day's sittings I had to rule out of 
 order Senators who sought to set the planters 
 against the Exchange men. In an interval of the 
 proceedings to enable the leading men of the con- 
 ference to discuss the proposed resolution, some of 
 the Cotton Exchange representatives came to me 
 to suggest that these attacks should not be per- 
 mitted. I thoroughly supported this view, and 
 told some of the political speakers that they must 
 recognize that we had not come from Europe to 
 hear them work up old feuds .with an eye to 
 
 124
 
 America 
 
 political support. This course, drastic though it 
 seems, was absolutely necessary. A critical point 
 in the proceedings arose when a resolution was 
 brought forward suggesting certain ways by which 
 the spinner and the planter might eliminate the 
 middleman, or Exchange member. I felt that the 
 test had come with the tabling of this resolution, 
 for if a conference so widely representative as 
 this one had passed the resolution it would have 
 brought confusion to the industry, and would have 
 done an undoubted injustice to the Exchange men, 
 who, I have always held, have a legitimate work 
 to perform. Of course, one makes a very clear 
 distinction between the genuine middleman and 
 the gambler; the latter is not only useless, but a 
 constant danger to the industry. I decided to 
 take a firm attitude. Admitting that the con- 
 ference was a great and representative one, that 
 it covered most of the cotton interests of the 
 world, I went on to point out that the representa- 
 tives of the majority of the organizations forming 
 the conference were not authorized to commit 
 them to any such drastic change as was implied 
 in the resolution. We had, I continued, heard 
 the powerful appeals of both sides to the con- 
 troversy, but all that we were entitled to do 
 was to refer these matters to our organizations. 
 I strengthened my attitude by pointing out that 
 
 12^
 
 Recollections 
 
 there were very many important matters for our 
 consideration which should concern us more than 
 the passing of this resolution. The conference 
 fully appreciated these points, and the most 
 threatening circumstance of my day's chairmanship 
 ended. 
 
 The American joy in lampooning came out on 
 the third day, when a well-known planter was to 
 preside. Some little time previously this gentle- 
 man and several fellow-countrymen had been to an 
 international congress in Vienna, and exaggerated 
 accounts of what they had achieved there had 
 reached the American public. They had been 
 received by the Emperor Francis Joseph, and other 
 honours had been done them. An American 
 newspaper man wrote a skif about their leader 
 which was urged on the notice of all who were 
 attending the Atlanta Conference, and it was 
 unmistakably funny, if the question of taste be as 
 little regarded as it sometimes is in America. 
 
 It depicted this gentleman as having, in his 
 own estimation, made European sovereigns and 
 heads of State " sit up and take notice." " When 
 near Vienna," it said, as nearly as I can remember, 
 *' the river ceased to flow and everything came to 
 a standstill in respect for the great man. He went 
 into the presence of the Emperor Francis Joseph, 
 and had not been speaking to the old monarch 
 
 126
 
 America 
 
 long when the Emperor said appealingly, ' Call me 
 Joe.' The Emperor and the great man embraced," 
 the skit continued, " and while they were doing 
 so the planter slipped money into the hitter's 
 right-hand pocket whilst the spinner slipped it 
 into his left." This was, of course, a reference to 
 the sources of the funds which made such European 
 tours possible. It was not an ill-natured squib at 
 all, if one kept the right point of view, and certainly 
 the gentleman lampooned showed no irritation. 
 
 On the second day of the conference we were 
 invited to a '* Barbecue," a sort of native Indian 
 feast in a grove. The animals for the feast were 
 roasted whole over pits in which were charcoal 
 embers ; and we partook of the food, when cooked, 
 as we sat, on very rough benches, set under the 
 trees. A special sauce called " Brunswick stew," 
 which was prepared in a huge cauldron, was served 
 with the roast meat. What .with the surroundings 
 of the forest and the primitive cooking and serving 
 of the feast, one felt rather as if one were playing 
 at being an American Indian. 
 
 After this feast there followed, some hours 
 later, a progressive dinner, an ingenious invention 
 to enable a larger number of the residents than 
 would otherwise be possible, owing to our short 
 stay, to entertain the delegation. We went in 
 succession during the evening to a number of 
 
 127
 
 Recollections 
 
 beautiful houses radiant with the spirit of 
 hospitaUty. At each house we received one course 
 of the progressive dinner until, at midnight, we 
 arrived at the house of the Governor of Georgia 
 for the last course. 
 
 It was an interesting and delightful experience, 
 but, following upon my arduous work and the 
 '* Barbecue," I found it not a little fatiguing, and 
 it was imperative that I should take some rest, 
 A quiet trip into the back settlements, away from 
 the official route, was therefore arranged, and 
 what is called an officer's railway car was placed 
 at my disposal for the journey. This officer's car 
 was a very comfortable, compact and elaborate 
 affair, and included drawing- and dining-rooms, 
 sleeping apartments, and full kitchen equipment. 
 Thus accommodated, our little party, which in- 
 cluded my davighters and a few friends, left the 
 big train and w^ent off on an expedition to explore 
 some of the out-of-the-.way places off the beaten 
 track. 
 
 It was a memorable and enjoyable picnic in a 
 land of extensive cotton plantations. Everywhere 
 we went we were received with that old-.world 
 courtesy for which the Southern planter has always 
 been famous. At one place, I remember, the 
 owner insisted that we should spend the night at 
 his house — one of those large wooden mansions so 
 
 128
 
 America 
 
 much in evidence in the Southern States. Here 
 we had a ghmpse of the real Hfe of the cotton 
 planter, living in solitary state, surrounded by his 
 negro workers. Our host was a fine-looking man, 
 a true type of the planter, and one who might 
 easily have stepped from the pages of one of Mrs. 
 Beecher Stowe's books. We were treated with 
 profuse hospitality, and waited upon by negroes. 
 
 In the morning we inspected the plantation, 
 riding on mules or in buggies, being accompanied 
 by the two handsome sons of our host, who, 
 mounted and in planter's rig with pistols in their 
 holsters, supplied the traditional picture of the 
 Southern cotton planter as he goes about amongst 
 his darkies. A suggestion was made that the 
 delegation should acquire this estate, but we found 
 it had not been a very successful one owing to 
 the manner in which it had been managed. We 
 were given a glimpse of a much more prosperous 
 one at another place farther on, where we were 
 entertained, the methods here being mUch more 
 scientific and up to date. 
 
 This question of purchasing an estate came up 
 again when we reached Heathman. There we 
 inspected, with approval, a large estate of 7,500 
 acres, and when we returned to England we got 
 so far as to take the preliminary steps to form a 
 company with the object of possessing ourselves 
 
 129
 
 Recollections 
 
 of the plantation and so acquiring all the practical 
 knowledge of which .we were in need. On examin- 
 ing the laws of the Southern States, however, we 
 found that there was no certainty about the 
 security of tenure in land where aliens were con- 
 cerned, and this mainly led to the abandonment of 
 the proposal to buy the plantation offered to us. 
 
 We continued our tour from Heathman to 
 New Orleans, perhaps the best known cotton 
 market in the world, and then went forward to 
 Galveston and Houston. At New Orleans we had 
 an opportunity of discussing various problems 
 affecting the industry with practical men on 
 the spot, and at Galveston and Houston we 
 were made acquainted with all the details in 
 connexion with loading and shipment of the 
 cotton. From Galveston we struck north on a 
 much better permanent way than the one we had 
 left, our first places of call being Texarkana and 
 Little Rock, where we had again most gratifying 
 receptions. At Memphis, where we spent a full 
 day, we again discussed cotton problems with our 
 hospitable hosts, and w^ere shown the huge concrete 
 warehouses for housing and dealing with the 
 cotton crop, which were the outcome of the efforts 
 and recommendations of the members of the 
 Lancashire Private Cotton Investigation Com- 
 mission on their visits to America in the previous 
 
 130
 
 America 
 
 year. Another very important outcome of the 
 visits of the Lancashire Commission was the estal)- 
 lishment of experimental farms designed to show 
 the American grower how greatly the yield of 
 cotton could be increased by careful seed selection 
 and improved methods of cultivation. 
 
 From Memphis to St. Louis, where we .were 
 again royally entertained, we came into personal 
 contact with men who handled the cotton crop. 
 Then on to Chicago, where cotton was put aside 
 for the moment and we turned our attention to 
 the big meat-packing industry. Previous to our 
 visit to Chicago there had been a good deal of 
 criticism levelled at the meat packers, and the 
 heads of some of the big firms were keen on 
 demonstrating to us how humanely the animals 
 w^re dealt with and how all their arrangements 
 were carried out in a way calculated to secure the 
 very best and most wholesome results. But even 
 under the best conditions we found that meat pack- 
 ing was not a spectacle to linger over, although 
 we were obliged to admit that whatever grounds 
 there might have been for strictures on packing 
 methods in the past, there was nothing to be taken 
 exception to at the time we visited the city. 
 
 Those who had not been to Chicago before were 
 struck, as are all first comers, with the spacious- 
 ness of the city, the size of the buildings, the extent
 
 Recollections 
 
 and magnificence of the parks, and, above all, by 
 the grand situation it occupies at the head of Lake 
 Michigan. It is difficult to imagine that this great 
 expanse of water is simply an inland lake. Chicago 
 from its appearance might be built with a frontage 
 to the Atlantic Ocean. 
 
 From Chicago we proceeded to Toronto, and 
 one could not but feel a sense of relief in getting 
 to this fine Canadian city. It had a homely, 
 English appearance, and offered a refreshing 
 change from the bustling towns we had visited 
 on our tour through the United States. The 
 hospitality we received, too, was quite as warm 
 and profuse as we had experienced anywhere. We, 
 of course, visited the famous falls of Niagara, and 
 were immensely impressed by what we saw. What 
 struck us more than anything, perhaps, were the 
 great marble palaces they have built on the banks 
 of the Niagara river. While looking Mke beautiful 
 country mansions, they are in reality electric 
 power stations, which have been designed in order 
 that they may take away nothing from the natural 
 beauty of the surroundings. At the time we 
 visited these great power stations a comparatively 
 small portion of the water forces of the falls had 
 been harnessed, but even so they were then not 
 only providing for all electrical wants of the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood, but transmitting power to 
 
 i3i
 
 Am 
 
 erica 
 
 drive trams and supply municipal undertakings in 
 cities like Buffalo, twenty or thirty miles away. 
 
 Our run from Toronto down the Hudson River 
 ought also to be mentioned, for it struck me as 
 one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. 
 The scenery along the banks forms a magnificent 
 setting for the many fine residences that have been 
 erected there, Nature and Art having joined in 
 producing the most entrancing results. 
 
 We left New York on our tour on October 8, 
 and arrived back in the city on the 21st of that 
 month, after a memorable and enjoyable if exhaust- 
 ing experience, and at once went aboard the Cunard 
 liner Caronia, homeward bound. Again we found 
 that the company had foreseen everything thaf 
 would minister to the comfort of the members oi 
 our party, the officers of the vessel, as on our 
 voyage out on the Campania, having received 
 instructions to give special attention to our wants. 
 The fact that there was a comparatively small 
 passenger list also assured our obtaining the finest 
 acconnnodation possible. But, when everything 
 had been done, we were destined to have a voyage 
 which those on board will never forget. On the way 
 we encountered a cyclone in mid- Atlantic, and had 
 a buffeting such as is seldom experienced on these 
 voyages. A great and wonderful sea caught us 
 in its grip and tossed our big vessel about as 
 J 133
 
 Recollections 
 
 though she had been a coracle on a flushed river. 
 Mountainous waves reared up from the side one 
 moment, and the next we were looking down on 
 the horizon as though suddenly the world itself 
 had been tilted on end. Every traveller who has 
 been at sea in really bad weather will have some 
 idea of the awful grandeur of the scene as every 
 moment the waves appeared to threaten to engulf 
 our craft. 
 
 There were many of our delegation to whom 
 the experience was most terrifying, their nerves 
 being at high tension, especially when it began to 
 be whispered that the cargo had shifted and the 
 vessel had a list. A concert had been fixed for 
 that evening in aid of a sea charity, and it was 
 deemed wise, despite the conditions which pre- 
 vailed, to hold it. I presided. The circumstances 
 .were not ideal for oratory, but, holding on as 
 best I could to the table, I took the opportunity 
 to quiet the fears of the nervous by reminding 
 them that the Cunard Company had never in all 
 its experience had a great misfortune at sea. My 
 tribute to the management of this well-known line 
 was sincere, for both on that and on other occasions 
 I had been impressed with its thoroughness and 
 efficiency. 
 
 I confessed to a certain amount of wonder 
 about our ocean experiences when I saw the 
 
 134
 
 America 
 
 Caronia back in dock in Liverpool. Her towering 
 sides, rising up like some massive barracks from 
 the landing-stage, seemed to make quite unreal 
 the tossing about we had had during the cyclone 
 in mid- Atlantic ; and, looking higher still to the 
 crow's nest, it seemed beyond belief that the man 
 up there had been drenched with spray. 
 
 Several members of our party whose homes 
 were on the Continent sailed from New York on 
 a North German Lloyd vessel shortly after we left, 
 and for a time we saw in the distance, at night, 
 the lights of their steamer. It was in the early 
 days of wireless telegraphy, and both vessels were 
 fitted up with the new apparatus. The science 
 was much more fascinating at that time owing to 
 its novelty, and one of our means of amusement 
 was to keep in touch by wireless with our friends. 
 For part of the voyage this was possible, but when 
 the cyclone overtook us this pleasant means of 
 communication was stopped by order of the 
 captain. How they w^re faring, therefore, was 
 constantly on our minds, and for some time after 
 we arrived in England there was no news of them, 
 causing us much anxiety on their behalf. After a 
 time we heard that the German vessel had lost 
 her rudder in the storm, and her captain had 
 steered with the propellers. On reaching port he 
 w'as rewarded by a telegram praising his scaman- 
 
 135
 
 Recollections 
 
 ship from the Kaiser, who later acknowledged 
 it by conferring on him a decoration. 
 
 It was a matter of regret to all who formed 
 this delegation that, although we had been received 
 by Governors of States and other prominent 
 persons, it had not been possible for either Mr. 
 Roosevelt, the President of the American 
 Repubhc, or the Right Hon. James Bryce, the 
 British Ambassador at Washington, to receive 
 us. This w^as due to no neglect or want of 
 sympathy on their part, but owing to a clash of 
 engagements. Letters were received by me, as 
 president, from both these gentlemen, which we 
 all greatly appreciated. Mr. Roosevelt, writing 
 from the White House on October 18, 1907, said : 
 
 *' My dear Sir, — I feel a very deep personal 
 interest in the important matter which has brought 
 to our shores so large and distinguished a body of 
 cotton manufacturers from the principal nations 
 of Europe. So far as I understand the plans and 
 purposes of the International Federation of Cotton 
 Spinners, of which you are the president, you aim 
 to promote stable conditions in your industry 
 throughout the world ; and your visit to the United 
 States more especially aims to bring the w^orld's 
 cotton manufacturers into closer touch and 
 sympathy with our own cotton producers, upon 
 
 136
 
 America 
 
 whom you depend for three-quarters of your raw 
 material. 
 
 " It seems to me an elementary truth that if 
 our cotton planters can learn more definitely and 
 at first hand, as your trip proposes, the exact need 
 of the manufacturer in the matter of the prepara- 
 tion and shipment of raw cotton, and can aim to 
 conform thereto, the result will be quite as much 
 to their benefit as to yours. You will find great 
 changes in progress here, and an almost universal 
 interest throughout the cotton belt in the matters 
 that interest you, and I hope and believe that you 
 will return to your homes, not only pleased with 
 our country, but encouraged to believe that your 
 visit will bear immediate fruit. 
 
 "It is a source of regret to me that engage- 
 ments made long since rendered it impossible to 
 receive your delegation during your sojourn in 
 Washington, and to say to you by word of mouth 
 what I now take great pleasure in writing. 
 " Sincerely yours, 
 
 " Theodore Roosevelt. 
 
 "Mr. C. W. Macara." 
 
 In my letter in reply to the President, I told 
 him that we believed our visit would stimulate the 
 cotton planters to take fuller advantage of their 
 splendid opportunities, that the hospitality and 
 
 i37
 
 Recollections 
 
 kindness of the American people had been over- 
 whehning, and that our chief regret in leaving the 
 United States was that we had not had the honour 
 and pleasure of meeting one whose services to 
 humanity had evoked so much admiration through- 
 out the world. 
 
 Mr. Roosevelt later on presented me with a 
 splendid signed portrait of himself, which is now 
 hanging in my home, and is one of my most 
 cherished possessions. 
 
 In a letter which reached me soon after I 
 landed in America, the Right Hon. James Bryce 
 (now Viscount Bryce), the British Ambassador, 
 said : '* The international importance of the Cotton 
 Federation, and the fact that the centre of 
 organization is Manchester, gives it a claim on 
 the representatives of my sovereign. King Edward, 
 who has personally on more than one occasion 
 expressed his interest in the objects of the Federa- 
 tion. I have instructed His Majesty's Consuls in 
 the cities to be visited on your journey to extend 
 every assistance to the delegates." 
 
 J3«
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 EGYPT 
 
 TN the previous chapter reference was made to 
 the International Delegation which visited 
 America in 1907, but as England in particular was 
 yearly coming to use more and more of that fine, 
 long-stapled cotton of which the choicest fabrics 
 are made, I was in 1912 requested to organize a 
 similar delegation to Egypt, the country where it 
 is principally grown. Before undertaking this I 
 went to see Lord Kitchener, who happened to be 
 in London on a visit, in order to consult him 
 about this suggestion. I well remember his recep- 
 tion. There are few men whose photographs so 
 inadequately picture them as they really are. To 
 this day there are people who imagine him to have 
 been of pallid complexion with a somewhat hungry 
 look. But the big, bronzed, healthy man who 
 greeted me cheerfully was leagues from this 
 imaginary picture. Two things about his physique 
 caught one's attention at once : his stature and his 
 vigour. His ,was the frame of a Viking, with an 
 electrical energy to control and move it. In the 
 face the features which most impressed one were 
 
 139
 
 Recollections 
 
 the piercing blue eyes with their straight and fear- 
 less look. 
 
 After we had exchanged greetings I said : ** I 
 have come to consult you before going any farther 
 with a proposition for taking an international 
 cotton delegation to Egypt. I want your approval 
 of, or your objections, if any, to the expedition I 
 have been asked to organize. The object is to give 
 careful study to the growing and handling of the 
 Egyptian cotton crop, with a view to making 
 recommendations for improvement, if any are 
 necessary." I then laid the scheme fully before 
 him and asked : " Do you approve of the idea? " 
 " Certainly I approve," he replied. " I am in 
 Egypt to do the best I can for Egypt. I like your 
 plan for making your delegation international. 
 Egypt can do a service to the cotton-using nations 
 of the world, and any benefit I can give them I 
 want them to have." What particularly impressed 
 me in this interview was Lord Kitchener's readi- 
 ness, nay eagerness, to accept the help of prac- 
 tical men of affairs. He showed at once that 
 he would welcome any assistance we could give 
 him. I came away feeling that the success of 
 our mission was already assured. 
 
 The delegation was consequently organized 
 and went to Egypt. As in the case of the 
 American one, it was fully representative of the 
 
 140
 
 Egypt 
 
 various cotton-using countries and of all sections, 
 from the grower to the distributor. Accompany- 
 ing us were some of the wives and daughters of 
 the delegates, all of whom were naturally curious 
 as to how they would be received, seeing that 
 Lord Kitchener had the reputation of not being 
 very partial to feminine society. When Lord 
 Kitchener's private secretary came down to meet 
 us at Alexandria, I questioned him about the pros- 
 pect of his Lordship receiving the ladies. He did 
 not hold out much encouragement, and his view 
 proved to be correct. 
 
 We had a great reception on arriving at 
 Alexandria. There, as leader of the delegation 
 and president of the International Cotton Federa- 
 tion, I delivered an address in which I not only 
 emphasized the interdependence of one country 
 upon another in our great industry, but gave some 
 figures which at the same time showed the vastness 
 of the cotton trade and its possibilities of develop- 
 ment. I pointed out that it was estimated the 
 cotton industry supplied nine-tenths of the 
 clothing of the world's inhabitants, and that out 
 of a population of 1,500,000,000 only 500,000,000 
 were completely clothed and 750,000,000 partially 
 clothed, while 250,000,000 were not clothed at all. 
 I repeat these figures here because their lesson to 
 us to-day is an important one ; it points to the 
 
 141
 
 Recollections 
 
 great field open to the enterprise of all nations 
 where there is a cotton industry. When I hear 
 people speaking of international rivalry in com- 
 merce I cannot help feeling how deluded they are. 
 There need be no rivalries beyond those of vying 
 with each other to give the best value. If the men 
 in industry would make "co-operation** their 
 watchword nationally and internationally, they 
 would not only have better business results, but 
 they would help towards maintaining peace in the 
 world. As in the case of cotton so in regard to 
 all other products; the world can use all that the 
 industrial nations can make. 
 
 Another thing that I said in the Alexandria 
 speech has, I think, special value here. At our 
 international gatherings as representative of the 
 cotton industry of the world I said : " It is im- 
 possible to detect racial jealousies or that the 
 delegates belong to so many different nations. 
 With such an example I am at a loss to understand 
 the constantly recurring jealousies and misunder- 
 standings between nations, which I cannot help 
 feeling are magnified by writers in the Press who 
 do not realize the gravity of the issues with which 
 they are dealing. Mischief is so often brought 
 about by want of thought in dealing with in- 
 dustrial strife which, in a minor degree, has the 
 same disastrous results as would be produced 
 
 142
 
 Egypt 
 
 by war, that it is earnestly to be desired for the 
 welfare of humanity that greater care will be 
 exercised in the future." A great war has since 
 taught us how horrible a catastrophe war is, and 
 perhaps now we will learn the need for " taking 
 thought lest we lack thought." 
 
 It is fervently to be hoped that success will 
 attend the efforts which are being made by Presi- 
 dent Harding to bring about a universal reduction 
 of armaments. It is the only hope for humanity. 
 Science and invention, rightly directed, may be 
 of immense value to the human race, but they 
 may, on the other hand, prove the means of bring- 
 ing about its extermination. 
 
 On proceeding to Cairo we were received by 
 the Khedive and Lrord Kitchener. Among the 
 many social functions the Egyptian Government 
 gave a very elaborate reception in the Zoological 
 Gardens, where Lord Kitchener was present. He 
 was still walking lame from the effects of his 
 accident in India. As he could not get his car into 
 the Gardens he had to walk about half a mile, and 
 one could see it had been rather trying to him. 
 
 After a good deal of talk with various guests 
 Lord Kitchener asked me : " Do you think we 
 could find a quiet spot for a cup of tea? I want a 
 little talk on some of the matters you have men- 
 tioned." We had a very interesting conversation. 
 
 M3
 
 Recollections 
 
 When I went to see him at the Residency 
 he opened up a conversation which I shall never 
 forget, as it revealed Lord Kitchener in a light 
 which the world seldom saw. This conversation 
 showed me how deep and real his sympathies were, 
 and how greatly he had taken to heart the position 
 and hardships of the fellaheen. His experiences 
 of the country had not been those of the 
 Governor sitting in half-regal pomp in his beautiful 
 Residency, but were from first-hand contact ,with 
 the people, both high and low, among whom he 
 had come to dwell and whose interests he felt it 
 incumbent on one in his office to promote. 
 
