University of Virginia Library

The Foundation.

The life of a village or town must be created of enduring
materials and based on some sort of sound business principles. It is
the very essence of the village of Port Sunlight that it is claimed
to be a sound business enterprise. Though much more than half
a million pounds of capital spent on land and buildings has been
left out of count for interest, it is still maintained that all outlays
have in the main been justified by sound business principles. That
the well-being and comfort of their workpeople is a valuable business
asset is no new belief with employers of labour. The belief has
been acted upon for many years past, but its application has made
rapid strides in more recent times. It is probable, however, that
there is not another place where this belief has been so very completely
demonstrated as at Port Sunlight. The inhabitants of this
fortunate village appear to have been saved every needless risk, and
have even escaped the snare of mere profit-sharing, in favour of |

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8. CO-PARTNERS' CLUB AND BOWLING GREEN.

GRAYSON AND OULD,

Architects. prosperity-sharing and copartnership. It will be of interest here to
quote from a Paper by the founder, Sir W. H. Lever, on prosperity-sharing,
in November, 1900. "The truest and highest form of
enlightened self-interest requires that we pay the fullest regard to
the interest and welfare of those around us, whose well-being we
must bind up with our own, and with whom we must share our
prosperity. We cannot live in comfort with others if we do not
share our comforts with them. If we wish men to be honest
towards ourselves, we must be honest with them. If we wish men
to help us to achieve prosperity, they must feel assured that we will
share that prosperity with them. If capital and management think
of nothing but their own narrowest, selfish self-interest, without
a thought for labour, care nothing for the comfort or welfare of
labour, care nothing whether labour is well or ill-housed, whether
labour is provided with opportunity for reasonable and proper
recreation and relief from toil or not, then capital and management
are blind to their own highest interest. . . . Also the converse of the
above is equally true. . . . If labour adopts the spirit of enlightened
and intelligent self-interest, and if capital and management do the
same, if each recognise the principle that by looking after the
interests of the other they are taking the surest means to achieve

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9. CARVED OAK AND DECORATIVE PLASTER
WORK ON COTTAGE IN PARK ROAD SOUTH.

their own self-interest,
business
will be healthier,
happiness in business
will be greater,
the prosperity of
the business of the
whole country will
be assured, and the
bogey of foreign
competition will be
laid once and for all.
I venture to submit
that prosperity-sharing
on the basis
of enlightened self-interest
will secure
this."

It is the aim
which lies behind
such words as these
which is of real importance,
and makes
possible the creation
of beautiful homes
and pleasant sur-
roundings. We may be quite sure that this is the one vital factor
in all our efforts, and no excuse need be offered for the reiteration
of this point in the pages of this book. We should all live for
some sort of ideals, and in proportion as these are right and good,
so shall we find the measure of our success.

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10. HALF-TIMBER COTTAGES IN PARK ROAD.

W. & S. OWEN,

Architects.