Industry And Humanity

Industry and Humanity was first published in 1918. In it William Lyon Mackenzie King, then a prominent public servant who had forged a respectable reputation among business leaders as an expert in labour affairs, discussed the process of national and industrial reconstruction then about to begin. The book reviewed several momentous crises in North American labour-management relations, revealed the background to various important pieces of Canadian legislation in the field of social welfare, and provided a broad rationale for the establishment of a new programme of democracy in industry. Industry and Humanity is not only a history of King's career as industrial relations expert and consultant for the Canadian government and several giant American corporations. It also contains illustrations and analogies from his urban industrial and educational experiences. He did settlement work, examined working conditions and trade unionism in his graduate studies at university, and pioneered in the federal department of labour in examining at close hand some of the most undesirable effects of industrialization. The portions of the book which were derived from King's experiences in investigation and arbitration work present an invaluable picture of deplorable working conditions and wasting away of human lives. King's analysis of strikes – their causes and social consequences – is the book's central theme and is an accurate and telling assessment of the effects of social strife on the well-being of the community. Moreover, King put flesh on the dry statistics of industrial accidents and illnesses and the testimony of countless inquiries and royal commissions with vivid descriptions of the dehumanizing effects of the modern factory system.

Industry and Humanity is not only a history of King's career as industrial relations expert and consultant for the Canadian government and several giant American corporations. It also contains illustrations and analogies from his urban industrial and educational experiences.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from Industry and Humanity: A Study in the Principles Underlying Industrial Reconstruction I am indebted to the Rockefeller Foundation for the opportunity which has made possible the writing of this book. When I was invited by the Foundation, in June, 1914, to undertake a study of industrial relations, it was expected that I would visit different countries, make first-hand investigations, and, as a result of these inquiries, offer constructive suggestions concerning industrial and social. The War not only prevented me from studies abroad, but so completely changed the industrial situation in all countries that I was compelled to modify my plans considerably. Hopeful of being constructively helpful, notwithstanding changed conditions, I decided to make a personal investigation into the root causes of some of the existing industrial controversies in America, and to contribute, by suggestion or otherwise, as opportunity offered, to working out improvements in the relations between Capital and Labor. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.