 The position of the poor fellaheen engaged 
 in cotton growing then was not an enviable one. 
 People of more subtle intelligence than theirs — 
 Jews, Greeks, Syrians — came with long heads and 
 ready money, and drove bargains which seemed 
 tempting until the poor victims found themselves 
 working almost day and night with very little to 
 repay them for their toil. 
 
 I knew all this, and ,was very anxious to see a 
 state of things so little conducive to public content, 
 remedied. I was therefore delighted when Lord 
 Kitchener said to me : "I should like your help in 
 certain schemes I have for bettering the lives of 
 the fellaheen. I have seen much that is undesir- 
 able in their lot. You have come through the Nile 
 
 144
 
 Egypt 
 
 Delta and will have seen the central markets which 
 I have set up at points convenient for the small 
 growers, so that they may be able to get a fair 
 price when they come with their few bales to offer. 
 I want them to have all the advantages of the prices 
 riding in Alexandria ; I want to prevent their 
 poverty being a handicap. They have been getting 
 the same price for good and inferior qualities of 
 cotton ; how is this to be dealt with effectually ? 
 The cotton, as you know, is graded at Alexandria 
 and sold at prices at^cording to the qualities. I 
 want to have it graded at the centres I have set up 
 and direct dealings between them and Liverpool." 
 I had to express, although it conflicted with what 
 Lord Kitchener had been doing, my own views of 
 the difficult situation. I told him that I thought 
 he was beginning at the wrong end in starting with 
 the small growers first ; this matter of handling and 
 marketing being one that required to be begun on 
 a large scale. I had in mind a scheme which would 
 effect great improvements in this direction. 
 
 The developments in and near Aboukir had a 
 connexion with this scheme. At the time of the 
 Battle of the Nile the boats of Nelson's ships sailed 
 over what has now been converted into an estate 
 of 30,000 acres, growing crops of all kinds, among 
 them cotton, covering what had been a salt marsh, 
 the salt having been subsequently, by a process of 
 
 M5
 
 Recollections 
 
 washing, taken out of the soil. In this and many 
 other ways for the development of Egypt, Lord 
 Kitchener's hand .was apparent in all directions. 
 In addition to the Aboukir estate there was 
 another called the " Domain," and a very exten- 
 sive estate, owned by Pasha Murad — a friend of 
 Lord Kitchener's who was always willing to carry 
 out experiments or to find money for doing so. 
 
 I recommended Lord Kitchener to get the 
 cotton grown at these estates — over which he had 
 a certain control — graded, ginned and packed by 
 the growers themselves, and sent direct to Liver- 
 pool, and I saw no reason why the scheme should 
 not be successful and afterwards extended to the 
 small growers whom he wished to assist. I knew 
 Lord Kitchener was greatly impressed by these 
 proposals, and, as a matter of fact, I was in corre- 
 spondence with him on the subject right up to the 
 outbreak of war. 
 
 Lord Kitchener was a remarkable example of 
 an administrative and constructive soldier. When 
 I met him he was engaged in what, perhaps, was 
 his most fruitful contribution to our imperial 
 greatness — I mean his work in Egypt. Every 
 middle-aged man remembers to-day what a 
 national hero he was during the Soudan campaign. 
 Something in the man was magnetic. The photo- 
 graphs of the strong, immobile features with the 
 
 146
 
 Egypt 
 
 steady, all-embracing eyes — how effective these 
 pictures were in the great recruiting campaign of 
 1914-15 ! — seemed to grip people, convincing them 
 that behind that fascinating mask was a much more 
 fascinating personality. A Kitchener legend grew 
 up round these pictures, a legend which survived 
 the attacks upon him during the war and received 
 fresh life from his death in the cold northern 
 w^aters when setting out on a great mission for 
 his country. 
 
 But in this chapter I only mention these aspects 
 of Lord Kitchener's character and career in order 
 to emphasize my own belief that it was not in them 
 that his greatest qualities were exhibited. From 
 what I learned of his w^ork in Egypt I am con- 
 vinced that his services as a statesman and adminis- 
 trator may long outlive those he rendered as a 
 soldier. The qualities in which he shone were 
 precisely those that would have rendered him great 
 if he had chosen another career than the Army. 
 " He was not only a great soldier, but a splendid 
 business man,** I wrote of him a short time after 
 his death, " as well as a man imbued with an in- 
 tense desire to promote the welfare of humanity 
 and alleviate the lot of the oppressed." That 
 tribute stands to-day. As yet the Great War is 
 too near to us for our judgments to get a view in 
 proper perspective of the characters which showed 
 
 147
 
 Recollections 
 
 with greatest value during the years of stress. Our 
 children will see things in better and truer rela- 
 tions. I am convinced that when the time comes 
 for our historians to deal in a measured and 
 balanced manner with the outstanding personalities 
 of the British nation during the war, many persons 
 who have had an immediate notoriety will be for- 
 gotten ; but that some of our leaders, and Lord 
 Kitchener among the foremost of them, will loom 
 all the greater for the lapse of time and the dis- 
 appearance of those accidental prejudices which 
 disfigured our view while the war was near to us. 
 The qualities which will win lasting fame for him 
 will be those of sound judgment, magnetic per- 
 sonality and organizing genius. He had these gifts 
 in an abundance which would have made him great 
 in any walk of life. 
 
 When in Egypt I received an invitation from 
 General Sir Reginald Wingate, the Sirdar and 
 Governor-General of the Soudan, to visit the 
 cotton-growing districts of the Soudan, but as I 
 was unable to go at that time, the international 
 committee decided that the secretary of the Federa- 
 tion should proceed there. 
 
 Sir Reginald Wingate was also one among 
 other soldiers whom I met in Egypt who im- 
 pressed me as possessing excellent business quali- 
 ties, a man who might well be entrusted with the 
 
 148
 
 Egypt 
 
 promotion of similar schemes for developing the 
 undeveloped resources of the world. 
 
 A joint report of the visits of the delegation 
 to Egypt and of the secretary to the Soudan was 
 issued and proved of great value in connexion 
 with the loan of £3,000,000 (since raised to 
 £G,000,000) which the Soudan Government was 
 authorized to raise with the support of the British 
 Government. 
 
 We had, during our tour in Egypt, a most 
 enthusiastic welcome everywhere, and were given 
 a unique opportunity of sight-seeing. We took in, 
 of course, all the usual points of interest, including 
 the famous Pyramids and Sphinx at Gizeh and the 
 ruins of Memphis, once the capital of Egypt ; but 
 in addition we had, through the courtesy of the 
 Egyptian Government, freedom of access to all the 
 great works which had been designed for the trans- 
 formation of the country from a sandy desert to a 
 smiling land of plenty. We were, for instance, 
 specially conducted over the w^orks of the Nile 
 Barrage, that engineering wonder by which the 
 waters of the great ri\er have been controlled and 
 made subservient to the agriculturist. 
 
 As the tour progressed nothing impressed me 
 
 more than the tireless way in which the scientific 
 
 agriculturists of the country are doing their work. 
 
 Their presence was noticeable everywhere, and 
 
 K 149
 
 Recollections 
 
 always with good results. The Khedivial Agricul- 
 tural Society has done and is doing incalculable 
 service. I visited one of its farms in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Cairo and .was delighted with the 
 whole arrangement of the place and with the 
 splendid collection of live-stock that was bred 
 there. We also visited the Botanical Laboratory 
 at Giza, another suburb of Cairo. There we were 
 shown the notable efforts the staff are making to 
 develop and improve the seed supply for Egyptian 
 cotton. 
 
 On every hand we met w4th illustrations of how 
 up-to-date discoveries rubbed shoulders with the 
 primitive arts of Ancient Egypt. A remarkable 
 instance of the survival of old customs was seen 
 during a visit we paid to the weaving factory of 
 H. E. Mohammed Bey Abdel Neby, at Mehalla 
 Kebir. Here we saw handlooms, which have re- 
 mained substantially unaltered from the earliest 
 times, weaving the most beautiful fabrics in silk 
 and cotton. In the place of the jacquard arrange- 
 ment of cards, boys were employed at the top of 
 the looms to manipulate the mechanism which 
 controlled the design, and it was astonishing how 
 skilfully they worked and what speed was attained 
 by looms working under this antiquated system. 
 
 150
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 INDIA 
 
 TT has been my fortune to take part in many 
 campaigns either for the raising of funds for 
 special purposes or the vindication of some great 
 economic principle, and I am happy to be able 
 to record that in none of the big undertakings 
 with which I have been associated has success 
 been wanting. I say this in no spirit of boastful- 
 ness, but simply to call attention to what con- 
 stitutes success in so many of the affairs of life. 
 Given a good cause, I never yet found the British 
 public fail to rise to the occasion, providing of 
 course that there was nothing wanting in the 
 matters of organization and wise direction. 
 Failures are made more often than not owing to 
 lack of courage and lack of faith, and my own 
 experience has been that those who talk the most 
 of trusting the people are the most backward to 
 put that maxim into practice. Timidity had pre- 
 vented the Lifeboat Institution from taking its 
 proper position in the affairs of the nation prior 
 to the establishment of the Lifeboat Saturday 
 Fund, and ignoble fears seemed at one time likely 
 
 151
 
 Recollections 
 
 to ruin the chances of another great movement 
 for which my help was sought not long after 
 the affairs of the Royal National Lifeboat In- 
 stitution had been put upon a more satisfactory 
 footing. 
 
 Early in the year 1897 news arrived in this 
 country of the outbreak of famine in India, and 
 a great cry went up for help for many millions of 
 our fellow-subjects ravaged by hunger and plague. 
 Consequent upon the premature cessation of the 
 annual rains at the end of August, 1896, the 
 autumn crops had failed over large tracts of 
 country. Something like 40,000,000 people were 
 faced with absolute starvation, and many more 
 with the most acute distress. A fund was opened 
 at the Mansion House in London, but Lancashire, 
 which had special interests in India, seeing that 
 the Dependency normally takes over a third of 
 her 80 per cent, export trade in cotton goods, 
 preferred to organize her own relief fund. The 
 County Palatine, it may be added, was also under 
 obligation to India in another way, for during the 
 cotton famine of 1862 India had come to the aid 
 of Lancashire men and women with a sum of over 
 £100,000. 
 
 In order to promote the fund for the famine- 
 stricken in India, a meeting was called in Man- 
 chester by the mayor to which I had a pressing 
 
 152
 
 India 
 
 invitation. I got to the meeting rather late and 
 found a number of the leading eitizens discussing 
 the situation in a most gloomy and pessimistic 
 strain. They doubted, they said, the possibilities 
 of success of such a fund, seeing that the county 
 was passing through a time of great commercial 
 depression. At the time of a previous famine 
 twenty years before Lancashire had raised about 
 £80,000, but they questioned whether this could 
 be repeated, for many of those who had con- 
 tributed large sums in 1877 had passed away. 
 All the objections that could possibly be raked 
 together were submitted, and the depression w^as 
 acute. I listened to the outpourings, knowing 
 from my own experience of Lancashire men and 
 women that the difficulties could be overcome. It 
 might be true that if a few leading citizens and 
 the heads of business houses in Manchester only 
 were relied upon, the result would be altogether 
 unsatisfactory ; but I contended that this was 
 eminently a case where all Lancashire people were 
 interested, and as such, all Lancashire should be 
 called upon to contribute. 
 
 It being known to those present what I had 
 done for the lifeboat cause, they appealed to me 
 to bring my organizing powers to bear in the 
 raising of funds, and finally I consented to 
 organize a fund on the lines which had been so 
 
 «53
 
 Recollections 
 
 successful in connexion with the Lifeboat Satur- 
 day movement. 
 
 In all my philanthropic work I had been for- 
 tunate in having ready at hand a small staff that I 
 could rely upon, both for prompt action and for 
 enthusiasm, and this staff was at once brought into 
 requisition. Instead of waiting for each centre of 
 population to organize on its own lines, a system 
 was supplied for the appointment of mercantile 
 and industrial committees, not only for Manchester 
 and Salford, but for the whole of Lancashire ; 
 and instructions having been given down to the 
 minutest detail to heads of municipalities through- 
 out the area, the whole scheme was launched 
 simultaneously within tw^o or three days. Our 
 machinery worked splendidly, and soon one town 
 was vying with another as to the amount raised 
 per head of the population. All the details were 
 thought out in Manchester; specimens of appeal- 
 ing literature w^re provided, the assistance of 
 representatives from the employers' and work- 
 people's organizations throughout Lancashire were 
 secured, the eloquence of numerous pulpits in 
 churches of all denominations was bespoken, 
 amateur and professional entertainers were called 
 upon, and collectors and canvassers became busy 
 in every direction. 
 
 The result was a surprise to everybody. In 
 154
 
 India 
 
 two months' time we had not only equalled but 
 doubled the sum raised at the time of the previous 
 famine twenty years before, and Lancashire had 
 the extreme pleasure of handing over to India the 
 magnifieent sum of just upon £100,000. The 
 county, indeed, had raised double per head of the 
 population as compared with any other part of 
 the United Kingdom. This was undoubtedly due 
 to the methods of organization, which were unique 
 in character and wellnigh perfect in detail. Every 
 precaution was taken against the misuse of collect- 
 ing forms, and as the public enthusiasm was roused 
 the work was carried through with very little 
 expense. A great part of the credit was due to 
 the working classes, who, as I had pointed out, 
 were generous when appealed to for a good cause, 
 the only thing necessary to secure their contribu- 
 tions being proper organization. 
 
 When, three years later, another Indian famine 
 came — an altogether unprecedented occurrence in 
 Indian history — we were in a position of great 
 difficulty owing to the relief funds for the suf- 
 ferers in the South African War monopolizing the 
 ground we required for our philanthropic efforts. 
 The Manchester civic authorities made no move, 
 although the need for help for India was no less 
 urgent than it had been in 1897, and it was not 
 until three weeks after our mercantile and indus- 
 
 155
 
 Recollections 
 
 trial committees had got to work that a Town Hall 
 appeal was made. The leaders of the working 
 classes felt that the war in South Africa ought not 
 to be allowed to interfere with an object so worthy 
 and so humane as that of assisting India, and I was 
 approached by the working men's organizations in 
 Lancashire to take the same steps that I had taken 
 in 1897 and organize a general appeal throughout 
 the county. As I have said, the benevolence of 
 the public had been severely taxed, and it was no 
 small matter to work up enthusiasm for another 
 effort after so short a space of time, but I set to 
 work on exactly the same lines as before, and in 
 three months we had remitted a sum of £147,000 
 to help the suffering millions of India. It was 
 another object lesson in the success of appealing 
 to the many rather than to the charitable few, who 
 are inundated with claims and cannot be expected 
 to bear the whole burden of the upkeep of the 
 national institutions and the repairing of the great 
 disasters that fall upon the world. 
 
 Those early influences of which I have spoken 
 have, I suppose, always led me to do my utmost 
 for India apart from raising money to help her in 
 her dire need. One has not always seen eye to 
 eye with those entrusted with her government, 
 perhaps, especially in fiscal matters, but whenever 
 possible it has given me the keenest pleasure to 
 
 156
 
 India 
 
 advocate anything that would be to her welfare. 
 I have, for instance, for the mutual advantage of 
 the grower and manufacturer of cotton, at all times 
 taken the greatest interest in the development of 
 the Indian cotton crop. 
 
 It has always been to me a matter of astonish- 
 ment and no little regret that India did not give 
 more heed to the advice of Lancashire in this 
 matter of cotton, for thereby she would have 
 largely increased her wealth and done a great deal 
 for the happiness of her teeming population. 
 Much, I know, was done during the ten years 
 before the war both to improve the quality of the 
 crop and greatly to extend the area of cultivation, 
 thanks to the Indian Government and the educa- 
 tional work of the International Cotton Federa- 
 tion. But infinitely more might have been done 
 in a land so favoured in the matter of climate, soil, 
 labour and transport. While the world had been 
 continually exercised as to its supplies of raw 
 cotton, and especially as to the improvement in the 
 quality of the cotton, India had been largely in- 
 different to the call, while in this matter of quality 
 our big Dependency had shown a deplorable lack 
 of enterprise. 
 
 As president of the International Cotton 
 Federation I headed deputations to four successive 
 Secretaries of State for India, the last one being to 
 
 157
 
 Recollections 
 
 the Marquess of Crewe in July, 1913, for the pur- 
 pose of urging as strongly as possible the necessity 
 for everything being done that could be done to 
 improve the quality and extend the cultivation of 
 cotton in India. I pointed out to Lord Crewe that 
 though the cotton crop of the world was then three 
 times greater than it was thirty-five to forty years 
 before, the extension of the cotton fields must pro- 
 ceed much more rapidly than had been the case if 
 the raw material was to keep pace with the demand 
 for cotton goods. India, I added, was capable of 
 much more rapid development than any other part 
 of the world, and no effort should be spared to 
 extend and improve the cultivation of cotton. 
 
 An adequate supply of Indian cotton, as I told 
 his Lordship, is a matter of supreme interest, not 
 only to India herself, but to China, Japan, Ger- 
 many, France, Italy and Belgium, if not primarily 
 to Lancashire, for the greater the supply of the 
 poorer cotton from India for those countries that 
 can use it largely, the greater will be the quantity 
 available of those higher grades produced else- 
 where required by the English cotton industry. 
 There is, however, no good reason why India 
 should not grow the better qualities that lianca- 
 shire needs. It has been proved by experiment 
 that her climate and soil will grow what we know 
 as "American" cotton just as well as America 
 
 158
 
 India 
 
 hersell:'. It is all ii question oi' care and skill. 
 Some eighty years ago the most beautifully fine 
 muslins were exported from India, made from 
 cotton which must have been grown in India, spun 
 and woven by hand, and of necessity from a quality 
 of cotton much superior to that at present grown 
 there. The cotton grown in India has been allowed 
 to deteriorate so much that it would be quite 
 impossible to produce such fine fabrics from the 
 home-grown product nowadays. Yet cotton of 
 longer staple and better quality can be produced 
 in India easily by careful seed selection and im- 
 proved cultivation, and I am convinced that the 
 problem of cotton growing within the Empire 
 could be solved, and solved in a very few years, if 
 India tackled it with spirit and with the necessary 
 expert knowledge and organization. 
 
 I have, of course, been interested in the ques- 
 tion of cotton growing not merely in India but in 
 every country on the globe where there was a 
 possibility of increasing our supplies. This was 
 one of the first objects of the International Cotton 
 Federation, of which I was the president for so 
 many years, and so widely was my work known in 
 this matter that when the British Cotton Growing 
 Association was formed over twenty years ago, I 
 was approached to take the chairmanship. Apart 
 from the growing claims of my business, however, 
 
 159
 
 Recollections 
 
 I occupied so many positions that I was obliged to 
 decline the honour, although in entire sympathy 
 .with the objects of the association. I became 
 associated with the organization as one of its vice- 
 presidents, promising to give all the assistance I 
 could to further its development, and I at all 
 times take the greatest interest in the work it is 
 doing in various parts of the world. 
 
 If there be one comment I should like to make 
 upon the work of the British Cotton Growing 
 Association it is that I think too little attention 
 has been paid in the past to the possibilities India 
 offers for the expansion of our cotton supplies. 
 There is no other place on the face of the globe, 
 in my estimation, where so rapid progress could 
 be made. As showing what could be done, I need 
 only mention the fact that in the ten years preced- 
 ing the war, largely through the influence of the 
 International Cotton Federation whose secretary 
 had repeatedly travelled over the cotton growing 
 districts, the Indian crop was raised from 3,000,000 
 to 6,000,000 bales, and a crop of 10,000,000 bales 
 was well within the range of possibility. In the 
 year before the war an offer was made by the 
 Indian Government to the committee of the Inter- 
 national Cotton Federation of 7,500 acres of 
 irrigated land, rent free for twenty years, the 
 object being to develop cotton growing from 
 
 i6o
 
 India 
 
 American and Egyptian seed. Unfortunately the 
 outbreak oi' the European War put an end to the 
 negotiations which might have led to a great 
 development, and it is hoped this offer may be 
 again made when conditions have become normal. 
 
 Unfortunately those who guide and govern 
 Indian affairs appear to be too intent upon 
 harassing trade competitors rather than on advanc- 
 ing and increasing the vast resources of which the 
 country is capable. The Indian Government, 
 supported by the Government at home, are seeking 
 means constantly of discouraging the imports from 
 Lancashire, and I have found myself engaged in 
 various campaigns in opposition to the cotton duties 
 which India has from time to time imposed. 
 
 As a convinced Free Trader I have never 
 objected to any impost considered necessary for 
 revenue purposes, but it is obviously unfair that 
 Lancashire should be singled out for taxation to 
 the distinct advantage of another part of the 
 Empire. The Government has no right to give a 
 preference to the Indian manufacturer. If the 
 Indian manufacturer can beat us in the open 
 market let him do so; but he ought not to be 
 helped by preferential treatment; furthermore, I 
 contend that it is against the interests of the 
 natives of India that this should be done. 
 
 i6i
 
 SOME CAMPAIGNS
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 BRINGING CAPITAL AND LABOUR TOGETHER 
 
 II^VERY man worth the name has some sort of 
 ideal to which he directs his energies. Mine 
 has been the substitution in the industrial sphere 
 of co-operation for antagonism in the relations 
 between employers and employed. I have waged 
 a long fight with this object in view, and some- 
 times now I fancy I detect a realization in the 
 not too distant future of the hopes which have 
 buoyed me up during the struggle. Elsewhere in 
 these recollections I have traced the events which 
 led my ambitions into this channel, and have 
 showed me how the great Brooklands Agreement 
 — the instrument which maintained peace for so 
 long a period in the cotton industry — came into 
 being. Here I will briefly recount the history of 
 several other schemes for industrial peace, one 
 being designed for the whole of the industry of 
 the country. All are still capable of doing great 
 good. 
 
 I am quite convinced that arbitration is 
 occasionally a good thing to have, but it is also a 
 good thing to do without. All the arbitration in 
 
 L 165
 
 Recollections 
 
 the world is not so good as an agreed plan of 
 settling differences between the parties concerned. 
 The passion for arbitration is, with some people, 
 like the passion for litigation ; I prefer a minimum 
 of both, although admitting that the impartial 
 referee has his place in the scheme of things and 
 must sometimes be evoked. This was the feeling 
 that led me to devise the scheme for the regulation 
 of wages which has been in existence in the spin- 
 ning section of the cotton industry for many years, 
 and could be adapted to the other sections ; and the 
 principles of the scheme could be applied to any 
 other industry. I soon saw after the Brooklands 
 Agreement came into operation that it had one 
 considerable weakness. While it made it difficult 
 for either party to bring the industry to a stoppage 
 by the numerous checks it imposed on impulsive 
 action, it did not provide a scheme for ascertaining 
 the profits of the industry, and the question of 
 wages frequently led to disputes. I knew the 
 aversion of the cotton industry as a w^hole to 
 arbitration. I had had experience of it. On one 
 historic occasion, when during a dispute the whole 
 trade was brought into line, arbitration was offered 
 by the operatives, but the proposal was wrecked 
 on a question of minor details as regarded the 
 terms of reference, which was a great disappoint- 
 ment to me personally. 
 
 166
 
 Bringing Capital and Labour Together 
 
 In these circumstances I began to seek a way 
 of bringing into existence a plan which would 
 give, as it were, an automatic decision when wages 
 disputes arose, and devised a scheme by which 
 employers and operatives have equal rights in 
 ascertaining the profits made either over twelve 
 months or a period of years, and which has been 
 described by the accountants of both employers 
 and operatives as the fairest they know. I claim 
 for this scheme that it is arbitration without an 
 arbitrator. 
 
 When I launched my scheme in 1920 to give 
 operatives a monetary interest in the cotton 
 industry, I showed that the scheme for the regula- 
 tion of wages could be applied to determine 
 accurately the precise amount of increase to be 
 given them. They were then asking for an 
 increase of wages as conditions of trade were 
 prosperous. Workers in the cotton industry had 
 already been compensated for the war increase in 
 the cost of living by previous advances. My idea 
 was to determine by the scheme I have mentioned 
 just how much they should receive, and to give 
 them that increase, not as an addition to weekly 
 wages to be frittered away on current expenses, 
 but as a solid interest in their industry, carrying 
 with it a proportionate say in control. I went 
 farther, and in a scries of articles in the Press 
 
 167
 
 Recollections 
 
 suggested that this plan should be followed in all 
 industry, pointing out that by the scheme for the 
 regulation of wages the yield of capital in industry 
 could be definitely ascertained. Widespread sup- 
 port was won for this proposal. Several great firms 
 carried it out, but the cotton industry as a whole 
 did not adopt it. How much better off would 
 the operatives to-day have been had they seized 
 upon the opportunity to gain a position and power 
 they have never yet enjoyed ! 
 
 I used a phrase during the discussion of this 
 profit-sharing idea which seems to me to put the 
 matter in a nutshell. For the workers to obtain 
 an interest in their own industry, and widen it as 
 the success of the industry grew, was, I said, the 
 best form of nationalization. I would ask our 
 labour leaders and our working men to consider 
 this point. Nationalization, as usually understood, 
 simply means handing over a source of wealth to 
 the control of a group of bureaucrats. That is 
 folly. But for the workers themselves — that is, 
 all the workers — to obtain a monetary interest in 
 their industry is a sort of nationalization which 
 would continue the control in the hands of 
 practical and experienced men representing both 
 Capital and Labour. That is wisdom; and I 
 believe the idea is practicable, would eliminate 
 ca' canny wherever it exists, and would encour- 
 
 i68
 
 Bringing Capital and Labour Together 
 
 age the workers to make their industry a suceess. 
 I look to the future to see co-operation brought 
 into existence, and so ensure the maintenance of 
 the great industrial position we have held in the 
 past. 
 
 I come now to another movement in which 
 I took a leading part, and which led to the 
 Industrial Council being appointed by the Govern- 
 ment in 1911. We have gone through much 
 turmoil since the year 1911, and the strikes which 
 then occurred may seem only faint shadows of 
 what we have since experienced. But that year 
 was an industrial landmark. It was the year 
 which saw the ascendancy of the general strike, 
 and up to that time none of us in this country 
 had realized what a terror it was. Transport 
 ceased; indeed, many industries ceased; it seemed 
 almost as if civilization itself halted. From Liver- 
 pool came reports of imcleansed streets spreading 
 infection ; from London reports of people in dread 
 of darkness and starvation. Docks, ships, rail- 
 ways, mines, mills, all came to be to a certain 
 extent affected by paralysis ; in some other indus- 
 tries there was an involuntary dislocation of work 
 and movement. No year had previously brought 
 such intense industrial trials to us as those 
 of 1911. 
 
 All through this struggle I laboured to bring 
 169
 
 Recollections 
 
 peace, and at the same time gave careful study 
 to the big question of how to avoid a repetition 
 of such disputes. I had conceived earher the 
 idea of a council which should be in conception 
 and operation an Industrial Court of Appeal. 
 The Board of Trade at that time negotiated in 
 industrial disputes when circumstances permitted, 
 but its interventions were often futile. Some- 
 thing bigger, bolder and more practical was 
 necessary. I undertake to say that the Industrial 
 Council of 1911 satisfied all the requirements, and 
 the industrial anarchy of that year gave me the 
 opportunity for agitating for its formation at a 
 time when men's minds were tuned to receive 
 the suggestion. 
 
 I therefore sent a letter on July 10, 1911, to 
 Mr. Charles Behrens (now Sir Charles), then Lord 
 Mayor of Manchester, in which I outlined my 
 scheme. It was to set up an Industrial Council 
 on which representatives of all the staple industries 
 of the country should sit ; to make this body 
 equally representative of Capital and Labour ; to 
 have no man upon it (except the chairman, who 
 was to be impartial) excepting those who held or 
 had held prominent positions in the organizations 
 of Capital and Labour controlling the staple 
 industries of the country, and to make that 
 Council the court of appeal in all disputes affect- 
 
 170
 
 Bringing Capital and Labour Together 
 
 ing the great industries when negotiations had 
 reached a deadlock, the disputes in minor indus- 
 tries to be dealt with by the permanent official 
 staff of the Council, the assistance of individual 
 members to be brought in when necessary. From 
 the first I was opposed to any attempt to make 
 verdicts compulsory. There were two reasons for 
 that point of view : one was that, in my opinion, 
 it is an impracticable proposal that the element 
 of compulsion should be introduced, it being 
 impossible to compel large bodies of men to do 
 anything ; and, secondly, I regarded public opinion 
 as the most effective compulsion of all such 
 matters. 
 
 Once the idea was outlined there was wide 
 popular support. Tlie newspapers, for the most 
 part, backed the scheme. From all quarters I 
 received messages of support. But that was only 
 half the battle. Official inertia had to be over- 
 come, and the great drawback to my scheme, 
 from the politician's point of view, was that it 
 entirely eliminated the intervention of Govern- 
 ments or Ministers in industrial disputes. So 
 there was a struggle to get it appointed, in which 
 I had to employ all the determination and per- 
 sistence of which I was capable. Fortunately, I 
 had splendid help from all sides, and the proposal 
 was carried to completion. The Council was 
 
 171
 
 Recollections 
 
 formed, consisting of twenty-seven members, 
 thirteen representing Capital, and thirteen repre- 
 senting Labour, with Sir George Askwith (now 
 Lord Askwith) as the impartial chairman. I had 
 a certain amount of satisfaction when the Board 
 of Trade announced the appointment of the 
 Council on October 10, 1911, all my own reasons 
 for its appointment, as stated in my letter to the 
 Lord Mayor of Manchester and in the Press, now 
 parading themselves in the costume of official 
 language. 
 
 The start given to the new body was most 
 auspicious. A banquet was given at the House 
 of Commons to the newly appointed Council, Mr. 
 Sydney Buxton (now Earl Buxton), then Presi- 
 dent of the Board of Trade, presiding, and the 
 Prime Minister being present. The banquet was 
 organized with great tact, an example of which 
 was seen in the fact that I, as representing 
 Capital, was placed on the one side of the Presi- 
 dent, and the Right Hon. Thomas Burt, repre- 
 senting Labour, on the other. As soon as dinner 
 was over, Mr. Asquith changed places with Mr. 
 Sydney Buxton and entered into an animated con- 
 versation wdth me relating to the new departure. 
 Mr. Asquith, who was leaving for Scotland by the 
 night train, devoted the limited time at his disposal 
 to consulting me upon the various aspects of the 
 
 172
 
 Bringing Capital and Labour Together 
 
 Council's work, in which he appeared to have the 
 deepest interest. I was, during tliis conversation, 
 impressed with Mr. Asquith's grasp of the indus- 
 trial position generally, and his undoubted interest 
 at the time rendered his subsequent action towards 
 the Council all the more incomprehensible. 
 
 Everyone, therefore, was in high hopes that we 
 had at last an organization that would accomplish 
 big things and do wonders for British industry, 
 and it was the keenest disappointment to all con- 
 cerned to find in a very short time afterwards 
 that this great expectation was brought to naught. 
 While the Industrial Council met a number of 
 times for discussion, it never had a chance to 
 settle a single dispute, and one can only come to 
 the conclusion that there was a certain amount of 
 jealousy on the part of the politicians, and that 
 they were afraid of the practical men holding 
 controlling positions in industry becoming too 
 powerful or too popular in carrying out the work 
 for which they were so eminently fitted. 
 
 At all events, during the coal dispute of 1912, 
 a Cabinet Committee made a settlement over our 
 heads, and we were never called together again. 
 How that settlement was effected is interesting 
 as sho\ving in a vi\id light the tactics that were 
 adopted by the politicians towards the Industrial 
 Council, the formation of which had been forced 
 
 173
 
 Recollections 
 
 upon the Asquith Government by the strength 
 of public opinion. 
 
 While a Cabinet Committee of six members 
 were sitting at Downing Street considering means 
 for settling the coal strike, we, in another build- 
 ing, were discussing the matter separately with 
 the object of coming to a conclusion that would 
 be helpful to the Government. When we had 
 reached a certain stage in the discussion, six 
 members of the Council, including myself, were 
 deputed to go across to Downing Street and 
 ascertain how matters stood there. When we got 
 there we were told that the Cabinet Committee 
 had got to the end of their resources, and that 
 negotiations had practically been broken off with 
 the parties to the dispute. The members of our 
 deputation undertook to get the negotiations set 
 going again, and succeeded in doing so ; but as 
 soon as the Cabinet Committee found things 
 smoothed out again they snatched the opportunity 
 of settling the dispute without calling together 
 the members of the Industrial Council, as they 
 had arranged to do. The result of thrusting the 
 Council aside and acting without its practical 
 advice was that a thoroughly bad settlement was 
 effected, a settlement that sowed the seeds of 
 the trouble which has periodically recurred down 
 to the present day, and which, as we all know, 
 
 174
 
 Bringing Capital and Labour Together 
 
 has been most disastrous to the interests of 
 the country. Had they co-operated with the 
 Industrial Council, as arranged, a very dif- 
 ferent state of things might have been brought 
 about. 
 
 I had a very notable correspondence with Mr. 
 Asquith afterwards on the matter, but got no 
 satisfaction ; indeed, his letters showed that he was 
 totally unable to justify his position and that of 
 the Government over this matter. 
 
 The Council w^as the first body on which repre- 
 sentatives of Capital and Labour sat roimd the 
 same table wath equal rights. It got to work on 
 big problems very rapidly. At the request of the 
 Government it held a long inquiry into the grow- 
 ing industrial lawlessness of the times. It reached 
 some very important decisions. I need only 
 remind the reader of one of its recommendations, 
 namely, that when three-fourths of the people, 
 masters and men, engaged in the industry were 
 agreed upon any line of procedure, the remaining 
 fourth should be brought into line by legal enact- 
 ment, which is in entire accordance with the law 
 of the majority. The inquiry to which I ha\e 
 referred occupied thirty-eight long sittings, and 
 the witnesses numbered ninety-twcn The minutes 
 of evidence taken filled a Bluc-Book of six hundred 
 and sixty -five pages. That Blue-Book has been 
 
 175
 
 Recollections 
 
 pigeon-holed, but will repay reading and carefully 
 studying to-day. 
 
 The treatment the Industrial Council received 
 at the hands of the Government has been one 
 of the greatest disappointments I have ever 
 experienced. Framed with much care, it was 
 unquestionably an ideally impartial tribunal. 
 However, for some reason or other, it met with 
 official displeasure. It was therefore allowed to 
 languish into disuse. It had no failures. It was 
 on the way to really great successes. Given 
 reasonable opportunities, it would have become an 
 industrial advisory as well as arbitrational body, 
 and would have evolved new ideas for the control 
 of our great industries and for the maintenance 
 of peace between Capital and Labour. On the 
 work which it did was the stamp of profound 
 understanding and practical sagacity. 
 
 The outbreak of war gave the clearest possible 
 call for the reconstitution of the Industrial 
 Council. Had we had such a body in continual 
 session during hostilities, we should not only have 
 been able to mobilize our industries for war, but 
 we should not have had the constant recurrence of 
 Labour troubles we have had since the Armistice. 
 Dangers would have been foreseen and prepared 
 for, and matters would not have been allowed to 
 run riot as they did in the inexperienced hands of 
 
 176
 
 Bringing Capital and Labour Together 
 
 our legislators. Can anyone imagine, for instance, 
 a body of experienced business men agreeing to 
 the imposition of such an ill-considered means of 
 raising money as the Excess Profits Duty? That 
 monstrous tax, besides sending up the cost of 
 living beyond all reason, has, as we all know, 
 encouraged the wildest extravagance and, in many 
 cases, fraud, while the lavish spending of money 
 by our Government profiteers has led Labour, in 
 turn, to be absolutely reckless in its demands. 
 The result has been disastrous to trade in every 
 way, for when hostilities ceased, and we should 
 have experienced a natural expansion in trade, 
 the price of everything to the consumer became 
 exorbitant, and we have had the extraordinary 
 spectacle of idle industries with, at the same 
 time, all the world wanting goods. For this the 
 Government alone is to blame, and I am con- 
 fident these things would never have occurred if 
 practical men had had the handling of affairs 
 during the war. 
 
 Yet the Government allowed the Council to 
 slide into disuse. Why? 
 
 It cannot be said that there was no need for 
 it. Events have proved the contrary. Its use in 
 the organization of industry during the war, and 
 its advice on all the great matters which then 
 arose in which our industries were concerned, 
 
 177
 
 Recollections 
 
 would have saved innumerable lives and probably 
 thousands of millions of treasure. That its under- 
 lying principles were sound is proved by the fact 
 that America, Belgium, France and Italy have 
 been impressed by them. Even our own Govern- 
 ment sought to copy them, but failed signally. 
 
 I have never ceased to agitate for its resuscita- 
 tion, because of my firm conviction that no other 
 tribunal could serve us so well in our industrial 
 future. Many campaigns have I waged in order 
 to bring about its revival, and I do not yet despair. 
 So often in my long life have I seen a scheme 
 die, but its central idea live on, that I still cherish 
 the belief that the idea enshrined in the Industrial 
 Council of 1911 will again come to the fore, and 
 that the Council will start again on the great 
 work which it has not been allowed to carry on. 
 I wish I could inspire some younger men among 
 my countrymen to make its revival their concern. 
 They would do a work for which posterity would 
 bless them. The public still has the final word, 
 and I hope they will insist on the Industrial 
 Council being revived and made a permanent 
 feature of our industrial position upon which our 
 whole future depends. 
 
 178
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 WORK IN THE LIFEBOAT CAUSE 
 
 TT has become the fashion nowadays to make 
 light of both heredity and environment, but, 
 as I have said before, looking back upon a long 
 and varied life one cannot but be impressed with 
 the conviction that both these influences are very 
 real, and, whatever we may say, have much to 
 do with the formation of our character and the 
 shaping of our destinies. 
 
 I have mentioned how, from my earliest years, 
 there was for me magic in the very name of India, 
 and how those dead and gone ancestors of mine 
 laid a spell upon me which has never been broken. 
 In the same way one cannot get away from the 
 fact that a lad born in the sea-girt kingdom of 
 Fife will never, so long as he lives, get the salt 
 water out of his veins. The working of the 
 two influences, the one irresistible and the 
 other subconscious, cannot be denied in my 
 ow^n case, for both have stamped themselves 
 surely and indelibly upon the main purpose of 
 
 my life. 
 
 179
 
 Recollections 
 
 Little did I think, when engrossed in industrial 
 affairs in my early manhood in Manchester, that 
 one achievement I should yet cherish with the 
 utmost pleasure and pride would be an outcome 
 of that passionate devotion to the sea and to sea- 
 faring matters which had been inculcated and 
 nourished between Forth and Tay in boyhood's 
 days. Even when, in 1884, I took a seaside 
 residence on the Lancashire coast, I had no other 
 end in view but withdrawal to a place of rest and 
 quiet after strenuous days in the city, yet those 
 early predilections of which I have been speaking 
 surged up again so soon as I found a home by 
 the sea, and it was not long before I had thrown 
 myself wholeheartedly into an enterprise purely 
 maritime and one lying altogether outside the 
 sphere of my workaday life. 
 
 I have alluded to the many difficulties I 
 encountered and the enormous work involved in 
 the reorganization of the business of the well- 
 known firm which I entered as managing partner 
 in 1880. The strain of this work and the anxieties 
 attendant upon the fight with the workpeople we 
 had at one of our mills had their effect upon even 
 that hercvilean physique which I had inherited, and 
 I decided at length to take a seaside residence, 
 where I could go to re-create body and mind. I 
 chose St. Annes-on-the-Sea, then a little-known 
 
 1 80
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 watering place, and found great benefit from its 
 healthful situation and its fine and bracing air. 
 My idea had been to go there i)criodi('ally, but I 
 soon found my attachment to the little seaside 
 resort becoming stronger and stronger, until 
 ultimately I spent a larger portion of my time 
 there than at my house in the suburbs of Man- 
 chester. Nor did it prove to be the place of 
 absolute rest I had anticipated, for a business 
 man in my position with a telephone at his disposal 
 — and I remember that I was the first subscriber 
 the telephone company had in that town — carries 
 home many of his burdens and has hundreds of 
 cares of which the ordinary individual is wholly 
 unconscious. Indeed, far from proving to be a 
 retreat from the world and its worries, my 
 residence at St. Annes, it transpired, was to be 
 the scene of the most strenuous of my endeavours 
 and to involve me in work far more arduous than 
 anything I had hitherto undertaken — industrial, 
 social or philanthropic. 
 
 I have, as I have said, all my life been fond 
 of the sea and the company of sailors, and my 
 recreations on going to St. Annes were found 
 largely in association with the fishermen and the 
 men who had to do battle with the sea on that 
 most treacherous part of the Lancashire coast. 
 One's sympathies were enlisted at once on behalf 
 
 M iHi
 
 Recollections 
 
 of the brave fellows constant^ exposed to the 
 gales on this perilous coast and daily in danger 
 of the shifting sandbanks of the Ribble estuary. 
 I went out sailing with them in their fishing boats, 
 and learned the details of their craft, and I also 
 took part in the Hfeboat practices and experiments 
 in connexion with the lifeboat service. One could 
 not but be interested, especially in the lifeboat- 
 men, for the remains of wrecked vessels visible 
 from the window^s of my house brought home to 
 me in full a sense of the importance of this great 
 rescue work. 
 
 Soon I found myself immersed in local life- 
 boat activities and intimately acquainted with the 
 crews who carried on this voluntary work of life- 
 saving. Then two incidents occurred, both in 
 one week, which roused my sympathies to the 
 utmost and stirred me into action. One stormy 
 evening in December, 1886, I had watched the 
 rescue of five shipwrecked and exhausted sailors 
 who were clinging to the mast of a submerged 
 vessel away on the Salter's Bank, and been present 
 at a dramatic sequel. It happened that on the 
 very evening of the rescue an amateur concert was 
 being held in aid of the funds of the Royal 
 National Lifeboat Institution, and while the 
 entertainment was proceeding the lifeboat crew 
 entered the hall, bringing wdth them the five men 
 
 182
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 they had rescued. I shall nut soon forget that 
 night, nor the simple, mo^ing story of wreck and 
 rescue told by the Scottish master of that coasting 
 vessel. 
 
 I was greatly mo\ed, and after the concert 
 I in\ited the coxswain and sub-coxswain of the 
 lifeboat to my house and induced them to describe 
 their thrilling experience in their own words to 
 the Manchester Press by telephone. 
 
 Five days later a disaster overwhelmed our 
 little seafaring community which made the 
 greatest impression of all. I remember that on 
 the night the two lifeboatmcn came to my house 
 they remarked that there had not been a wreck 
 for a considerable time, but seldom did one occur 
 without others following. The almost proi)hetic 
 natiu'e of this remark was verified with awful 
 consequences only a few nights later, when the 
 ship Mexico, of Hamburg, bound for Liverpool, 
 was driven helplessly before a storm of excep- 
 tional fury, and e\entually struck upon a sand- 
 bank between Southport and Formby. Three 
 lifeboat crews, those of Southport, Lytham and 
 St. Annes, put out to the rescue, among the 
 volunteers to man the St. Annes boat being the 
 Scottish captain who had so recently been rescued. 
 As there was a full complement of thirteen with- 
 out him, however, he was not allowed to go. An 
 
 183
 
 Recollections 
 
 all-night vigil on the shore was followed by a 
 hopeless dawn, for of the three boats which had 
 gone out, that of Lytham only returned safely, 
 bringing with her the wrecked crew of the 
 German vessel. The boats of Southport and St. 
 Annes had both been capsized. In the former, 
 thirteen men had been lost out of a crew^ of 
 fifteen, and in the latter not a man had escaped. 
 News came by telephone to my house as the 
 bodies were washed up on the opposite shore, and 
 one by one the drowned men were recovered from 
 the sea and laid in the churchyards of St. Annes 
 and Lytham. 
 
 The scenes I witnessed were terrible indeed, 
 but the problem I felt called upon to solve, and 
 lose no time in solving, was how to ameliorate the 
 lot of the widows and orphans so cruelly bereaved. 
 At that time the Royal National Lifeboat Institu- 
 tion had been in existence for sixty-two years, but 
 no such catastrophe had ever before occurred, and 
 there w^ere no funds at all adequate to meet such 
 a disaster as this. A relief fund was therefore 
 opened, both in St. Annes and Southport. I took 
 every means, through the Press and otherwise — 
 my telephone being of great assistance — to arouse 
 sympathy with the bereaved, and in little over a 
 fortnight the magnificent sum of £33,000 had 
 been collected, a sum which provided for the 
 
 184
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 widows and orphans, of whom the larger number 
 were in St. Annes. 
 
 A realistic memorial of the St. Annes life- 
 boatmen who perished in that gallant attempt to 
 reseiie a shipwrecked crew stands on the sea front. 
 It represents a lifeboatman standing on a rock 
 pedestal, looking out to sea, fully equipped and 
 ready for such rescue work, and proves a moving 
 appeal to the many thousands who visit this part 
 of the Lancashire coast. In addition to the 
 fund, the ex-Kaiser's grandfather, William I, sent 
 £250, which was distributed among the bereaved 
 by the German Consul, along with £1,400 from 
 Hamburg, the port from which the ill-fated 
 Mexico had sailed. The great singer, Sims 
 Reeves, was in the habit of spending his annual 
 hohday at St. Annes, and I pressed him into 
 service also. A pathetic letter which he wrote to 
 the Press helped considerably. 
 
 Notwithstanding this tragic disaster, a new 
 crew at once volunteered to take the places of 
 their comrades. One cannot but marvel at the 
 heroic courage of these brave men, never hesitat- 
 ing calmly to face the dangers of an angry sea, 
 dangers which they fully realize, knowing they 
 may never return. Indeed, they seem almost to 
 be fatalistic in their way of looking at things. I 
 remember one veteran who had been washed 
 
 185
 
 Recollections 
 
 overboard when out fishing and rescued by his son, 
 who, when I saw him afterwards and remarked 
 on the narrow escape he had had, quietly 
 responded, " Oh, yes, but my time had not 
 come." 
 
 Many are the daring Hfeboat rescues which 
 have been watched from the windows of my house, 
 and many hves have been saved ; but perhaps one 
 of the most thrilHng adventures occurred on a 
 very stormy December day in 1894. Early in the 
 afternoon the coxswain came to say there were 
 signals of distress far out to sea, and the lifeboat 
 had to be launched, but how to do it was a great 
 difficulty, as it was low tide. The telegraph and 
 telephone wires were blown down, preventing 
 any communication with neighbouring lifeboat 
 stations, the roads and the railway blocked by 
 sand-drifts, and no horses could be got. But go 
 he must. The rocket summoning the crew, who 
 were on the sea front watching, was fired, and 
 in an amazingly short time numerous .\villing 
 helpers came to drag the boat a mile and a half 
 along the shore to where there was a channel deep 
 enough to launch her. Many a strong man and 
 boy was blown over again and again in this effort, 
 and when at last the channel was reached, they 
 were lifted off their feet by the surf, and, weaves 
 dashing over the boat, the hfeboatmen were 
 
 1 86
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 drenched to the skin before they started on their 
 difliciilt and perilous task. I did not know at the 
 time, but learned afterwards, that an instrument 
 at Fleetwood for measuring the velocity of the 
 wind broke when it gained the speed of 120 miles 
 an hour. 
 
 Darkness came on, and the watchers on 
 the shore waited in great anxiety for four long 
 dreary hours before signals were seen that the 
 lifeboat was approaching. The men came in 
 weary, and very disappointed that their efforts 
 had been in vain ; the vessel had disappeared. 
 They had had a dreadful fight, the boat one 
 minute on the crest of a wave in a roaring wind 
 — the next in the great hollow left by the wave 
 in a great stillness ; one minute the masts flat on 
 the sea on one side, the next on the other ; one 
 man washed out of the boat by a great wa\e, 
 and back into it by the next. They all declared 
 they would never go out in that boat again, and 
 if it had not been for " Nums " (the nickname 
 for their gallant coxswain, in whom they had 
 absolute faith), they would never have come back. 
 I should mention here they had to use the small, 
 reserve, boat, the large one being under repair at 
 the time. 
 
 But, to continue, a hot supper was awaiting 
 them, and as they w^re just finishing it, at 
 
 187
 
 Recollections 
 
 11 P.M., again the rocket was fired for the crew 
 to assemble. Another vessel, in a different 
 direction was sending up distress signals. Every 
 man of the crew was once more in the boat and 
 out to sea again in a very short time ; not one 
 hesitated. This was another four hours' fight. 
 This time, just as they arrived at the vessel, the 
 rising tide enabled her to get off the bank, and 
 their services were not required. Arriving back 
 at 3 A.M., another hot meal was ready for them 
 at my house, the hotels and restaurants being, of 
 course, closed. The men crawled into the room, 
 the salt water dripping from them, thoroughly 
 exhausted and absolutely silent ; but after 
 having had a rest and some food they gradually 
 recovered, and returned to their homes, a mile 
 inland, at about 5 a.m. to secure a well-earned 
 rest. 
 
 Again it was not to be. At 8 a.m. the cox- 
 swain came to my house to tell of a third vessel in 
 distress, and he was much perplexed as to what 
 to do. The storm still continued, though abating 
 in force, and his men, though ready to go, were 
 so exhausted that he wondered if he should order 
 them out again, and he wanted advice. While 
 he was speaking word came that a tug from 
 Fleetwood was approaching the distressed vessel, 
 and was able to tow^ her to harbour. She proved 
 
 1 88
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 to be the Morccambc Kay lightship, which had 
 parted her moorings and was drifting lielplessly 
 before the wind. 
 
 Such is the grit of those gallant men who carry 
 on so quietly the work of the Lifeboat Institution 
 around our coast, and who in such numbers at the 
 time of our country's need came forward with the 
 same, nay, perhaps greater, courage and sense of 
 duty to undertake the most hazardous task of 
 mine-sweeping. 
 
 It was as chairman of the St. Annes Lifeboat 
 Disaster Committee, a position I still occupy, that 
 I conceived the idea of the national effort which 
 became universally known as the ** Lifeboat 
 Saturday " fund. Though it was a satisfactory 
 thing to me to have helped to raise money for 
 the sufferers in the calamity which had overtaken 
 the St. Annes and Southport crews, as a business 
 man I could not help feeling that it was not 
 desirable to rely upon such spasmodic efforts, and 
 that to ofl'er a widow and family a grant of £100, 
 as had hitherto been the custom of the Institution 
 .when the breadwinner had given his life xolun- 
 tarily to save others, was utterly inadequate. At 
 least every lifeboatman ought to have the satis- 
 faction of knowing that, if he never returned, 
 those dependent \ipon him should not suffer 
 pecuniary loss through his self-sacrifice, and the 
 
 189
 
 Recollections 
 
 funds of the Institution, I felt, ought to be 
 sufficiently large to deal adequately with circum- 
 stances of this kind. 
 
 When I went into the whole matter in 1891 
 I found that the general financial position of this 
 life-saving service was anything but satisfactory. 
 The report for 1890 showed that the total income 
 for that year from subscriptions, donations, con- 
 tributions from branches, and interest on invest- 
 ments was only a little over £42,000, whereas the 
 expenditure amounted to nearly £76,000, necessi- 
 tating a large withdrawal from capital. I made 
 a rough estimate that not more than 25,000 
 people out of the many millions who constituted 
 this great maritime nation contributed to the 
 support of the Institution, and the average of the 
 branches, including all the large cities and towns 
 in the country, did not amount to more than £35 
 a year. I therefore decided to make use of the 
 experience I had gained in raising the Life- 
 boat Disaster Fund with the view to a special 
 appeal of my own, seeing that those of the 
 Institution had failed to bring about the desired 
 results. 
 
 On July 23, 1891, I addressed an appeal to 
 the Press, in which I pointed out that one of 
 the noblest of the philanthropic institutions in the 
 country was in dire financial straits, that by its 
 
 190
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 instrumentality over 8.3,000 lives had been saved 
 at sea, and that the magnificent result which 
 attended my efforts at the time of the lifeboat 
 disaster on the Lancashire coast had emboldened 
 me to appeal on national grounds, as, if generous 
 help were not forthcoming, the operations of the 
 Institution would have to be very seriously 
 curtailed. 
 
 As before, I made my principal appeal through 
 the Press. I was splendidly backed, some of the 
 leading daily papers in the North opening their 
 columns in aid of the funds and their editors pay- 
 ing eloquent tributes to both the lifeboatmen and 
 the Institution which made them its special care. 
 But, in addition to enlisting the services of the 
 Press, I left no stone unturned to arouse the 
 sympathies of all classes of the comnumity 
 towards this great voluntary life-saving service. 
 I calculated that without an income of £100,000 
 a year it would be quite impossible to do all that 
 was required and make very necessary reforms ; 
 and yet the sum I asked for was under three 
 farthings a head of the population of Great Britain 
 and Ireland, and was a very small item indeed 
 for a nation that owned such a vast proportion 
 of the world's shipping to spend upon this 
 voluntary organization for the saving of life 
 
 at sea. 
 
 191
 
 Recollections 
 
 If the necessary funds were to be raised, I felt 
 that a direct appeal would have to be made, not 
 to the generous few only, but to the country at 
 large, and, in order to arouse popular interest, I 
 decided to make an experiment in Manchester 
 and Salford. It was eminently successful. Inland 
 centres knew little or nothing about the lifeboat 
 service, and it was decided to bring the boats and 
 the men from Southport and St. Annes — where 
 there were reserve boats and crews — to the city, 
 and there organize a great demonstration, includ- 
 ing other life-saving services as well, such as fire 
 brigades, rocket brigades, ambulance corps, and 
 so forth. The street procession and demonstra- 
 tions were a revelation, while the laimching of 
 lifeboats on an artificial lake at Belle Vue Gardens 
 and the exhibitions of life-saving by means of the 
 rocket apparatus brought before the public vividly, 
 and as nothing else could, the work that was being 
 done along our treacherous coasts by our heroic 
 lifeboatmen. 
 
 At a bound Lifeboat Saturday rose to popu- 
 larity, and the movement spread and grew until 
 these demonstrations became a popular feature in 
 the life of many cities and towns in the country. 
 Manchester and Salford, which had formerly con- 
 tributed only about £200 per annum to the 
 funds, soon averaged over £4,000 per annum, and 
 
 192
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 Lancashire and Yorkshire raised their contri- 
 butions from £0,000 to £21,000 in the first 
 year. In initiating and prosecuting this work 
 in its early \'ears I had the great advantage 
 not only of being a voluntary worker, but in 
 halving practical experience of lifeboat work 
 and its dangers. At the same time, as a 
 business man, I had considerable experience of 
 organization. 
 
 The year 181)1. found the m()\cment in full 
 swing. Liverpool led off with a monster cyclists' 
 parade and a lifeboat regatta, and (ilasgow. Dews- 
 bury and Batley came next, holding their demon- 
 strations on the same day and creating the utmost 
 enthusiasm for the cause. The Edinburgh demon- 
 stration, which followed soon afterwards, was 
 especially memorable. 'J'he great Lifeboat Satur- 
 day gathering in the Scottish capital on the slopes 
 overlooking St. Margaret's Loch was paralleled 
 only by that of the famous review day of 1881. 
 The procession had a number of features peculiarly 
 its own. The band of the I'ith Lancers, mounted, 
 led the way, and among the numerous other bands 
 in attendance was that of the Black Watch. Her 
 Majesty's Ship Galatea, too, sent a detachment, 
 and fire brigades, trades imionists, friendly society 
 members, co-operators and ambulance corps were 
 there in thousands. Great interest was taken also 
 
 '93
 
 Recollections 
 
 in the turnout by the Newhaven fish- wives, some 
 of whom gave illustrations of baiting lines and 
 mending nets, while the youngest and bonniest 
 went round with creels to collect the gifts of the 
 spectators. 
 
 Sheffield had a procession three miles long, 
 with Grace Darling and her father personated 
 sitting in a boat ; and Birmingham made one of 
 the most remarkable displays in the country. 
 The imposing street demonstration took half an 
 hour to pass a given point, and the crowds in the 
 streets were compared in size with those on the 
 occasions of Queen Victoria's visit or the Bright 
 celebration and the welcome given to Kossuth, 
 the hero of Hungarian freedom. In addition to 
 witnessing the most notable pageant that had ever 
 graced the streets of the city, Birmingham on 
 Lifeboat Saturday gave itself up to rejoicings 
 everywhere, and, beyond the usual life-saving dis- 
 plays, celebrated the occasion with military 
 manoeuvres, balloon ascents and an aquatic gala, 
 which alone was attended by 40,000 people. 
 Everywhere, indeed, there was an abounding en- 
 thusiasm for the demonstrations, which went on 
 right through the summer and autumn of the 
 year. 
 
 In the Lifeboat Journal of the Royal National 
 Lifeboat Institution, on August 1, 1894, the 
 
 194
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 following reference was made to the work : 
 *' We cannot but specially mention Mr. and 
 Mrs. Macara, both of whom have thrown 
 themsehes heart and soul into the work, 
 and ha\e done wonders in developing the 
 Lifeboat Saturday and i^adies' Conuiiittee 
 movements, of which they were respectively 
 the originators." 
 
 'I'hat the great campaign was amply justified 
 and eminently successful is shown by the figures 
 for 1919, the last annual report available. The 
 income of the Institution when I made my appeal 
 to the public in 1891 was £42,000, from subscrip- 
 tions, donations, contributions from branches, and 
 interest on investments. The income from the 
 same sources in 1919 was £137,000. Although 
 this sum is £37,000 more than I estimated as 
 adequate to put the organization on a sound 
 footing when I commenced the popular campaign 
 in 1891, it has to be remembered that the expense 
 of carrying on such a work as this has largely 
 increased in the past thirty years, and, considering 
 the difference in values, the margin to-day is still 
 quite inadequate to keep the service abreast of 
 the times in all directions. At present a very 
 urgent appeal is being made for the supply of 
 motor lifeboats; wherever they can be used, they 
 have great advantages over the present lifeboats, 
 
 195
 
 Recollections 
 
 but they are very expensive. Had it not been 
 for the large addition to the funds for which I 
 asked, there is no doubt that the efficiency of the 
 service would have been gravely imperilled and 
 the activities of the Institution would have been 
 curtailed in many directions. It is gratifying to 
 note that in the period of which I speak — 
 1891-1919 — the number of Hves saved which the 
 Institution has to its credit has risen from 35,000 
 to 58,000. 
 
 It must not be imagined that the results of 
 the lifeboat campaign I led were obtained without 
 a stupendous amount of work. Looking back 
 upon it, one wonders how it was done, especially 
 as all the organization for the initial demonstra- 
 tions was done from my own house at St. iVnnes, 
 while my own business claims and other work of 
 a public nature had at the same time to be 
 attended to. It was another case of the busy man 
 being able to find time for everything; but here 
 I must say, and say with all gratitude and admira- 
 tion, that I never could have accomplished half I 
 did had it not been for the constant help and 
 untiring devotion of my wife. Great as was my 
 enthusiasm for the Hfeboat work, it did not exceed 
 hers; she unsparingly devoted her time and her 
 very special gifts to the interests and material 
 welfare of our Ufeboatmen. Not only did she 
 
 196
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 throw herself heart and soul into the work of 
 succouring those whom the St. Annes disaster had 
 bereft, but when all that could possibly be done 
 had been done for the widows and orphans, she 
 turned with me to the greater work of bringing 
 home to the mass of the people the work of this 
 great life-saving organization and of placing it on 
 a stable financial basis. 
 
 It is to my wife that credit is due chiefly for 
 the popularizing of the lifeboat movement among 
 women. Women, as is well known, always admire 
 heroism, and England's mothers and daughters, 
 once their sympathies were awakened, became 
 enthusiastic in the cause. My wife was the means 
 of establishing the first Ladies' Auxiliary Com- 
 mittee in Manchester and Salford, and gave 
 assistance to the numerous other ladies' commit- 
 tees which followed, and, later, she joined in an 
 appeal to the women of England. Her letter, 
 supporting that of Mr. E. G. McConnel, of 
 Manchester, will show better than I can 
 how much she had the interest of the lifeboat 
 cause at heart. The main part of the letter 
 ran : 
 
 " The earnest ai)peal to the women of England 
 to help in the lifeboat cause which has been made 
 by Mr. E. G. McConnel, of Manchester, will, I 
 
 ^ 197
 
 Recollections 
 
 feel sure, meet with even a more hearty response 
 than his last year's one, entitled, ' Women and 
 Children First.' The graphic way in which he 
 described his own experience of seeing a lifeboat 
 put out to sea in a whole gale against wind and 
 tide must have touched many a woman's heart. 
 I, too, have seen a lifeboat launched in a 
 fearful storm, and have waited and watched, 
 with the wives and mothers of the crew, 
 all through the long hours of a wild Decem- 
 ber night for the return of the brave men 
 who went out to save, but, alas ! returned no 
 more. 
 
 " Such are the sacrifices which the humble 
 homes of our fisher-folk are called upon from 
 time to time to make. Surely the wives and 
 daughters of England will not be behind in doing 
 their share towards the maintenance of this noble 
 volunteer force ! ' ' 
 
 The " Lifeboat Saturday " was intended to 
 rouse enthusiasm in the inland centres of popula- 
 tion, but it was felt that in the coast places where 
 the lifeboat work was known, a more systematic 
 method of obtaining annual subscriptions was 
 required. In order to do this a Ladies' Auxiliary 
 Committee was appointed in St. Annes thirty 
 years ago, and has carried on this w^ork ever since, 
 
 198
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 the aim being nut only to raise suHicient money 
 for carrying on the work locally, but to remit a 
 sufficient sum to the parent institution tor the 
 supply of stores and the upkeep of the boats 
 stationed at St. Annes. This plan has been 
 most successful, and if adopted in all coast 
 places would largely increase the funds of the 
 Institution. 
 
 'J'hus while my wife was working out the 
 details for the organization of the ladies' com- 
 mittees which have been the means of raising so 
 much money for the lifeboat cause, I, at the 
 request of the committee of management of the 
 Royal National I^ifeboat Institution, supple- 
 mented my work for the universal recognition of 
 Lifeboat Saturday by formulating a comprehen- 
 sive scheme for further procedure and develop- 
 ment. By this scheme the whole of Great Britain 
 and Ireland was divided into six districts, and 
 every class and section was made to feel an interest 
 in the great work. 
 
 The first of the district committees to be 
 organized was that of the North of England. It 
 was a powerful and representati\e body, of which 
 the Earl of Derby was appointed first president 
 and I chairman of the executive conmiittee. This 
 committee of enthusiasts prosecuted its work with 
 vigour, and actually carried on the whole work 
 
 199
 
 Recollections 
 
 of the Lifeboat Saturday organization until the 
 headquarters were removed from Manchester to 
 London, in 1896, before the complete scheme 
 had been established. This premature action 
 rendered it impossible for me to continue in 
 my position, which had become an exceedingly 
 arduous one, and I consequently decided to 
 retire from it. 
 
 Although the originator of the Lifeboat Satur- 
 day movement, I attribute much of its success to 
 having always striven to acknowledge the services 
 of those who joined so heartily in this national 
 cause. I took great care that everyone should be 
 acknowledged, so far as possible, personally, in 
 the local literature of the movement. Thus the 
 immense numbers of people who gave so freely 
 of their time and labour all felt that their services 
 were appreciated. Without the co-operation of 
 these enthusiastic workers it would have been im- 
 possible to attain so notable a success as the Life- 
 boat Saturday fund became. 
 
 Although I have long since relinquished my 
 share in the national administration of the Life- 
 boat Saturday fund, which many years ago was 
 incorporated with the work of the Royal National 
 Lifeboat Institution, I have never lost touch with 
 the work of the lifeboatmen on the Lancashire 
 coast. For over thirty-five years I have superin- 
 
 300
 
 Work in the Lifeboat Cause 
 
 tended this work, and have telephonic communi- 
 cation available by night as well as by day, so 
 that the neighbouring lifeboat stations can be 
 communicated with and their co-operation secured 
 when it is necessary to go to the rescue of the 
 shipwrecked on this perilous part of the British 
 coast. 
 
 aoi
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE FREE TRADE BATTLE 
 
 TT is curious that just at the time I have taken 
 up my pen to record these recollections I should 
 find an attempt being made to revive a controversy, 
 or at least to re-introduce a pohcy, against which 
 I have fought so ardently for close upon twenty 
 years. I allude to the most recent, and certainly 
 the most insidious, of the attempts to infuse life 
 into Protection, that political snake-in-the-grass 
 which we all imagined had been scotched effectually 
 in 1910. It has not for a good many years been 
 seen in its true colours, but in the guise of war 
 necessity it has been quietly insinuating itself here 
 and there and is now pushing up its head more 
 persistently, masked as a defender of key industries. 
 In whatever form the monster has appeared I have 
 never ceased to fight against it since Mr. Joseph 
 Chamberlain brought it over from America under 
 a new name in 1903, and even before that. A 
 partial success in war time, however, will not go 
 far, especially .where Lancashire is concerned, and 
 it has to be remembered that Lancashire's voice 
 
 202
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 in financial, as in many other afiairs, is still a 
 deciding factor. 
 
 Let it be said at once that my determined 
 opposition to Protection, Tariff Reform, or .what- 
 ever this obsolete fiscal policy may be called, has 
 nothing whate\er to do with party politics. I am 
 no politician and am attached to no party, my 
 opposition being directed simply and solely to 
 the economic weakness of this retrograde and 
 stultifying movement. At the height of the 1910 
 electoral battle a notable disclaimer was made by 
 Mr. Arthur A. Haworth (now Sir Arthur A. 
 Ilaworth, Bart.), chairman of directors of the 
 Manchester Royal Exchange Company, on this 
 question of my political neutrality. As I then 
 occupied the position of president of the Federa- 
 tion of Master Cotton Spinners and was also 
 president of the International Cotton Federation, 
 several people were very angry with me for having 
 written letters to the Free Trade League and other 
 bodies setting forth my views on Tariff Reform as 
 applied to the cotton industry. They argued that 
 I was using my official position in the trade for 
 political ends. This Mr. Haworth had little diffi- 
 culty in refuting. He pointed out that I had 
 written these letters in my private capacity and 
 from my private address at St. Annes-on-the-Sea, 
 that I had always avoided party conflict in the work 
 
 203
 
 Recollections 
 
 I had done in organizing the cotton trade for the 
 general benefit of operatives and employers alike, 
 and that so well had I been able to conceal my 
 views on politics that both the great political parties 
 had at one time or another actually approached me 
 to become a candidate for parliamentary honours. 
 
 " When I see a man whom I respect," said 
 Mr. Haworth, "who has a position in the cotton 
 trade which is second to none in the whole world 
 of to-day, who has perhaps done more for the 
 cotton trade than any man who ever lived except 
 the great inventors of the self-acting mule, the 
 spinning jenny and the power loom — when I see 
 him abused as being guilty of writing these letters 
 as a political dodge, I, for one, as a private in- 
 dividual, desire to enter my protest." 
 
 Mr. Haworth added that if those who attacked 
 me would attempt to refute one single argimient 
 that I had put forward as to why we should adhere 
 to Free Trade they would do more good to their 
 cause. As a matter of fact they never did. 
 
 From my intercourse with the leading men in 
 the cotton trade of the world, and consequent 
 knowledge of the conditions under which the 
 industry was carried on both at home and abroad, 
 I was convinced that we had advantages of which 
 we should be deprived were Tariff Reform adopted 
 in England. Its adoption would, in my opinion, 
 
 204
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 not only enhance the cost of building and equipping 
 mills, but it would also increase the cost of coal and 
 other requisites for running the mills. It would 
 further increase the cost of the numerous processes 
 through which cotton passes, each of which, like 
 the building, equipping and running of mills, in- 
 volves a large amount of labour; therefore the 
 accumulated enhancement of the cost of the 
 finished fabrics would undermine our position, and 
 our gigantic export trade in cotton goods would 
 gradually pass into other hands. 
 
 The loss of a trade which stands at the head of 
 our exporting industries would not only be a 
 disaster to the millions of people directly interested 
 in it, but would seriously affect all our national 
 activities. In my opinion none would suffer more 
 severely than the great landowners, many of whom 
 seem to be the strongest advocates of Tariff 
 Reform. Their interests and those of the agri- 
 cultural classes are inseparably bound up with the 
 prosperity of our great manufacturing industries 
 and the power of these industries to maintain and 
 extend our enormous export trade. 
 
 It is always well to remember that within a 
 radius of fifty miles of the Manchester Exchange 
 there is a population of nine millions, and this area 
 forms the largest outlet for agricultural produce of 
 any similar area within the Kingdom. 
 
 205
 
 Recollections 
 
 These views have been endorsed time and again 
 both by the leaders of the operatives' trade unions 
 and virtually all the leading cotton spinners, manu- 
 facturers and merchants who do business in Man- 
 chester. They were endorsed at a notable confer- 
 ence of representatives of Capital and Labour in 
 the cotton industry over which I presided in 1903, 
 six weeks after 'Mr. Chamberlain's pronouncement 
 in favour of Tariff Reform, and they have been 
 confirmed on many occasions since. 
 
 From 1903 onward I never ceased to denounce 
 the Tariff Reform policy. I took an active part 
 in the fight that was waged at the election in 1906, 
 and both then and in 1910 we won notable victories 
 for Free Trade not only in Lancashire but through- 
 out the country. The January election in 1910 
 was perhaps more memorable than any of our 
 campaigns, and especially was it memorable for a 
 great personal contest which took place in Man- 
 chester to decide the respective merits of Free 
 Trade and Tariff Reform. Mr. Bonar Law, who 
 was supposed to have inherited the mantle of Mr. 
 Chamberlain, was so ill advised as to come to 
 Lancashire to put the whole matter to a test, and 
 decided to become the Tariff Reform candidate 
 for the North- West Division of the city in opposi- 
 tion to Sir George Kemp (now Lord Rochdale). 
 The contest evoked the keenest interest throughout 
 
 206
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 the country. On the result depended the whole 
 fortunes of Free Trade, for Conservatism as a partj' 
 was now pledged to Tariff Reform. 
 
 Manchester men saw what was at stake and 
 practically the whole of the cotton trade rallied to 
 the side of Free Trade. Leaders of the industry, 
 irrespective of politics, had been greatly concerned 
 at the definite adoption by the Conservative party 
 of the tariff policy, holding that if put into opera- 
 tion it would inflict irretrievable disaster on the 
 staple trade of the county. A manifesto was 
 accordingly prepared in support of the view I had 
 set forth, and in the space of two days the signa- 
 tures of over eight hundred representatives of the 
 great cotton firms had been obtained in addition 
 to those of representatives of subsidiary and de- 
 pendent industries and various mercantile interests. 
 The amount of capital represented in the manifesto 
 .was colossal. The manifesto was in the following 
 terms : 
 
 "We, the undersigned spinners, manufac- 
 turers and merchants connected with the cotton 
 industry, desire to state that, quite apart from 
 party politics, we unhesitatingly affirm our belief 
 not only that Free Trade is the best fiscal system 
 for the country generally, but that any resort to a 
 system of Tariff Reform w'ould serio\isly jeopardize 
 
 207
 
 Recollections 
 
 the position of the cotton trade of Lancashire and 
 so produce grave disaster to the whole country. 
 We, therefore, thoroughly endorse the views which 
 have been set forth by Mr. C. W. Macara, whose 
 position makes him particularly conversant with 
 the facts obtaining in all the cotton-using coimtries 
 in the world." 
 
 In addition to this the leaders of the operatives 
 in the cotton trade issued a manifesto in which 
 they set forth their belief that the supremacy of 
 the United Kingdom in the world's cotton trade 
 was due to our Free Trade policy, which enabled 
 us to buy the materials required for the production 
 of manufactured cotton at the lowest price without 
 the additional burden of import duties ; that this 
 minimum capital outlay and the consequent saving 
 in interest and depreciation gave manufacturers 
 here a great advantage in competition with other 
 countries ; that untaxed bread and meat and dairy 
 produce contributed to the health and efficiency of 
 the workpeople ; and that our Free Trade policy 
 opened to us all the markets of the world on the 
 terms of the most favoured nation. 
 
 The result of these appeals to the common sense 
 of the electorate was that not only was the apostle 
 of Tariff Reform defeated and Sir George Kemp 
 returned to Parliament by a large majority, but 
 
 208
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 that all Lancashire gave a \eidi('t tor Free Trade 
 more emphatic than it did in lt)0(l. 
 
 One matter of personal interest during that 
 election is worth recalling. Following Mr. 
 Chamberlain's lead, the Tariff Ket'ormers were con- 
 stantly making the statement that as a result of 
 Free Trade policy we had lost and were losing 
 many of our trades, and that the cotton trade 
 itself was getting near to the \erge of ruin. As 
 a proof of this they took statements I had made 
 from time to time regarding the relationship that 
 existed between Capital and Labour before the 
 Brooklands' Agreement, and the effect these con- 
 ditions would have upon an industry dependent 
 so largely for its business upon export trade, and 
 twisted them into " the opinions of Mr. Macara " 
 as supporting Tariff' Reform. What I argued was 
 that these labour troubles placed in the hands of 
 our foreign competitors extra sinews of war, seeing 
 that their profits were enhanced through the stop- 
 page of the English industry and thus gave them 
 the opportunity for expanding their productive 
 powers to the detriment of our position as a great 
 exporting nation. 
 
 At that time we were undoubtedly suffering 
 from depression in the cotton trade, but the cause 
 of it was not anything that had arisen out of our 
 fiscal policy, but was due entirely to the manage- 
 
 209
 
 Recollections 
 
 ment of our own domestic affairs, to the twenty 
 weeks' strike and other hibour troubles we had 
 had for many years before the employers and 
 employed had met and settled their differences at 
 the Brooklands Hotel. As to the general trend 
 of trade throughout the world, I may add that 
 England was not the only country affected by 
 the depression, it being general in every cotton- 
 manufacturing country whether Protectionist or 
 not. 
 
 However, the Tariff' Reform organ in Man- 
 chester printed these previous statements in big 
 type, taking a whole page to set them out, and 
 they were used freely at the meetings held by the 
 Protectionists. I took no action for some time, 
 but when Mr. Bonar Law came down to Man- 
 chester and began to use quotations from them to 
 support his arguments I considered the matter 
 had gone far enough. I therefore wrote to him 
 and told him that the statements referred to had 
 nothing to do with fiscal matters and that if he 
 continued to use them in that connexion I should 
 have to expose the erroneous interpretation he was 
 putting on my words. I was careful again to 
 explain that what I did had nothing to do with 
 politics ; all I wanted was fair play and the use of 
 my words in their proper context. Mr. Bonar 
 Law did not openly avow his mistake or make any 
 
 2IO
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 public explanation, but he ceased to refer to the 
 matter, and I allowed it to drop. 
 
 It is only those engaged in the cotton trade 
 who recognize how fallacious are the statements 
 upon which the Tariff Reformer bases his argu- 
 ments. He is fond of talking, for instance, of the 
 growth of the imports from other manufacturing 
 countries, but he seems to be quite ignorant of the 
 fact that a considerable part of these imports are 
 goods that have been made in Lancashire, exported 
 to other countries for some special process, such as 
 finishing or dyeing, and then sent back to England, 
 in many cases for re-export. 
 
 During the past half-century the world's de- 
 mand for cotton goods has trebled. If, in face 
 of that demand, many countries have entered 
 upon cotton manufacturing for themselves, such a 
 development was only to be expected. The result 
 has not been to cut off our trade but to en- 
 courage greater variety and excellence of fabrics. 
 Notwithstanding great developments in other 
 countries, England has well maintained her pre- 
 ponderating position, owning to-day nearly one- 
 half of the world's spindles and exporting about 
 three-quarters of the production of these spindles 
 and of the dependent machinery to all parts of the 
 globe. What this means to this country can be 
 judged from the fact that these exports represent 
 
 211
 
 Recollections 
 
 a third of our total exports of all manufactures, 
 and in money \alue in 1920, as I have previously 
 mentioned, it represented considerably over 
 £400,000,000. Lancashire, then, need have no 
 fear, always supposing that she retains her old 
 skill and enterprise. Tariff Reform is an appeal to 
 timidity. It does not fit the temper of Lancashire. 
 
 What we must do to-day is to see that no 
 change is made in our fiscal policy by any of those 
 subterfuges the Government have been fond of 
 practising during and since the war. Already there 
 have been serious encroachments upon the domain 
 of Free Trade. The first step in the revival of 
 Protection, although it was said that that was not 
 its purpose, was the imposition in 1915 of an 
 import duty of 834 per cent, upon foreign motors 
 and other articles. War considerations gave a 
 certain amount of plausibility to the arguments in 
 favour of the tax, but the point to be noticed now 
 is that, although the war considerations have passed 
 away, the tax still continues and there is no talk 
 in Government quarters of removing it. It is to 
 be noted, too, that it has had no effect in saving 
 the British motor manufacturing industry in 1920. 
 
 The next move was an import prohibition, 
 specially directed against German dyes, which was 
 not even in accordance with law, and was uncere- 
 moniously quashed in a judgment by Mr. Justice 
 
 31?
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 Sankey. Then in 1919 came the Right Hon. 
 Austen Chamberlain's system of Imperial Prefer- 
 ence on tea, coffee, sugar, spirits, wines, tobacco 
 and other things — a small thing no doubt, but one 
 which will be carried farther if the country is not 
 alive to the situation ; while later the Government 
 set at nought Mr. Justice Sankey *s judgment by 
 carrying through Parliament a Bill to impose 
 severe restrictions upon the importation of 
 German and other dyes. 
 
 Much play, too, has been made with the phrase 
 *' key industries," and in order to catch the ear 
 of our Protectionist Cabinet a variety of things 
 have suddenly jumped into importance under 
 that designation. Even toy makers claimed 
 that theirs was a key industry, though to what 
 it was a key has never been made clear. The 
 Government drew the line at toys, but by means 
 of a Bill recently introduced they have protected 
 many other industries by imposing 33i per cent, 
 tariffs on imports which are suspected of being 
 dumped or favoured in their production by low 
 rates of exchange. 
 
 For my own part I am neither in favour of 
 legislative interference with the supply of dyes 
 nor of an Anti-Dumping Bill. Lancashire needs 
 free access to all the finest colours, wherever pro- 
 duced, and cannot afford to let foreign competitors 
 o 213
 
 Recollections 
 
 have an advantage in this respect, as they must 
 have under the restrictions imposed by the Act of 
 January, 1921. No doubt we were much to blame 
 for not having developed the dye industry long 
 ago, seeing how vital it is to the textile trades. 
 We had all the chemical skill and inventiveness 
 necessary, but I suppose it must have been that 
 our textile manufacturers were so much occupied 
 in their own work, and so generally prosperous, 
 that it did not occur to them that it was desirable 
 to establish a strong dye manufacturing industry in 
 this country. While Germany was engaged with 
 dyes we were engaged in developing our mechanical 
 equipment, as is shown by the fact that in the ten 
 years immediately preceding the outbreak of war 
 w^e added 12,000,000 to our spindles, or a million 
 more than Germany has altogether, notwithstand- 
 ing that she has been in the trade for a hundred 
 years. It is interesting to note, too, that the 
 number of spindles we added in the decade pre- 
 ceding 1914 was equal to the whole of the spindles 
 in India, China and Japan, although they have 
 been developing cotton spinning and manufactur- 
 ing in those countries for about seventy -five years. 
 Anti-dumping Bills will not make us immune 
 from the importation of goods which foreigners 
 offer at low prices. There are some goods which 
 even a duty of SSi per cent, will not keep out, 
 
 214
 
 The Free Trade Battle 
 
 owing to being produced in countries whose cur- 
 rencies are temporarily depreciated tar more than 
 that, and surely it is obvious to everybody that we 
 only buy dumped goods because we find it to our 
 advantage to do so. Some of them, indeed, are 
 the raw materials of more complex industries we 
 are engaged in here, and we only handicap ourselves 
 in high-class work if we shut out the low-class 
 materials which others, who ha\e a lower standard 
 of living, can make more cheaply than we are 
 prepared to make them. 
 
 'i'here is no doubt whatever that the levelling 
 up of hours and wages in foreign countries to a 
 standard approximating with the hours and wages 
 in this country, which is now taking place, will do 
 more than all the tariffs to maintain the pre- 
 eminence of the cotton trade in England. I 
 cannot do better than give the closing remarks of 
 Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman in an address he 
 gave in Bolton at the height of the Tariff Reform 
 controversy in 1903. He quoted from my speech 
 at the joint conference, already referred to, of 
 the representatives of the organized employers and 
 operatives in the cotton industry some weeks after 
 Mr. Chamberlain had launched his scheme for 
 Tariff Reform. At this meeting a resolution was 
 passed practically unanimously condemning these 
 proposals. Sir Henry said : '* I ha\e some words 
 
 215
 
 Recollections 
 
 here which I have reserved to the very close of 
 my remarks, in order to give more emphasis to 
 them. They are the words which were used by a 
 friend of mine, Mr. Macara, president of the 
 Cotton Employers' Federation. He said : ' It 
 may, I think, be taken that intelligent and foster- 
 ing legislation, harmonious relationship between 
 Capital and Labour, enterprise to secure a plenti- 
 ful supply of raw material, energy, ability, and 
 skill on the part of both employers and work- 
 people, and economy in the cost of production, are 
 the main factors that will enable us to continue 
 to secure a fair share of the world's trade. I 
 venture to express the opinion, at all events, that 
 these conditions form the most secure basis any 
 great commercial nation can rest upon which is 
 dependent upon foreign trade for such a large 
 proportion of its employment.' " 
 
 2lt»
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 THE HEALTH insurance act 
 
 A PART from the campaign I led in opposition 
 to Mr. Joseph Chamberlain and his Tariff 
 Reform scheme, no other crusade in which I was 
 concerned was so fiercely fought as that in which 
 I was engaged when the Right Hon. D. Lloyd 
 George introduced his German scheme of National 
 Health Insurance. 
 
 I entered into the keenest opposition to the Bill 
 from the very start, as I saw in it nothing but a 
 sheer waste of our resources, while it was clear to 
 all but those blinded by political prejudice that its 
 incidence would be a heavy tax upon industry and 
 would work most inequitably as between one trade 
 and another. 
 
 Primarily, of course, I was concerned for my 
 own industry of cotton, where I could see that 
 employers would be penalized to an extent far 
 beyond what was just, and altogether out of pro- 
 portion to other trades which required much less 
 manual help to carry on their business. An in- 
 dustry the wages in which represented 50 per cent, 
 of the cost of production would obviously be unduly 
 
 217
 
 Recollections 
 
 handicapped in comparison with other industries 
 where much less labour was employed in proportion 
 to the capital invested, while coal, upon which the 
 cotton trade depended so largely, would be in an 
 even worse position than cotton. The wages in the 
 coal industry at that time were fully 70 per cent, 
 of the cost of production. Now the position in the 
 industry is even worse, for wages have reached 
 quite 80 per cent, of the total cost. 
 
 Again, I calculated that the proposals in the 
 Bill, to an ordinary cotton spinning company, 
 would be equivalent to an increase in the income 
 tax of Is. 4d. in the pound, while a further great 
 injustice was that in all business the ordinary share- 
 holders would have to bear the whole burden, the 
 debenture-holders, preference shareholders, dis- 
 tributors (both home trade and shipping) and the 
 bankers being almost exempt. Thus the " idle 
 rich " Mr. Lloyd George talked about so much at 
 that time would go scot free while the workers and 
 the employers in our industries found all the money 
 to carry on this wasteful system of insurance. 
 
 It was altogether bad business. What Mr. 
 Lloyd George ought to have done before he 
 launched his Insurance Bill was what Mr. Cham- 
 berlain ought to have done before he started his 
 crusade on Tariff Reform. He ought to have con- 
 sulted half a dozen of the foremost men in industry 
 
 218
 
 The Health Insurance Act 
 
 along with half a dozen of the most prominent men 
 representing labour, and I undertake to say that 
 we should never have heard again of cither of these 
 foolish projects. No statesman who is not a prac- 
 tical business man can possibly have the experience 
 of those who have devoted their lives to conducting 
 the great industries upon which our national 
 existence depends, and in my opinion a prudent 
 Minister of State would be glad of the advice that 
 such men could give him. Few politicians, how- 
 ever, are out to do things on business lines ; they 
 are too much concerned in estimating things from 
 the standpoint of the personal kudos to be obtained 
 from anything they undertake. 
 
 In July, 1911, I wrote privately to Mr. Lloyd 
 George, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, putting 
 before him my views regarding the effect this Bill 
 would ha^•e upon the staple industries of the 
 country, and urging him not to hurry the Bill, but 
 to give it the mature consideration in all its bear- 
 ings that its importance demanded. I pointed out 
 to him that I yielded to no man in my anxiety to 
 improve the position of the masses of the people ; 
 that I was, as a matter of fact, in favour of the 
 principle of his Bill, but that as it stood I believed 
 it to be ill-considered and inequitable both to 
 employers and workpeople. 
 
 My communications were simply acknowledged 
 219
 
 Recollections 
 
 by his secretary, and no attempt was made to meet 
 my arguments. Being unsuccessful in making 
 any impression by private negotiation, I attacked 
 the Bill publicly through the Press, the outcome of 
 which was a succession of great protest meetings 
 in various parts of the United Kingdom. The 
 Chancellor hardened his heart against all offers of 
 advice and assistance, and the Bill was passed into 
 law willy-nilly, the second reading being actually 
 taken without a division. 
 
 The Times and many other papers were in 
 agreement with the employers of Lancashire that 
 the Bill ought to be held up until it was properly 
 understood and discussed. In a leading article one 
 paper suggested that the House of Lords might 
 append an amendment to the Bill on the ground of 
 lack of time, inadequate discussion in the House of 
 Commons, and adverse feeling in the country, this 
 amendment to provide that the Bill should not 
 become law until it had been approved by the 
 country. That, the newspaper said, would be a 
 simple, effective and popular way of meeting the 
 situation. 
 
 Evidently a large number of business people 
 thought the same, for only a day or two before this 
 appeared in the Times I received a manifesto, 
 signed by 18,000 employers of labour, associating 
 themselves with me in demanding the postpone- 
 
 220
 
 The Health Insurance Act 
 
 ment of the National Health Insurance Bill until 
 a better opportunity had been given tor consider- 
 ing " its novel proposals, its intricate details, its 
 heavy taxation, its inequalities and its far-reaching 
 effect upon the interests of both Capital and 
 Labour. ' ' The list of names appended to the mani- 
 festo was but a fragmentary one, hastily prepared, 
 and many important names were unavoidably 
 omitted. The whole of the work of collecting the 
 signatures had been done in four or five days. 
 
 All our efforts were to no purpose, however. 
 The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his masterful 
 way, had set his mind on having his pet scheme 
 placed upon the Statute Book, and he allowed 
 nothing to turn him aside. Much of his legislation 
 has been of the same kind. Mr. Lloyd George and 
 his friends were all for waiving discussion and con- 
 sideration and giving the measure a trial, a system 
 which would be disastrous indeed if applied to 
 business affairs generally. We wanted the con- 
 sideration of the scheme to come first, not after 
 machinery for working the Bill had been set up all 
 over the country at tremendous cost. 
 
 There was, however, time for a protest to be 
 made to the House of Lords, and this took the 
 form of a big demonstration at the Association 
 Hall, Manchester, on December 8, 1911, when no 
 fewer than *20G branches of industry in the Midland
 
 Recollections 
 
 and Northern Counties of England and the North 
 of Ireland were represented. The great gathering, 
 taxing the hall to its utmost capacity, roundly 
 denounced the Bill and passed with great acclama- 
 tion the following resolution : 
 
 " That this meeting, representing the great 
 trades in the North of England, Midland Counties 
 and the North of Ireland respectfully urges the 
 Houses of Parliament to postpone the National 
 Insurance Bill for further consideration, on the 
 grounds (1) that it has been inadequately discussed 
 in Parliament and is not understood nor sanctioned 
 by the country ; (2) that it is unequal both in 
 the incidence of taxation and the distribution of 
 benefits ; and (3) that it will gravely imperil the 
 productive industries of this country." 
 
 This resolution I moved from the chair, and it 
 was seconded by Sir Algernon Firth, vice-chairman 
 of the Associated Chambers of Commerce. The 
 promoters of the meeting afterwards decided to 
 send a copy of the resolution to the Prime Minister 
 and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of 
 Commons, and also to Viscount Morley and the 
 Marquess of Lansdowne, the two leaders in the 
 House of Lords, who were to be asked to receive 
 a deputation. 
 
 This gathering, backed by similar protest meet- 
 ings in Glasgow and London, was held on a Friday, 
 
 222
 
 The Health Insurance Act 
 
 and we found that it would be impossible to make 
 arrangements for the deputation, seeing that the 
 Bill was to come before the Lords on the Monday 
 following. The time was short, but I determined 
 that something should be done to bring our protest 
 before the members of the House of Lords before 
 they met to decide the fate of the Bill. I therefore 
 had printed the big employers' manifesto, with a 
 selection of the names of those who had signed it, 
 and published this three-column protest and de- 
 mand for postponement in the Sunday papers first 
 of all, and in the Times of Monday morning. In 
 addition I saw to it that every member of the 
 House of Lords had a copy placed in his hands 
 before he started for the House. It was a huge 
 undertaking, and would have been effective, no 
 doubt, had not the members of the Upper House 
 thought fit to give way to expediency rather than 
 take a firm stand on principle. 
 
 A good deal of newspaper controversy followed 
 the meeting held in the Association Hall, our 
 opponents contending that the gathering was not 
 representative of the employers of the North and 
 doing everything to disparage the campaign. It 
 was a curious attitude to take in \ iew of the fact 
 that we had some of the best-known names in the 
 commercial world on our list, and a contention that 
 looked extremely foolish when comparisons were 
 
 22X
 
 Recollections 
 
 made with the names of those chosen by Mr. Lloyd 
 George as an advisory committee to assist in work- 
 ing the Act. Those who were pressed into service 
 to represent the cotton trade, greatest of all our 
 manufacturing industries, were, if not unknown, 
 totally without influence, and the same may be 
 said of many other commercial and industrial 
 interests represented. 
 
 Taking advantage of one of the provisions of 
 the Insurance Act that its operations could be 
 postponed for six months, if necessary, I, in my 
 private capacity, organized a deputation to wait 
 upon Mr. Asquith, the then Prime Minister. It 
 was representative of all the industries in the 
 country except agriculture, and was estimated to 
 have behind it a capital of £2,000,000,000. Yet, 
 although it is doubtful whether a deputation such 
 as this had ever been organized before, it was 
 declined a hearing, which is sufficient commentary 
 itself of the high-handed way in which the Insur- 
 ance measure was carried through. Mr. Asquith's 
 action created great indignation and was one of 
 the worst blunders he made during his term in the 
 Premiership. 
 
 In a purely personal capacity I took no further 
 action, although I was asked in 1916 to serve on 
 the Committee of Investigation which had been 
 called for owing to the unsatisfactory working of 
 
 224
 
 The Health Insurance Act 
 
 the measure. I was unable at the time, however, 
 to imdertake the work and delegated my duties to 
 another. I may say that that inquiry amply justi- 
 fied all the employers had said ot" the measure, and 
 all the opposition which the Bill had to meet before 
 it was passed. 
 
 After the protest meeting referred to I was 
 requested by the seconder of the resolution and 
 other prominent men not to allow a great move- 
 ment like this to fall into abeyance. It ought, it 
 was said on every side, to be placed on a permanent 
 footing, and I decided to comply with the requests 
 made to me. In doing so I became involved in 
 another strenuous campaign. I entered vigorously 
 into a scheme for establishing an Employers' Par- 
 liamentary Association, a non-party organization 
 whose main purpose at the outset was to carry on 
 the work so splendidly initiated by the protest 
 against the National Insurance Bill, and endeavour 
 by every legitimate means to postpone the applica- 
 tion of the Insurance Act until its provisions were 
 made acceptable to employees and workpeople. 
 Apart from this it was hoped to provide an effec- 
 tive medium for imited action by all branches of 
 industry and commerce, and to set up machinery 
 by which the opinion of employers of labour could 
 be obtained on any present or prospective legisla- 
 tion affecting industry and commerce. The trend 
 
 225
 
 Recollections 
 
 of legislation made it highly desirable that business 
 men should be able collectively to take action and 
 to insist upon being consulted on all matters affect- 
 ing industry and commerce. 
 
 The new body soon assumed large dimensions, 
 embracing in its membership forty federations and 
 associations and a large number of leading firms 
 throughout the country. That its functions were 
 of a very comprehensive and important nature is 
 amply demonstrated in the five annual reports 
 issued of its work. The last report, issued in 
 January, 1917, dealt with many other things 
 besides National Insurance — industrial unrest, 
 industry and finance, alien indebtedness, scientific 
 research, patents, transport facilities, a Ministry 
 of Commerce, the formation of a comprehensive 
 body representing all British industries, and a 
 variety of other subjects. Its constitution sug- 
 gested boundless possibilities, but vmfortunately 
 at the end of five years, during which time I had 
 held the office of president continuously, its whole 
 aims and objects were transformed and its early 
 ideals suffered eclipse. It became merged with a 
 body known as the Federation of British Indus- 
 tries and lost its whole identity, and I withdrew 
 from the presidency. 
 
 The result was most regrettable, and all the 
 more so that by this change the Association missed 
 
 226
 
 The Health Insurance Act 
 
 the opportunity of performing an exceptional 
 service to the cause of industrial peace and 
 amity. It was a time when a body such as the 
 Employers' Parliamentary Association had become 
 was never more wanted. Just before the amal- 
 gamation took place we had received a request 
 from the Parliamentary Committee of the Trade 
 Union Congress for a meeting of their representa- 
 tives with the representatives of the Employers' 
 Parliamentary Association for the purpose of dis- 
 cussing means whereby Capital and Labour might 
 be brought into more cordial relationship. It was 
 an opportunity rich with promise and one particu- 
 larly gratifying to me, seeing that I had laboured 
 for so long to bring about just such a rapproche- 
 vient between the two parties. It was the chance 
 of a lifetime ruined by a comparatively few who 
 brought about an amalgamation at a critical time, 
 and with a body who had not at all the same ends 
 in view. The misfortune was due, as in so many 
 other cases, to the apathy of the great majority 
 of members who allowed a resolution to be 
 carried which was but vaguely understood. The 
 fusion was accomplished at a meeting thinly 
 attended. 
 
 Owing to this amalgamation the negotiations 
 between the representatives of Capital and Labour 
 were allowed to fall through after but a single
 
 Recollections 
 
 meeting had been held. It was something more 
 than a mischance that led to this taking place ; 
 it was a calamity, and it may be long before such 
 a golden opportunity occurs again. Labour, how- 
 ever, deserves every credit tor its laudable inten- 
 tion, while at the same time a grave responsibility 
 rests with those who frustrated this splendid 
 attempt at conciliating the two great forces of 
 industry. 
 
 238
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 WORK IN THE GREAT WAR 
 
 TT is a responsibility resting upon those who 
 conduct large industrial or commercial concerns 
 that they should consider it part of their duty 
 to take an interest in all public movements 
 that have for their aim the national welfare. 
 This applies not only to movements for the 
 benefit of industry and commerce, but for the 
 social welfare of the people, including national 
 philanthropic schemes. In the success of all such 
 schemes thorough and comprehensive organization 
 is essential. Having had exceptional experience 
 in work of this kind, I have always been ready 
 to place at the disposal of the Government or the 
 organizers of any national philanthropic scheme 
 the results of this experience. So far back as the 
 South African War I launched a scheme of 
 centralization and decentralization, and one that 
 was both national and local in its working — first, 
 in collecting funds, and then in their distribu- 
 tion — which effectively prevented overlapping 
 and consequent misuse. Its general adoption 
 would have engendered enthusiasm and prevented 
 
 P 22Q
 
 Recollections 
 
 what so often happens — local jealousy and sub- 
 sequent competition. This scheme was admitted 
 by many to be an excellent one, but for complete 
 success it had to be carried out in its entirety, 
 which was not done. 
 
 Within a few days of the outbreak of the 
 Great War two representatives of the Govern- 
 ment were sent to Manchester to make investiga- 
 tions as to the effect the war would have on the 
 cotton industry, an industry which imports all its 
 raw material and exports over three-quarters of 
 its manufactures. The keeping of this industry 
 going as much as possible was a matter of supreme 
 importance, and the financial strain caused by so 
 sudden a catastrophe as the outbreak of war 
 required prompt and energetic action. The 
 representatives of the Government came to me 
 first, as the president of the Master Cotton 
 Spinners' Federation, and afterwards saw some 
 other prominent men in the cotton trade. I found 
 there was no uniform action pursued by the 
 bankers in the North ; some were exercising 
 extreme stringency, others were dealing with 
 matters liberally. Realizing the complexities of 
 cotton trade finance, both as regarded the raw 
 material and the manufactures, I recognized that 
 there were all the elements of a financial crash 
 if the position was not judiciously managed. The 
 
 230
 
 Work in the Great War 
 
 line of action I advised was that the representa- 
 tives of the Government should return to London 
 at once, and reconunend that the Northern 
 banking fraternity should be summoned to the 
 metropolis for a conference with the London 
 bankers, and endeavour to arrive at some uniform 
 action. In the event of this not being possible, 
 I suggested that the Government should back the 
 Bank of England, and that the Bank of England, 
 in turn, should back the joint stock banks, who 
 were thoroughly conversant with the financial 
 position of their customers. This line of action, 
 with certain variations, was strongly supported by 
 Sir Edward Holden, and eventually carried out. 
 Sir Edward will, I believe, go down to posterity 
 as the greatest financial authority we have ever 
 had. 
 
 Another important matter that had to be 
 dealt with was the Liverpool Cotton Market. 
 The outbreak of war was sufficient in itself to 
 bring about a financial crash in that highly sensi- 
 tive centre ; the position was aggravated by the 
 fact that the largest cotton crop the world had 
 ever grown was beginning to be marketed, and 
 concurrently with this wc had an additional 
 difficulty in the fact that two large cotton-con- 
 suming countries — Germany and Austria — usually 
 bought their year's supply between August and 
 
 231
 
 Recollections 
 
 the end of the year, but were then, of course, out 
 of the market. This combination of circum- 
 stances, it was apparent, could only lead to one 
 result, viz. a glut of raw material, a great reduc- 
 tion in price and severe financial loss to everyone 
 engaged in the industry, from the grower to the 
 distributor. Therefore, a further precautionary 
 measure was taken by the temporary closing of 
 the Liverpool Cotton Market. Thus a financial 
 crash was averted. 
 
 I next turned my attention to dealing with 
 the cotton crop of the world. In connexion with 
 the International Cotton Federation, of which I 
 was president, a secret service, so far as regarded 
 the individuals who contributed the information 
 were concerned, had been carried on for a number 
 of years by which figures were collected and 
 tabulated of the yearly consumption of cotton by 
 each country, and a half-yearly tabulation made 
 of the stocks of cotton held in each country was 
 issued simultaneously to all the spinners. I went 
 to London and submitted this tabulation to all 
 the Government offices that were interested in 
 the matter. In these figures was included the 
 cotton used by the enemy countries, and I 
 made a proposal that it would materially mitigate 
 the situation if England and America, the 
 two preponderating factors in the growing and 
 
 232
 
 Work in the Great War 
 
 manufacturing ul' cotton, could employ the 
 organizations that handled the cotton crop of the 
 world to purchase the surplus created by the 
 imusually large crop and the reduction in demand 
 through enemy countries being out of the market, 
 and by this means secure a reserve of cotton 
 which would have been an inestimable benefit to 
 the industry, and would also have had the effect 
 of averting enormous loss. This was a business 
 proposition in the interest of the growers and 
 traders in both countries. The scheme was 
 adopted in Egypt and India, but to be a success 
 had to be carried out universally, and this was 
 not done. 
 
 Prior to the war the cotton industry of the 
 world was developing at the rate of four million 
 spindles per annum, which was in excess of the 
 raw material available ; consequently the price of 
 cotton had ruled high. My proposition of taking 
 advantage of the peculiar circumstances would not 
 only have saved enormous loss — cotton being a 
 commodity .which, if properly packed, can be 
 stored for years without deterioration — but would 
 have done much more. The neutral countries 
 might have been rationed in accordance with their 
 known requirements, as given yearly by them- 
 selves, thus preventing them from making ab- 
 normal purchases and supplying enemy countries, 
 
 233
 
 Recollections 
 
 as they did largely during the first twelve months 
 of the war. Cotton is necessary not only for 
 clothing, but is also an indispensable ingredient 
 in the manufacture of explosives. In this pro- 
 position, however, I was not only not supported 
 by the general committee of the Master Cotton 
 Spinners' Federation, who took the view that it 
 was to their advantage to get cotton at the lowest 
 price, even at the expense of the ruin of the 
 growers upon whom they were dependent for the 
 supply of the raw material, but they passed a 
 resolution with the object of limiting my freedom 
 of action ; and this led me to resign a position I 
 had held for twenty-one years, in order that I 
 could continue work I considered essential to the 
 welfare of all, untrammelled by any such con- 
 ditions. That my proposals were justified has 
 been amply proved by what occurred. American 
 cotton fell from 7|^d. to 4d. per pound, a long 
 way below the cost of production ; and, although 
 official statistics did not show this, the same cotton 
 rose later to 45d. per pound, enhancing the cost 
 of clothing immensely. When it is considered 
 that a rise or fall in value of a halfpenny per pound 
 on the average cotton crop of the world represents 
 no less a sum than £20,000,000, it will be realized 
 how this enormous enhancement was brought 
 about, and how serious was the inaction and lack of 
 
 234-.
 
 Work in the Great War 
 
 foresight displayed by the Governments appealed 
 to in not adopting the advice proffered at the com- 
 mencement of the war. The neglect to adopt the 
 suggestion also led to the serious prolongation of 
 the war, with all its attendant loss of life and 
 treasure. Now that the war is ended, we are 
 suffering from the effects of a slump from the 
 exceptionally high prices, which by foresight 
 might have been greatly minimized if not 
 altogether averted. 
 
 A graver aspect of the question as to how 
 cotton should have been handled under war con- 
 ditions was that which concerned its uses in the 
 manufacture of explosives. Here again, I regret 
 to say, all early warnings to the Government fell 
 upon deaf ears. As will be seen, I wanted at 
 the outset of war to stop the flow of cotton int(^ 
 enemy countries. Acting upon this plan, the 
 Government could have made cotton contraband 
 at the beginning of hostilities, and could have 
 rationed neutrals upon something like their pre- 
 war level. We know^ what happened. Cotton 
 continued to flow into enemy countries without 
 very much hindrance, and an agitation had to be 
 carried on in the thirteenth month of the war 
 before any action in the matter was taken. Per- 
 haps this was the greatest and most cruel paradox 
 of the gigantic struggle. We knew that cotton 
 
 235
 
 Recollections 
 
 was an indispensable ingredient of high explosives, 
 and we could have little doubt as to the uses to 
 which Germany was putting the supplies which 
 were allowed to pass through. I felt very deeply 
 indeed upon this matter, being unable to compre- 
 hend the motives the Administration had for its 
 costly and seemingly callous inaction. I helped, 
 and to a large extent led, a campaign to force 
 the Government's hands. 
 
 In August, 1915, I presided at a great meet- 
 ing in the Queen's Hall, London, and in the course 
 of my speech made use of the following words : 
 " Speaking now, after twelve months' experience 
 of the war, I feel it is an absolute necessity that 
 well-considered, strong measures must be carried 
 out which will have the effect of preventing cotton 
 from reaching enemy countries, while at the same 
 time acting fairly in the interests of neutral 
 countries and safeguarding the future welfare of 
 a great international industry." Exactly eleven 
 months before that speech was made I had 
 expressed the view that the prime factor in 
 bringing the colossal war to an end would be the 
 stoppage of the supply of food and the raw 
 materials of the cotton and other industries to 
 enemy countries ! In giving these memories now, 
 I have no other wish than to show that the Govern- 
 ment in control at that day were not prepared to 
 
 236
 
 Work in the Great War 
 
 take the advice of the people who liad spent their 
 Hvcs in deahng with practical att'airs ; but I should 
 be misunderstood if it were thought that this is 
 meant as a stricture upon one particular Govern- 
 ment, for my experience of all Governments is 
 that they prefer the way of official action, or 
 inaction, to that of carrying out advice tendered 
 to them by men whose experience entitles them 
 to be regarded as sound guides. 
 
 At the meeting in the Queen's Ilall Sir William 
 Ramsay, the eminent scientist, spoke out of his 
 great knowledge of the devastating uses to which 
 cotton could be put. A resolution impressing on 
 the Government the need to make cotton absolute 
 contraband of war was passed, and shortly after- 
 wards the Government carried it out. What a 
 waste occurred through the early blindness of our 
 statesmen ! I know that those in power had their 
 hands full, that matters crowded upon them with- 
 out cessation ; but I feel that if they had only 
 had the wisdom to listen to the advice, and 
 delegate to those who had expert knowledge such 
 work as I have described, countless lives and end- 
 less treasure would have been saved. 
 
 Asked, before America came into the war, to 
 send a message to the Press of the United States, 
 I put the above views at the very forefront of 
 what I had to say, and I warned them not to 
 
 237
 
 Recollections 
 
 multiply new departments for doing their work, 
 as we had unfortunately done on this side, and 
 the practical-minded Americans themselves saw 
 the value of spending as little effort as possible 
 on making new machinery when the old would 
 do the work better. 
 
 In some of the work I was able to do during 
 the war this principle was carried into effect. 
 The Admiralty, in 1915, invited me to organize 
 the supply of aircraft cloth for their aviation 
 section. As to the detail of the work, I was 
 given liberty to select my own assistants, who 
 were given officers' rank in the Royal Naval 
 Volunteer Reserve. We set to work with a will, 
 and soon the production of this wonderful cloth, 
 much of it amongst the finest work of the textile 
 industry, was very largely increased. But I could 
 not approve the piecemeal system upon which 
 this important work was carried on by the 
 Government. My plan w^as that our Army and 
 Navy, and the Allies as a whole, should obtain 
 their aeroplane cloth through a single agency, 
 thus cutting out all overlapping and the waste of 
 duphcated arrangements. Alas ! this was another 
 suggestion which fared ill. 
 
 I was much better pleased by the carrying out 
 of the National Registration scheme. Everyone 
 remembers the awful muddle into which our early 
 
 238
 
 Work in the Great War 
 
 recniiting fell. It" ever eriticism of our methods 
 was justified, it was in respect to the way in 
 which we dislocated every industry by taking 
 indiscriminately every fit man who offered himself, 
 regardless of the fact that a man might have had 
 ten times his fighting \'alue if allowed to remain 
 at his work. I held that recruiting should be 
 carried out upon a scientific basis, and ventilated 
 a scheme through the Press which formed the 
 basis of the Bill for National Registration intro- 
 duced by the Right Hon. W. H. Long (now Vis- 
 count Long) in May, 1915, when President of the 
 Local Government Board. Speed was the essential 
 in taking the register. 'J'here was some danger — 
 which we were spared, however — of another great 
 department being created to do this work. The 
 necessity for immediate action dominated every 
 other consideration. Having formulated the 
 scheme that was practically adopted, I was 
 requested to serve on a small committee at the 
 Local Government Board for the launching of 
 the scheme after it became an Act, the main 
 features of which were making use of existing 
 organizations and using the municipalities to do 
 all the necessary work, the latter being supplied 
 with the minutest details as to how this was to 
 be done. Twenty-seven million forms were 
 printed, sent out, returned, and tabulated by the 
 
 339
 
 Recollections 
 
 municipalities jvith some paid help, but chiefly by 
 the aid of voluntary workers, and the register was 
 completed in a marvellously short space of time. 
 I cite this as a demonstration of the value of 
 applying organization and using existing agencies 
 instead of creating new ones, which is always 
 attended with much labour, loss of time, and 
 unnecessary expense. 
 
 At the outbreak of war I at once offered my 
 services to any Government Department on the 
 distinct understanding that I could not accept 
 any official position, but was willing to work 
 unofficially in the background, and with the 
 exception of the National Register and the Royal 
 Naval Air Service I strictly adhered to this rule. 
 I w^as able to give some assistance in this way to 
 the Treasury, the Board of Trade, the Ministry 
 of Munitions, and other Departments. I also 
 helped to compose a particularly awkward dispute 
 early in the war between the Government and the 
 manufacturers of textile machinery. At the time 
 I intervened the Government had come to a 
 deadlock, largely through their own failure to 
 understand business. The terms they were offer- 
 ing for the manufacture of munitions were shown 
 to be impossible. After some negotiations, I 
 had the gratification of seeing firms employing 
 approximately 50,000 men fall into line to turn 
 
 240
 
 Work in the Great War 
 
 out the munitions of which we were so sorely in 
 need. 
 
 Another effort made in the early days of the 
 war was to get all the war charities scientifically 
 organized. Having had special opportunities of 
 familiarizing myself with the best methods of 
 working great public funds, I set myself to this 
 work. When the Prince of Wales' Fund was 
 started at the commencement of the Great War, 
 I thought the admirably simple and smooth work- 
 ing scheme proposed for the South African War 
 might be of use, and submitted it to the judgment 
 of those who, in the very early days of the war, 
 were appointed to organize the fund. It was, 
 perhaps, too simple, but nevertheless it was 
 practical. This scheme was not theoretical, but 
 had been successfully applied in other national 
 philanthropic efforts, as I have already said, and 
 I was not alone in regretting that the country 
 did not act upon it. 
 
 It is my sincere belief that when a man has 
 acquired experience that is of use to his country, 
 especially in emergencies, he should give it to the 
 community. 
 
 241
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE COAL CRISIS OF 1921 
 
 T> ERH APS no work that I have done in a long 
 association with industry was so arduous, so 
 compassed about with difficulties, as the efforts I 
 made to bring the great industrial dispute of 1921 
 to an end. I had seen the crisis coming for many 
 months. Looking back now over the record of 
 the two years which preceded it I am amazed that 
 our statesmen did not see what a hotbed of trouble 
 they were leading industry into by their futile 
 interference with affairs which only practical men 
 can understand and handle. The coal industry 
 gave a striking example of this folly, and the 
 great crisis was the inevitable result. I need not 
 emphasize here the key position which the coal 
 industry occupies. Everybody understands that a 
 plentiful and cheap supply of coal is essential to 
 the successful carrying on of industry. 
 
 Since this is so, the Government in their 
 dealings with that industry ought to have been 
 especially careful to take steps which would ensure 
 a plentiful output and contented workers. It 
 cannot be too much stressed that these two things 
 
 242
 
 The Goal Crisis of 1921 
 
 go together. The great crisis of 1921 arose 
 because there was not enough vision in our 
 Government, or in the owners and miners, to make 
 arrangements which would ensure them. The 
 apparent causes of that crisis, as I shall show later, 
 were not the real ones. The real causes were 
 deep seated and stretched back to the dispute in 
 the coalfields in the year 1912. 
 
 My first step in regard to the crisis was a 
 communication to the Press, which received wide 
 publicity, asserting the view that the list of wages 
 in various areas which the coal owners offered in- 
 volved reductions of too severe a character in the 
 earnings of the men. I ventured in the same letter 
 to give personally some counsel to both owners and 
 men against continuing a dispute which could only 
 plunge them into loss and involve all other indus- 
 tries, as well as the homes of the people, in hard- 
 ships. I have no doubt that some coal owners 
 resented a member of the employing class taking 
 up such a critical position as to their offer ; but 
 the penalty of such impopularity is one which every 
 sincere man must pay when his views run counter 
 to those of his class. It is a penalty I have paid 
 over and over again. Indeed, I had often to stand 
 quite alone at the beginning of a cotton trade 
 dispute, and had to wait until the other employers 
 came round to my way of thinking. 
 
 243
 
 Recollections 
 
 This is precisely what happened both with the 
 pubhc and even the coal owners themselves in 
 regard to the earliest views I expressed on the 
 wages question in this great crisis. First the 
 readers of newspapers, ha\ ing paid more attention 
 to the district rates of wages, came to the con- 
 clusion that the owners had been less generous 
 than could be expected, and then the owners them- 
 selves sent out a new and better offer through the 
 Press. But the "pool" issue, as raised by the 
 miners' leaders, was now supreme in the field, and 
 a deadlock set in. I realized how disastrous, both 
 to the mining and to all industry, that deadlock 
 was, and felt that every help I could render from 
 an experience practically unparalleled of industrial 
 negotiations should be given. 
 
 I set all other affairs on one side and motored 
 to London in order to be at the centre. My stay 
 in the Metropolis lasted five weeks, during which 
 I had interviews with leaders of Capital and 
 Labour, with statesmen, and with representatives 
 of all the leading English and American news- 
 papers. The trials and difficulties of such a cam- 
 paign, the hopes that rise, and the unexpected 
 way in which they are often dashed, the cross- 
 currents and the obstacles which have to be over- 
 come, are, I imagine, things of which very few 
 men have had experience, and for that reason a 
 
 344
 
 The Coal Crisis of 1921 
 
 record of them may prove both interesting and 
 useful. The position when I arrived in London 
 was that the Government had made their ofl'cr of 
 £10,000,000, but the miners would not accept it 
 because of the scale of wages which the owners 
 had offered. 
 
 I was fortunate in finding right at the outset 
 of my campaign that the aims that were inspiring 
 my action, and the views which I held, gave me 
 the attention of the editor of the Times, Mr. H. 
 Wickham Steed, a man of such gifts and so much 
 charm of personality that it would be impossible 
 for anyone to have intimate conversation with him, 
 as I had, without conceiving the warmest admira- 
 tion for him. When fully convinced of the sound- 
 ness of my arguments, he opened the columns of 
 the Times to me, and through them I was enabled 
 to give to the whole nation the benefit of what a 
 long experience of national and international 
 movements in industry had taught me. It was 
 owing to this that in the first days of my visit to 
 London I was able in a letter which appeared on 
 the leader page of the Times on May 13 to express 
 views on the crisis which would then have been a 
 suitable basis for a settlement and which had to 
 be very closely followed in the actual settlement 
 which was made some four weeks later. 
 
 In the cotton industry we had long before this 
 245
 
 Recollections 
 
 date fought out the question of a uniform scale of 
 wages which entered largely into this mining crisis. 
 What struck the public most in the list of wages 
 offered to the miners was the great disparity be- 
 tween the rates of wages in different districts, and 
 there is no doubt at all that these differences were 
 the fundamental reason for the insistence of the 
 ordinary miner on the " pool.'* 
 
 The first letter to the Times showed how the 
 cotton industry had faced a similar difficulty and 
 overcome it. I pointed out, however, that big 
 issues like these of this coal crisis could only be 
 be settled after many prolonged joint meetings, 
 and that it was senseless for the parties to keep 
 the industry idle while they argued out principles. 
 Perhaps I may reproduce the editorial note of the 
 Times upon my letter, especially as it embodies the 
 proposals I then made, proposals I may say which 
 soon had innumerable supporters, as my post-bag 
 showed : 
 
 '' We publish this morning," said the editor, 
 • ' a letter upon the coal crisis from Sir Charles 
 Macara, who was for more than twenty years presi- 
 dent of the Cotton Spinners' Federation. His 
 experience in dealing with disputes in his own in- 
 dustry and his long record of success in the avoiding 
 of stoppages entitle his views to respectful con- 
 
 246
 
 The Coal Crisis of 1921 
 
 sideration. His only ubject in making his present 
 suggestion is, he says, ' to help in bringing to a 
 speedy and satisfactory end the present crisis, which 
 is seriously affecting all the industrial and com- 
 mercial interests of the nation, and inflicting severe 
 privations not only upon the miners and their wives 
 and families, but upon the whole conmiunity.' 
 Believing that long negotiations between repre- 
 sentatives of the mine owners and those of the 
 miners will be necessary before any satisfactory 
 agreement can be reached in the coal trade, he 
 recommends the Miners' Federation to accept the 
 Government's offer of £10,000,000 for the next 
 four months and go back to work at once, on con- 
 dition that negotiations should be started imme- 
 diately between the leading men on both sides. If, 
 as is possible and indeed probable, these negotia- 
 tions should not lead to agreement within two 
 months of the resumption of work. Sir Charles 
 Macara suggests that both sides should state their 
 case before a body similar in composition to the 
 Industrial Council which w^as appointed by the 
 Government in 191 1 . A verdict from such a body, 
 consisting of equal numbers of representatives of 
 Capital and Labour, with, possibly, a neutral 
 chairman, would. Sir Charles believes, carry great 
 weight and would be likely to lead to a satisfactory 
 
 settlement." 
 
 247
 
 Recollections 
 
 I will not here repeat all the points I made, 
 since that might be tedious, but the concluding 
 sentence of the letter expressed a vic^v which I 
 would like to emphasize in these pages. " During 
 my long term of office as president of the Cotton 
 Spinners' Federation," I wrote, " Government or 
 other intervention in wages disputes was strongly 
 resented by both sides." Now my reasons for 
 saying this were both many and sound. I have 
 seen the great dangers which attend Government 
 intervention in industrial matters, ever since 
 Governments practised it on a wide scale. As I 
 pointed out, this very crisis in the coal industry 
 dated back, in principle, to 1912 ; for it was in the 
 coal strike of that year that the miners began to 
 lean upon the w^eakness of Governments. A dead- 
 lock was reached in that strike, and the Industrial 
 Council of 1911, which was then in use, was sum- 
 moned, and when a breakdown occurred in the 
 negotiations a deputation of six members of the 
 Council — of whom I was one — went to Downing 
 Street and succeeded in reopening negotiations. 
 The reopening of negotiations was a very valuable 
 service, and could only have been achieved by prac- 
 tical men of affairs having a full knowledge of 
 industry, which was precisely the recommendation 
 of every member of the Council. At first the 
 Cabinet Committee was grateful, and it was agreed 
 
 248
 
 The Coal Crisis of 1921 
 
 that the Council was to co-operate with them until 
 a satisfactory settlement was reached. What 
 happened? Having got negotiations going again, 
 the Cabinet Conunittee, without further consulta- 
 tion with the Industrial Council, as previously 
 mentioned, made a weak settlement, and thus 
 sowed the seed for years of bad relationship 
 between the coal owners and the miners. From 
 that time on to the great crisis of 1921 there was 
 no abiding peace in the industry, and Government 
 intervention at various stages during the years 
 1912-21 simply led to a series of expedients which 
 aggravated the real differences between masters 
 and men. 
 
 In arguing against Government intervention I 
 was on ground which I very well understood. I 
 had no personal feelings of any kind in asking the 
 coal owners and the miners to dispense with 
 Gk>vernment intervention. Indeed, in all my 
 public work I have avoided personalities or allowing 
 my action to be influenced by personal considera- 
 tions. This matter is one of principle, and that is 
 my reason for dealing with it so fully here. As 
 soon as a Government, whatever its colour, inter- 
 venes in industrial disputes, the political element 
 which has no place in such affairs is introduced. 
 That is a danger, because the people who are look- 
 ing on at once begin to see the whole thing through 
 
 249
 
 Recollections 
 
 the mist of political bias. Further, a Government 
 must always be thinking of votes, and to get a 
 popular settlement is, from its point of view, a 
 consideration. Finally, industrial affairs are so 
 very intricate and complex that there is only room, 
 in such negotiations as are necessary in disputes, 
 for experienced men of affairs who have studied 
 industry and been in contact with it day by day 
 and year by year. Government arbitration has 
 generally been by lawyers, and what arbitration 
 could be worse in great practical matters where the 
 spint and not the letter is all in all? 
 
 My room at the Hotel Victoria was, whilst I 
 was in London, unceasingly busy wuth callers and 
 telephone messages. I conducted at least a dozen 
 interviews a day. Amongst those whose support 
 I sought in these interviews were Lord Northcliffe, 
 who received me with cordiality. Lord Islington, 
 Sir Hugh Bell, the editors of various newspapers, 
 and Major H. Barnes, M.P., who did yeoman 
 service in the cause of peace. 
 
 As I have said, I saw and won the help of men 
 on both sides in the actual dispute. Mr. Frank 
 Hodges, the secretary of the Miners' Federation, 
 I found to be in our inter\iews a man of intellect, 
 of sane, clear views, of much charm of personality 
 — a man who, above all, impressed one by his great 
 sincerity. I have met many Labour leaders, and I 
 
 250
 
 The Coal Crisis of 1921 
 
 honour many of them. Mr. Hodges is among 
 those who are highest in the Hst. Mr. Cramp, of 
 the Railwaymen's Union, was another of the lead- 
 ing figures on Labour's side whom I saw, and of 
 him, too, I conceived a very high opinion. I could 
 not here name half the influential people whom I 
 personally interviewed, sometimes by my own wish, 
 sometimes at their request, during the five weeks' 
 campaign. 
 
 By means of these interviews much good was 
 done quietly, and I personally am convinced that 
 two weeks after my coming to London — that is, on 
 May 22 — had it not been for the laxness of the 
 Government and their inability to see the right 
 moment for action and the right way to act, the 
 dispute would have been brought to an end very 
 much on the lines I had suggested. 
 
 All the time I was carrying on the widest Press 
 campaign, my letters and articles in the London 
 Press alone covering, when reprinted, about six- 
 teen quarto sheets. Everything I sent to the Press 
 in London was quoted in the provincial Press, so 
 that my press-cutting agency was sending me 
 numerous extracts every day. Carrying on a vast 
 voluntary campaign simply because I have all my 
 business life fought for industrial harmony, and 
 because I thought I had some really valuable 
 advice for those engaged in the mining dispute, 
 
 251
 
 Recollections 
 
 I was naturally encouraged when I saw my views 
 being so widely published by the London and pro- 
 vincial Press. I look now over the record : I see 
 that I was interviewed by representatives of the 
 leading American newspapers ; I do not know how 
 much publicity the work got across the Atlantic, 
 but it was significant of the growing interest of 
 America in our doings that their newspapers were 
 taking so much interest in affairs which might ulti- 
 mately become acute there. Besides my letters 
 to the Times, special articles appeared in the Daily 
 Graphic, Pall Mall Gazette ; and interviews in the 
 Manchester Guardian, the Daily News, and with 
 the Press Association also were among the con- 
 tributions I made. 
 
 Though the crisis was prolonged, I know that 
 the work I did helped in the ultimate settlement. 
 On every hand since that crisis the principle that 
 industry should be freed from Governmental inter- 
 ference has gained support, and the harmony for 
 which I have laboured for nearly forty-six years 
 is now spreading over industry. 
 
 In the midst of the mining crisis, and while I 
 was at work in London, a dispute and a stoppage 
 occurred in the cotton industry. This was a tre- 
 mendous complication, and I found myself called 
 upon by reason of my long and intimate connexion 
 with the cotton industry to wTite articles and give 
 
 252
 
 The Coal Crisis of 1921 
 
 interviews upon this dispute. Here, agcain, I had 
 to take a line which was not wholly popular, since I 
 could not agree with the attitude the employers had 
 taken up in the conference at which negotiations 
 broke down. It was but a brief stoppage, and was 
 settled upon the lines I advocated, which involved 
 a more generous policy on the part of the 
 employers than they had been willing to follow. 
 
 I was, and am, grateful to all who assisted me 
 in the work carried on so intensi\'ely during those 
 five weeks. It was work that had a much wider 
 significance than the settling of the particular 
 trouble then existing. My object was to spread 
 during that crisis opinions which would lead men 
 to see the folly of causing a stoppage of industry 
 when any question arose between masters and men. 
 I wished to spread the doctrine that strikes and 
 lock-outs were methods of barbarism ; that the 
 owner, the worker and the public all suffered when- 
 ever they occurred. I believe that this doctrine 
 has now taken a firm hold of the public mind. I 
 hope that the signs of the dawn of a better indus- 
 trial era which are now flushing the horizon may 
 bring us to the high noonday of harmony and 
 conciliation when men shall win prosperity by 
 co-operation, and the old competition, distrust and 
 strife shall disappear. 
 
 In these concluding words I should like to say, 
 253
 
 Recollections 
 
 as I said in my opening ones, that my outlook is 
 one of optimism. I am no dismal prophet. I 
 believe in British grit, British skill, British 
 sagacity. With these qualities I see no reason 
 why Britain should not lead the industrial world. 
 I have said before, and say again, that given wise 
 statesmanship, good management and co-operation 
 between employers and employed, British industry 
 has before it a future and an influence in the 
 councils of the world such as have never before 
 fallen to the happy lot of an Empire and a people 
 in the history of mankind. That is my faith. So 
 may it be ! 
 
 ^54
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 ANDREW CARNEGIE 
 
 TF one might, as it were, put a footnote to a 
 book of this character, its purport would be to 
 emphasize the inadequacy of a volume of this size 
 as a means of dealing with the many phases of 
 a life so ^'aried as my own. One is bound of 
 course to chronicle those outstanding features 
 and incidents which have a bearing on public 
 affairs, but how, much there is of a more 
 intimate and personal character that remains 
 to be told ! 
 
 One cannot have had so many interests, and 
 moved in a circle so wide and diversified, without 
 having seen and heard a great deal that it is fashion- 
 able to-day to put on record ; but the making of 
 piquant " copy " for gossip is foreign to my pur- 
 pose and nature. I am concerned much more with 
 movements than manners, and it appears to me 
 to be but a poor return for confidence and friend- 
 ship to hold up one's intimates to public inspection 
 or criticism. 
 
 I would, however, like to pay a tribute to one 
 of those whose friendship I have enjoyed, but this 
 
 255
 
 Recollections 
 
 more for inculcating a lesson than of dissecting a 
 personality. I refer to Mr. Andrew Carnegie, a 
 man who touched life at just those points which 
 have interested me most, and who, besides having 
 a very wide outlook upon men and affairs, 
 was undoubtedly inspired to do his duty accord- 
 ing to his own ideas >vith the wealth at his 
 command. 
 
 I did not come to know Mr. Carnegie until 
 he returned to Scotland and bought Skibo Castle, 
 on Dornoch Firth, but we soon became very 
 friendly, one of the bonds of fellowship between 
 us being the fact that we were both natives of 
 Fife, born within eleven miles of each other. 
 
 The dozen miles around my native place seem 
 to have been fertile soil for the production of big 
 men, and two at least can be mentioned who made 
 history during the Great War. I refer to Earl 
 Haig, who led our forces to victory in France, and 
 to Lord Wester Wemyss, Admiral of the Fleet, 
 who was First Sea Lord for a portion of the time 
 the war was in progress. Lord Haig is the son 
 of a well-known man, a county magistrate who 
 resided at Cameronbridge, and Lord Wester 
 Wemyss one of the members of the great family 
 of Wemyss of Wemyss Castle, Fife. 
 
 I first met Mr. Carnegie on the occasion when 
 he presented the large public park of Pittencrief 
 
 256
 
 Andrew Carnegie 
 
 Glen, to his native town of Dunfermline, that park 
 which contains Malcolm Canmore's ruined tower 
 and the royal palace, the scene of the ballad of 
 "Sir Patrick Spens " ; and I have followed with 
 great interest the doings of the Dunfermline 
 Trust, which he endowed first with an annual 
 income of £25,000, and later with a gift of 
 £250,000 so that the town might have a fund "to 
 be used in attempts to bring into the monotonous 
 lives of the toiling masses of Dimfermline more of 
 sweetness and light." 
 
 As a result of the lavish use of these funds 
 Carnegie benefactions in Dunfermline are visible 
 in all directions. One of the features of the place 
 is the little cottage in the attic of which Mr. 
 Carnegie was born. This he took particular pride 
 in preserving. 
 
 After our first meeting we became very friendly 
 and had a certain amount of correspondence on 
 various public matters. Afterwards I got invita- 
 tions to visit him at Skibo, and there not only 
 enjoyed all the amenities of a fine Highland 
 residence, but what was perhaps as much to me 
 as anything else, association with a very remarkable 
 personality. Mr. Carnegie was a very versatile 
 man, and his versatility was shown in a variety of 
 ways, and not the least as a literary man. No 
 doubt he was exceedingly proud, and justly so, of 
 
 257
 
 Recollections 
 
 his attainments, but upon the whole he was a 
 simple-minded man and appeared anxious to do 
 his duty in his day and generation. 
 
 These visits to Skibo were extremely interest- 
 ing also on account of the many prominent 
 personalities I met. Besides Englishmen of note 
 there were well-known American citizens present 
 on these occasions, and this gave me an oppor- 
 tunity of exchanging views with men of great 
 power and influence in the world. 
 
 Mr. Carnegie had made his estate, which 
 covered an area of 30,000 acres, exceedingly 
 attractive. He had expended a large sum of 
 money in making improvements both to the 
 castle and to his landed property. He had, for 
 example, created a big fresh- water lake as well as 
 a salt-water one, but one of the most important 
 features was a large swimming-bath, and at the 
 same place baths of all descriptions, including 
 Turkish and Russian. 
 
 The large swimming-bath alluded to w^as 
 wonderfully constructed. By means of elaborate 
 machinery, worked electrically, the roof could be 
 uncovered and the water emptied and the whole 
 converted into an open-air ballroom. 
 
 On one occasion King Edward, when yachting 
 in the North of Scotland, spent a day at Skibo 
 Castle, and what struck him most of all was this 
 
 358
 
 Andrew Carnegie 
 
 marvellous swimming-bath, where, in hot weather, 
 open-air dances could be given. 
 
 In going over the estate there was evidence of 
 great attention having been given to the housing 
 of the tenants and workpeople. Not only were 
 the houses well built, with baths and electric light, 
 but a point had been made of furnishing them with 
 every modern convenience, in order that those who 
 served him should enjoy the same comforts as he 
 and his guests did. 
 
 There was a magnificent organ in the hall of 
 the castle, and on Sunday evenings all the work- 
 people were summoned to a simple religious 
 service conducted by Mrs. Carnegie. Both Mrs. 
 Carnegie and her daughter, who at that time 
 was a girl of seventeen, were very deeply 
 interested in social work among women, not only 
 at Skibo where they lived, but in the greater 
 world of New York. 
 
 Some years ago an American author wrote a 
 book with the title, "' Inspired Millionaires," and 
 I was asked by the editor of a well-known London 
 new^spaper to give my views upon it. I did so, 
 and observed that while there w^as much in the 
 book with which I was in agreement, I did not 
 think there were many inspired millionaires. 
 
 " Most of the men who have done the world's 
 work," I said, " have not been miUionaires. 
 
 259
 
 Recollections 
 
 They have been men with souls above money, 
 and capable of making great personal sacrifice." 
 Simple money-making really takes the life out of 
 a man. He reaches a point at which he can think 
 of nothing but the accumulation of money. It 
 becomes a positive passion. And when he has 
 made his money the first thing that begins to 
 strike him is that his family has absolutely nothing 
 to work for. When the members of his family 
 inherit his money, therefore, it generally means 
 the ruining of them. 
 
 *' The man who takes a broad view of life may 
 do ten times more than a millionaire who is even 
 liberal with his money. The man who works for 
 the prosperity of the nation, and is satisfied with 
 a moderate share in that prosperity, is working 
 on the soundest basis." 
 
 In my opinion, I added, money alone is Dot 
 necessary to command attention. Brains and 
 originality are more important. But the author, 
 I maintained, would indeed have rendered a most 
 valuable service to millionaires and to humanity 
 if he inspired the former to follow the life work 
 of men of originality and broad views who might 
 have been millionaires had they not preferred the 
 role they had played. 
 
 The great work of the world has been done 
 by men under the inspiration of a sense of duty, 
 
 260
 
 Andrew Carnegie 
 
 and co-operation with such men might enable 
 miUionaires not only to dispose of their surplus 
 wealth with immense benefit to humanity, but 
 also with benefit to their own families. 
 
 At the time I made these remarks, in 1911, 
 I had in my mind one brilliant exception to the 
 ordinary run of millionaires, one who had for 
 years been giving freely of his w^ealth for the 
 benefit of mankind. I had in my mind Andrew 
 Carnegie. 
 
 What Carnegie thought of wealth and its 
 place in the scheme of human happiness I was 
 to find out from his own lips. On one of the 
 occasions on w^hich I was visiting him at Skibo 
 Castle I found, not a party of people indulging 
 themselves in all kinds of senseless pleasure and 
 luxury, as is so often the case at wealthy men's 
 houses, but a quiet, thoughtful, intelligent com- 
 pany of people, who, like their host, were 
 concerned in all kinds of schemes for the better- 
 ment of mankind. One of those present, I 
 remember, was Lord Morley, to whom Mr. 
 Carnegie, in 1902, presented Lord Acton's 
 famous library, containing 70,000 or 80,000 
 volumes. 
 
 On one Sunday afternoon I had a long walk 
 with Mr. Carnegie in the grounds of the castle, 
 and we discussed a number of things relating to 
 R 261
 
 Recollections 
 
 the work and wealth of the world. For all his 
 riches, it was clear from his conversation that 
 he was a sound democrat at heart. 
 
 I remember vividly one remark he made : 
 *' Sir Charles," he said, stopping abruptly in his 
 walk, ''the day of the multi-milhonaire is over; 
 the people won't have it ! " 
 
 Then he told me of some verses that had 
 appeared in a local paper some time before, that 
 had given him the greatest possible pleasure to 
 read. He handed me a copy. They were verses 
 entitled " Me and Andra," signed " R. C," and 
 had appeared in the columns of the Dunfermline 
 Press, a copy of which had been forwarded to 
 him in America. I have pleasure in reproducing 
 them here, as I am sure many people would like 
 to have them, and also because I know that they 
 embodied exactly the sentiments of the one to 
 whom they were specially addressed. Along with 
 the verses I give also the opinion of Mr. Carnegie. 
 The verses read : 
 
 "ME AND ANDRA" 
 
 " We're puir bit craiturs, Andra, you an' me, 
 Ye hae a bath in a marble tub, I dook in the 
 
 sea, 
 Cafe au lait in a silver joog for breakfast gangs 
 to you; 
 
 262
 
 Andrew Carnegie 
 
 T sup my brose ui' a horn spuin an' eat till 
 I'm fu'. 
 
 An' there's nae great differ, Andra, 
 
 hardly ony, 
 My sky is as clear as yours, an' the 
 
 cl'uds are as bonnie ; 
 I whussle a tune through my teeth to 
 mysel' that costs nae money. 
 
 The bobolink pipes in the orchards white in 
 
 your hame on the ither side ; 
 Grey whaups cry up on oor muir t' me, white 
 
 seamaws soom on oor tide ; 
 An organ hums in your marble hall wi' mony 
 
 a sough an' swell, 
 I list to the roar o' the wind an' the sea in the 
 hollow o' a shell. 
 
 An' there's nae great differ, Andra, 
 
 hardly ony ava ; 
 For the measure that throbs through 
 
 eternal things to me is as braw. 
 An' it wafts me up to the gate of God 
 to hear His choir an' a'. 
 
 We're draiglit bit craiturs, Andra, plowterin' 
 
 i' the glaur, 
 Paidlin' ilk in oor ane bit dub, and glowerin' 
 
 ilk at his star; 
 
 263
 
 Recollections 
 
 Raikin' up the clairt o' the trink till our f either 
 
 airts us hame, 
 Whiles wi' a strap, whiles wi' a kiss, or carrying 
 us when we're lame. 
 
 An' there's nae great differ, Andra, 
 
 we're sib as peas in a cod, 
 Ill-faured weans at the best — the draiglit 
 
 wi' the snod ; 
 An' we'll get peyed what we're ocht, 
 Andra, when we gang hame to God. 
 
 What if I win fame or gear, Andra, what if I 
 
 fail. 
 Be gleg as a fumart whitrock, or dull as a 
 
 snail } 
 It'll be a' ane in a hunder' year, whether I sally 
 
 or slide — 
 The nicht sits as dark on a brawlin' linn as it 
 broods on a sleepin' tide. 
 
 An' there's nae great differ, Andra, 
 
 whether ye bum or biz ; 
 If no' a wheel, ye may be a clink, if ye 
 
 canna' pull ye can bruiz. 
 We maun tak' the world as we find it, 
 lad, and content w' it as it is. 
 
 "R. C." 
 
 Some weeks later the following editorial note 
 
 264
 
 Andrew Carnegie 
 
 and letter from Mr. Carnegie appeared in the 
 Dunfermline Press: 
 
 "We have received the following letter from 
 Mr. Carnegie in connexion with the publication 
 of the verses, ' Me and Andra,' in a recent issue 
 of the Dunfermline Press : 
 
 " The Cottage, Dungeness, 
 
 " Farnandina, Fla., 
 
 ''Feb. 10, 190G. 
 "Dear Sir,— Please tell ' R. C that I have 
 enjoyed his verses. He is both philosopher and 
 poet, but he cannot know, as I do, how trifling 
 are the advantages of wealth. He has to 
 imagine one side ; I have lived both and have 
 learned that 
 
 ' If happiness has not its seat 
 And centre in the breast, 
 We may be wise, or rich, or great, 
 But never can be blessed.' 
 
 Beyond a competence for old age — and that need 
 not be great, and may be very small — wealth 
 lessens rather than increases human happiness. 
 Millionaires who laugh are rare. This is just as 
 it should be, and ' R. C has done a bit of good 
 work (better than most sennons) in putting a 
 
 265
 
 Recollections 
 
 great truth so vividly before us. I hope he has 
 more of such ore to smelt. — Yours truly, 
 
 "Andrew Carnegie." 
 
 There is no doubt that men who attain to the 
 wealth and eminence of Andrew Carnegie may, 
 in the eyes of many people, make mistakes, and 
 imdoubtedly have done so, but, from my inter- 
 course with the Master of Skibo, I am convinced 
 that he was actuated by the highest motives. 
 
 266
 
 INDEX 
 
 Aboukir, cotton-growing in, 145 
 Administrative attributes, value of, 
 
 4 
 Agadir crisis, the, 79, 85 el scq. 
 Agriculture, International Institute 
 
 of, 45 el seq. 
 Aircraft cloth, supply of, 238 
 Albert, King of the Belgians, 99 
 Alexandra, Queen, acknowledges an 
 address of condolence, 70 
 author presented to, 61 
 Alexandria, a reception at, 141 
 Alfonso, King, chats with author, 
 
 104 
 Amelie, Queen, flight of, 102 
 America, a visit to, 113 et seq. 
 
 the ubiquitous reporter in, 117 
 American cotton States, the, im- 
 pressions of, 113 et seq. 
 cotton supplies, speculation on, 
 
 35 {sec also Gambling) 
 lampooning, 12G-7 
 Americans, unbounded hospitality 
 
 of, 120, 127 el seq., 137 
 Ancoats, a strike at, 11 el seq. 
 Anti-Dumping Bill, the, 213, 214 
 Appian Way, the : its unsavoury 
 
 reputation, 98, 99 
 Arbitration, author's views on, 105 
 el seq. 
 without an arbitrator, 167 
 Arkwright Club, Boston, 116 
 Ascroft, Robert, 22 
 Askwith, Sir George (Lord), 172 
 Asquith, Rt. Hon. H. H., and the 
 industrial position, 172-3 
 
 Asquith, Rt. Hon. H. H., autiior's 
 interview with, 49 
 declines to receive a deputation, 
 224 
 Atlanta, a conference at, 114, 121 
 et seq. 
 author as chairman at, 123 
 Austria, reception of congress in, 91 
 
 Balfour, Rt. Hon. A. J., 39, 40 
 
 a deputation to, 40 
 " Barbecue," an invitation to a, 
 
 and the feast described, 127 
 Barcelona, an awkward situation 
 in, 106 
 as rival to Manchester, 1U5 
 fascinations of, 107 
 Barnes, Major H., and the coal 
 
 crisis, 250 
 Batley, " Lifeboat Saturday " at^ 
 
 193 
 Behrens, Sir Charles, 170 
 Belgians, King of the, 99 
 Belgium, Congress in, 99 el seq. 
 Bell, Sir Hugh, 250 
 Berlin, a reception in, 86 
 excitement in, 85 et seq. 
 Bethmann-Hollweg, Herr von, 85 
 Birmingham, " Lifeboat Saturday " 
 
 in, 194 
 Bolton, Sir H. Campbell-Banner- 
 
 man at, 215 
 Boston, address at Arkwright Club 
 
 at, 116 
 Boulogne, Bois de, 72 
 
 267
 
 Index 
 
 Bremen, opening session at, 80 
 Bremerliaven, a cruise from, to 
 
 Kiel, 80 
 British Cotton Growing Associa- 
 tion, the, formation of, 28, 159 
 Brooklands Agreement, the, 17, 22, 
 23, 165 
 abrogation of, 2G 
 signing of, 26 
 weak points in, 166 
 Brunswick Mill, Ancoats, a strike 
 
 at, 11 el seq. 
 Brussels, a congress meeting at, 99 
 Bryce, Rt, Hon. James (now Vis- 
 count), a letter to author from, 
 138 
 Buccleuch, Duchess of, 60 
 Bullfights, Spanish, 106 
 Burt, Rt. Hon. Thomas, 172 
 Buxton, Mr. Sydney (now Earl), 
 172 
 
 Cairo, receptions at, 143 
 
 Campania, a voyage on, 114 
 
 Campbell-Bannerman, Sir Henry, 
 on Tarifl Reform, 215 
 
 Capital and Labour, author's atti- 
 tude towards disputes between, 
 10, 16, 20, el seq., 165 el seq. 
 
 Carnegie, Andrew, 109 
 
 a reminiscence, 255 el seq. 
 
 his appreciation of " Me and An- 
 
 dra," 262 el seq. 
 his conception of wealth and its 
 
 use, 261, 265 
 versatihty of, 257 
 
 Carnegie, Mrs., activities of, 259 
 
 Caronia, 133 
 
 Carrington, Earl (Marquis of Lin- 
 colnshire), 69 
 
 Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. Austen, 
 Imperial Preference policy of, 
 213 
 
 Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. Joseph, 
 
 Protectionist pohcy of, 202 
 Chantilly, a day at, 74 
 Chicago, meat-packing industry of, 
 
 131 
 China Conference, the, 28, 29 
 Cintra, a visit to, 101, 102 
 Coal crisis of 1921, the, 242 et seq. 
 
 strike of 1912, the, 173 el seq. 
 Conciliation in Labour disputes, 
 
 author's ideal of, 10 
 Co-operation, necessity of, 142 
 Corpus Chrisli festival, an Emperor 
 
 in procession at a, 91 
 Cotton as contraband of war, 233 
 el seq. 
 crop : Government inaction at 
 
 outbreak of war, 232 et seq. 
 growing, Indian, 5, 158 et seq. 
 Cotton industry, the, a crisis in, 35 
 el seq. 
 a Free Trade manifesto in the 
 
 1910 election, 206 
 a strike and its sequel, 11 el seq. 
 and Tarifl Reform, 203 et seq. 
 and the death of King Edward, 
 
 64 el seq. 
 England and, 9, 57 
 exports in 1920, 33, 212 
 how it was saved from disaster, 
 
 36 el seq. 
 Indian, 5, 158 et seq. 
 investigations as to effect of 
 
 Great War on, 230 
 markets, gambling on, 35, 119, 
 
 125 
 statistics of, 141 
 strikes in, 11, 252 
 Cotton Federation, the Interna- 
 tional, 33 el seq., 42, 43, 52, 55 
 el seq., 159 
 Cramp, Mr., of Railwayman's 
 
 Union, 251 
 Crewe, Marquess of, 158 
 
 268
 
 Index 
 
 Cunard Company, the, author's 
 
 tribute to, 134 
 Cyclone in Mid-Atlantic, a, 133 
 
 DELBRiicK, Dr., 8G 
 a reception by, 88 
 
 Delbruck, Frau, 88 
 
 converses with author, 89 
 
 Delft, a visit to, 110 
 
 Derbj', Earl of, and the lifeboat 
 cause, 199 
 
 Dewsbury, " Lifeboat Saturday " 
 at, 193 
 
 Dow, Captain, 115 
 
 Dunfermline, Mr. Carnegie's gift 
 to, 257 
 
 Dunfermline Press, verses in, which 
 appealed to Mr, Carnegie, 262 
 el seq. 
 
 Dye industry, German, import pro- 
 hibition on, 212 
 
 Dyes, laxity of British in develop- 
 ment of, 214 
 
 Earthquake at Messina, the, 93 el 
 
 seq. 
 East, the, potentialities of, G 
 Edinburgh, " Lifeboat Saturday " 
 
 at, 193 
 Edward VII, King, a speech to 
 committee of International 
 Federation, 62 
 death of, G4 
 
 his desire for international co- 
 operation, 5G 
 linguistic attainments of, Gl 
 receives International Federation 
 at Windsor, 59, Gl 
 Egypt, a mission to, 139 et seq. 
 a weaving factory in, 150 
 Lord Kitchener's activities in, 
 145 et seq. 
 
 Egypt, the fellaheen of, 144 
 Electric power stations on Niagara 
 
 Falls, 132 
 Employers' Parliamentary Associa- 
 tion, formation of, 225, 226 
 England and the cotton industry, 9, 
 
 57 
 Environment and heredity, 2, 179 
 Excess Prolits Duty, the, 177 
 Explosives, cotton an ingredient in 
 
 manufacture of, 234, 235 
 Exporters' and Importers' Associa- 
 tion, the, 29 
 
 Faina, Count, president of Institute 
 of Agriculture, 56 
 
 Fallieres, President, 74, 76, 77 
 
 Famines in India, 5, 152, 155, 
 156 
 
 Far East, the, freightage charges to, 
 28 
 
 Federation of British Industries, 
 the, 226 
 
 Federation of Master Cotton Spin- 
 ners' Associations, the, 15, 33 
 el seq., 42, 43, 52, 159 
 
 Fellaheen, the. Kitchener's sym- 
 pathies with, 144 
 
 Firth, Sir Algernon, 222 
 
 Flandre, Comte de, 99 
 
 Florence, a visit to, 98 
 
 France, a waterspout in, 75 
 
 and the International Institute of 
 
 Agriculture, 49 
 congress and committee meetings 
 in, 72 el seq. 
 
 Francis, Archduke, and the conse- 
 quence of his assassination, 92 
 
 Francis Joseph, Emperor, receives 
 Federation committee, 91, 126 
 
 Frederick, Colonel, 59 
 
 Free Trade battle, the, 202 ct seq. 
 views ot author on, 161 
 
 269
 
 Index 
 
 Freightage charges to the Far East, Harding, President, 143 
 
 28 
 Frogmore, a visit to mausoleum at, 
 60 
 
 Galveston, a visit to, 130 
 
 Gambling on cotton markets, 35, 
 119, 125 
 
 George V, King, and the Interna- 
 tional Federation, 66 
 
 George, Rt. Hon. D. Lloyd, intro- 
 duces Health Insurance Act, 
 217 
 
 German dyes, an import prohibition 
 on, 212 
 
 Germany, congress in, 79 
 
 Ghent, a visit to, 100 
 
 Giles, Miss, as cotton crop estima- 
 tor, 118 
 
 Giza, botanical laboratory at, 150 
 
 Gizeh, 149 
 
 Glasgow, " Lifeboat Saturday " at, 
 193 
 protest meetings against Health 
 Insurance Bill in, 222 
 
 Gneisenau, a trip on, 80 
 
 Government intervention in indus- 
 trial matters : danger of, 248 
 
 Governments and industry, 41 
 
 Granard, Earl of, 60 
 
 Great War, the, how a financial 
 crash was averted, 230, 232 
 Protection revived in the, 212 
 
 Grey, Sir Edward (Viscount Grey), 
 a tribute to the International 
 Federation by, 67 
 
 Hague, The, a banquet at, 109 
 Haig, Earl, 256 
 Handlooms, Egyptian, 150 
 Harcourt, Rt. Hon. Lewis (Viscount 
 Harcourt), 66 
 
 Haworth, Sir Arthur, a disclaimer 
 by, 203 
 
 Health Insurance Act, National, a 
 committee of investigation on, 
 224 
 introduction of, and opposition 
 to, 217 et seq. 
 
 Heathman, negotiations for pur- 
 chase of estate at, 129 
 
 Hemptinne, Jean de (now Comte 
 de), 100 
 
 Henry, Prince, unexpected arrival 
 of, at Kiel, 83 
 
 Herculaneum, a visit to, 98 
 
 Heredity, influence of, 2, 179 
 
 Hodges, Frank, secretary of Miners' 
 Federation, 250, 251 
 
 Holden, Sir Edward, 231 
 
 Holland, an international cotton 
 congress in, 108 
 
 Hollweg, Bethmann-, 85 
 
 H3tel de Ville, the, Paris, a recep- 
 tion at, 73 
 
 Houston, a visit to, 130 
 
 Hudson River, the, 133 
 
 Imperial Preference, Rt. Hon, 
 Austen Chamberlain's system 
 of, 213 
 India, 151 et seq. 
 a curio from, 6 
 cotton industry of, 5, 158 ei 
 
 seq. 
 famines in, 5, 152, 155, 156 
 Indian Mutiny, the, 5 
 Industrial Council, the, a long 
 inquiry by, 174 
 and a miners' strike, 248 
 appointment of, 169 et seq. 
 composition of, 175 
 shelved in 1912 coal strike, 173 
 et seq. 
 
 270
 
 Index 
 
 Industrial disputes, effect of Brook- 
 lands Agreement in, 27 
 worlvers' claim in, 19 
 Industrial peace, other schemes for, 
 
 165 et seq. 
 Industry, Governments and, 41 
 International co-operation, King 
 
 Edward and, 56 
 International Cotton Federation, 
 the, 15, 33 el seq., 42, 43, 52, 
 159 
 a day at Windsor, 59 el seq. 
 question of Governmental recog- 
 nition in England of, 55 et seq. 
 International Institute of Agricul- 
 ture, the, 45 et seq. 
 Islington, Lord, 250 
 Italy, cotton congress in, 93 
 
 King of, author received by, 50, 
 
 93 
 Lubin's inters'iew with, 46 
 {see also Victor Immanuel) 
 
 Jersey, Earl of, 48 
 
 Kampff, Herr, 86 
 
 a model speech by, 87 
 Kemp, Sir George (now Lord Roch- 
 dale) defeats Mr. Bonar Law, 
 206 
 " Key industries," 213 
 Khedivial Agricultural Society, the, 
 
 150 
 Kiderlen-Wachter, Herr, 85, 89 
 Kiel, a cruise to, 80 
 
 unexpected arrival of Prince 
 Henry at, 83 
 Kitchener, Lord, and the fellaheen 
 of Egypt, 144 
 author's meetings with, 139 et 
 
 seq., 143 
 his dislike of feminine society, 141 
 
 Kitchener, Lord, his work in 
 
 Egypt, 146 
 KnoUys, Lord, and the Windsor 
 
 trip of Federation, 59 
 
 Lake Maggiore, an excursion to, 
 98 
 
 Lampooning, typical American, 
 126-7 
 
 Lancashire declares for Free Trade, 
 206 el seq. 
 munificent contribution to India 
 
 famine funds, 5, 155, 156 
 shortage of raw material, in 34 
 et seq. 
 
 Lancashire Commission, visits to 
 American cotton states, 130-1 
 
 Lansdowne, Marquess of, author's 
 acknowledgment to, 55 
 
 I^aw, Rt. Hon. Bonar, author's pro- 
 test to, 210 
 defeated in Manchester, 206 
 
 League of Nations, the prototype 
 of a, 42, 50, 51 
 
 Lifeboat cause, author's work in, 
 179 el seq. 
 interest of Queen of Holland in 
 the, 108-9 
 
 Lifeboat Institution, unostenta- 
 tious work of crews, 189 
 
 Lifeboat rescues on Lancashire 
 coast, 182 el seq. 
 
 " Lifeboat Saturday " fund, insti- 
 tution of, 151, 189 et seq. 
 the Ladies' Auxiliary' Committee, 
 197 el seq. 
 
 Lincolnshire, Marquis of {see Car- 
 rington) 
 
 Lisbon, an amusing experience in, 
 102 
 reception in, 79 
 revolution in, 79, 82 
 
 Little Rock, a reception at, 130 
 
 271
 
 Index 
 
 Liverpool, and Manchester Ship 
 
 Canal, 27, 28 
 " Lifeboat Saturday " at, 193 
 Liverpool Cotton Market, closing 
 
 of, 232 
 London, protest meetings against 
 
 Health Insurance Bill in, 222 
 Long, Right Hon. W. H. (Viscount), 
 
 and the Health Insurance Bill, 
 
 239 
 Loo, International Cotton congress 
 
 at, 108 
 Lords, House of, and Health In- 
 surance Act, 223 
 Loubet, President, 74 
 
 receives International Cotton 
 
 Federation in Paris, 76, 78 
 Lubin, David, activities of, 45 ei 
 
 seq. 
 his tribute to author, 97 
 Lytham lifeboat, the, 183 cl scq. 
 
 Macara, Mrs., activities of, 195 
 
 el seq. 
 Macara, Sir C. W., a picnic in land 
 of cotton plantations, 128 
 a protest to Mr. Bonar Law, 210 
 a Spanish decoration for, 107 
 a tribute to Kitchener, 147 
 advocates making cotton contra- 
 band of war, 233 et seq. 
 an averted railway collision, IIG- 
 
 117 
 and David Lubin, 47, 97 
 and the coal crisis of 1921, 242 
 
 et seq. 
 and the Free Trade policy, 202 et 
 
 seq. 
 and the Industrial Council in- 
 augural banquet, 172 
 and the International Cotton 
 Federation, 26, 33 et seq., 42, 
 52, 159 
 
 Macara, Sir C. W., and the 
 
 Twenty Weeks' Strike, 17 el 
 
 seq. 
 attends congress in Italy, 93 et 
 
 seq. 
 becomes a Chevalier of the Legion 
 
 of Honour, 78 
 congress and committee meetings 
 
 in France, 72 et seq. 
 converses with Queen of Spain* 
 
 105 
 correspondence with Mr. Asquith 
 
 re 1912 coal strike, 175 
 early days, 1 et seq. 
 experiences in Germany and 
 
 Austria, 79 et seq. 
 first commercial post of, 5 
 his ideal, 165 et seq. 
 interest in Indian matters, 3 et seq., 
 
 152, 156 
 international delegations to the 
 
 States, 113 
 King Victor Immanuel's talk 
 
 with, 94 
 leaves New York, 133 
 meets Andrew Carnegie, 256 
 meetings with Lord Kitchener, 
 
 139 et seq., 143 
 on strikes, 10 et seq. {see also 
 
 Strikes) 
 opposes Health Insurance Act, 
 
 217 el seq. 
 Order of Leopold conferred on, 
 
 100 
 organizes fund for Indian famine 
 
 stricken, 153 et seq. 
 organizes supply of aircraft cloth, 
 
 238 
 presented to King Albert, 99 
 president of Manchester Cotton 
 
 Association, 27 
 profit sharing scheme of, 167 et 
 
 seq. 
 received by King of Italy, 50 
 
 72
 
 Index 
 
 Macara, Sir C. W., receives decora- 
 tion of Commander of tlic 
 Crown of Italy, 99 
 receives Order of the Red Eagle, 
 
 85 
 stirring experiences, 101 ct scq. 
 the Atlanta Conference, 122 ct 
 
 seq. 
 views on co-operation of women, 
 
 83 
 war work of, 229 el seq. 
 work in lifeboat cause, 179 et seq. 
 MacColl, James R., 116 
 Madrid, a reception at, 104 
 McConnel, E. G., appeal to women 
 
 of England by, 197 
 Manchester, a cotton-spinning strike 
 at, lie/ seq. 
 a protest demonstration against 
 
 Health Insurance Bill at, 221 
 author enters pubUc life in, 8 
 International Cotton Federation 
 
 congress at, 53 
 " Lifeboat Saturday " in, 192 
 Manchester Cotton Association, 
 
 inauguration of, 15, 27 
 Manchester Ship Canal, 27 
 Manoel, King, flight of, 101 
 Mawdsley, James, 20 
 
 and the Twenty Weeks' Strike, 
 21, 25 
 " Me and Andra " : Mr. Carnegie's 
 
 appreciation of, 262 et seq. 
 Meat-packing industry, 131 
 Mchalla Kebir, a weaving factory 
 
 at, 150 
 Memphis, a day at, 130 
 
 one-time capital of Egypt, 149 
 Messina, earthquake at, 93 et seq. 
 Mexico, wreck of, 183 
 Milan, congress meetings at, 98 
 Miners, strike of, and the " pool " 
 issue, 242 et scq. 
 the 1912 strike of, 173 el scq. 
 
 Minto, Earl of, 48 
 
 Mohammed Bey Abdel Neby, weav- 
 ing factory of, 150 
 
 Morley, Viscount, Mr. Carnegie's gift 
 to, 201 
 
 Motors, foreign, an import duty on» 
 212 
 
 Munitions, manufacture of : a dis- 
 pute composed, 240 
 
 Murad Pasha, 146 
 
 Naples, a visit to, 98 
 
 National Health Insurance Act, in- 
 troduction of, 217 
 widespread opposition to, 220 
 
 National Registration scheme, the, 
 238 ct seq. 
 
 Nationalization, folly of, 168 
 
 New Orleans, a visit to, 130 
 
 New York, a dinner at the Waldorf 
 Astoria Hotel, 116-17 
 
 New York Cotton Association, 
 gambling on, 119 (see also 
 Gambling) 
 
 Niagara Falls, a visit to, 132 
 
 Nile Barrage, the, 149 
 
 Northcliffe, Lord, interviews with, 
 250 
 
 Norway, King and Queen of, 60 
 
 Olaf, Prince, at Windsor, 63 
 Organization, a striking example of 
 
 successful, 154 ct scq. 
 Organized short time, 36 el seq. 
 
 Paris, by night, 72 
 
 receptions in, 73, 74 
 Picketing, definition of, 12 
 Plate, Herr, presents author to the 
 
 Kaiser, 82 
 Poincaire, President, 71, 76 
 
 273
 
 Index 
 
 Poincairi, President, reception by, 
 
 77 
 Pompeii, a visit to, 98 
 Portugal, revolution in, 79, 82 
 Presbyterian Church, the, disrup- 
 tion in, 3 
 Prestwich, a momentous meeting 
 
 at, 22 
 Prince of "Wales' Fund, the, 241 
 Profit-sharing scheme, author's, 
 
 167 et seq. 
 Protection, during Great "War, 212 
 
 opposed by author, 203 el seq. 
 Pyramids, the, a visit to, 149 
 
 Queen's Hall (London), a great 
 meeting at the, 236 el seq. 
 
 Ramsay, Sir "William, speech at 
 
 Queen's Hall, 237 
 Raw material, " cornering " of, 35 
 
 shortage of, 34 
 Rayner, Arthur, president of Master 
 
 Cotton Spinners' Federation, 
 
 21 
 Recruiting on a scientific basis, 239 
 Reeves, Sims, and the St. Annes 
 
 lifeboat disaster, 185 
 Revue Economique Interncdionale, 
 
 author's article in, 43, 99 
 Rhode Island, author in, 116 
 Rigi, the, an informal gathering on 
 
 summit of, 53 
 Rochdale, Lord {see Kemp, Sir 
 
 George) 
 Rome, a representative conference 
 
 at, 47 
 a visit to, 98 
 Roosevelt, Theodore, a character- 
 istic letter from, 136 
 a signed portrait of, presented to 
 
 author, 138 
 
 Royal National Lifeboat Institu- 
 tion, a relief fund for, 184 
 
 Royal Naval Air Service, author 
 and the, 238 
 
 St. Annes-on-the-Sea, 180 
 
 lifeboat crew lost, 184 
 St. Annes Lifeboat Disaster Com- 
 mittee, the, 189 
 St. Louis, reception at, 131 
 Salford, " Lifeboat Saturday " in, 
 
 192 
 Sankey, Mr. Justice, a momentous 
 
 judgment by, 212 
 Scheveningen, congress at, 108 
 Scottish Presbyterian Church, the, 3 
 Semmering Mountains, a day in the, 
 
 92 
 Sheffield, " Lifeboat Saturday " at, 
 
 194 
 Short time, organized, 36 el seq. 
 Skibo Castle acquired by Mr. Car- 
 negie, 256 
 author at, 257, 261 
 King Edward's visit to, 258 
 Sunday evenings at, 259 
 the swimming bath at, 258 
 Soudan, the, a delegation to, 148 
 South African "War, the, author's 
 
 activities during, 155, 229 
 Southport, lifeboat crew lost in at- 
 tempt at saving life, 183 cl seq. 
 Spain, a visit to, 104 
 
 King of {see Alfonso) 
 Steed, H. Wickham, and author, 245 
 Strikes, 10 et seq. 
 
 a method of barbarism, 253 
 cotton operatives', 11, 252 
 industrial, 169 
 
 miners', 173 et seq., 242 et seq. 
 Sully, and his speculations, 35 
 Swiss Cotton Employers' Associa 
 tion, the, 41 
 
 274
 
 Index 
 
 Tariff Reform, author's opposition 
 
 to, 203 el seq. 
 Tariffs, fallacy of, 214, 215 
 Telegraphy, wireless, 135 
 Texarkana, a reception at, 130 
 Toronto, charm of, 132 
 Trade unionism, strength of, 12 
 
 solidification of, 16 
 Twenty Weeks' Strike, the, 17 
 
 author's tribute to strikers in, 20 
 
 Vesuvius, ascent of, 98 
 
 Victor Immanuel, King of Italy, 4G, 
 
 50, 93 et seq. 
 Victoria, Princess, author presented 
 
 to, 61 
 Vienna, a Corpus Christi festival at, 
 
 91 
 
 Wages, increase of, during war, 
 167 
 regulation of, 166 et seq. 
 Wales, Prince of, popularity of, 94 
 
 War charities, organization of, 241 
 Wealth, author's conception of, 7, 
 260 
 Mr. Carnegie on, 201, 265 
 Weniyss, Lord Wester, 256 
 William I of Germany, practical 
 
 help for lifeboat cause, 185 
 William II and the cotton industry, 
 83 
 inspects his fleet, 80 
 reception by, 82 
 secret of his popularity, 90 
 Windsor, a day at, 55 et seq. 
 
 the Court at, 60, 63 
 Wingate, Gen. Sir Reginald, invites 
 author to visit cotton-growing 
 districts, 148 
 Wireless telegraphy, early days of. 
 
 135 
 World Cotton Conferences, 121, 122 
 (note) 
 
 Zurich, international congress at, 
 41, 43, 52, 55 
 
 275
 
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