Book Notes
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1950.tb02728.x |
| Date | 01 March 1950 |
| Published date | 01 March 1950 |
Book
Horace Blunkett
:
an Anglo-American
By MARGARET DIGBY. (Blackwell.) Pp. xvi,
SIR
H~RACE
PLUNKETT was probably best
known on
this
side for his work for agricultural
co-operation. Born in Gloucestershire of an
English mother, his heart was in Ireland, and
the service of the Irish countryside and its
people
was
the main devotion of his life. The
co-operative creamery in Ireland, which
Plunkett inspired, was his first main instru-
ment
of
co-operation. He saw that voluntary
combination in farming was the only satisfac-
tory so~ution of Ireland’s rural economic
problems.
It
was Plunkett who called into
being the Recess Committee of 1895-96. He
was made Chairman
of
this Committee, and as
a result
the
Irish Department of Agriculture
had a representative Council of Agriculture,
with a Board which it appointed to sit as a
cabinet
of
the Minister. It was a significant
experiment in the field of administration, and
for
seven
years Plunkett was the administrative
head
of
the new department. Miss Digby
lays special emphasis on Plunkett’s pioneer
work
in
the field of Anglo-American and
Irish-American relations. The work is a
much-needed tribute to the life of a man of
great courage and strong convictions, who
believed that co-operation all round, national
and international, was the goal to be striven
after. Despite ill-health and much suffering,
Plunken never ceased
to
strive. His influence
has spread all over the world, and when he
died
in
1931,
at the age of 77 years, he had
sown a
seed
which is still being cultivated in
new countries, as well as in the old. Based
largely on Plunkett’s diaries and letters, not
hitherto published, Miss Digby’s volume
makes a most entertaining and informative
account of a remarkable man.
Organising the Larger
Units
THE
British
Management
Review
for July, 1949,
contains
a
valuable article by
J.
R. Simpson
(Director
of
the Organisation and Methods
Division at
thc
Treasury) who explains how
certain typical Departments are organised at
the top and illustrates his points with the aid
of organisation charts. He also has some-
thing
to
say about the organisation of the
nationalised industries.
A
good deal of this
informatiun is made public for the first time.
Beauty
and
the Borough
By COUNCILLOR
F.
E. CLEARY (St Catherine
Press,
Ltd)
Pp;
32
and 60 illustrations.
5s.
THIS
is
a delightfully produced book. It tells
the story of the Hornsey Amenity Campaign,
Irishman.
314.
Illustrated. 15s.
Notes
and by a series of excellent illustrations shows
the citizen the good and bad sides of
his
borough. Councillor Cleary
is
to
be con-
gratulated
on
his effort. It should inspire the
Councillors and citizens in other boroughs to
follow
his
example.
You and Citizenship
(West Suffolk County Council.) Pp. 32.
2s.
6d.
THE
West Suffolk County Council sponsored a
series of talks on
“
You
and Citizenship
”
and
have now published a summary of them, along
with an introductory article
by
Dr.
J.
W.
Skinner, entitled
“
The Call
to
Citizenship.”
The talks covered both national and local
government. The booklet contains no illus-
trations other than a good photograph of the
Palace of Westminster on the front cover.
This is a great pity, for though photographs
and charts may increase the total cost, this
consideration is heavily outweighed by the
greater impact made
on
the citizen.
Consultation on
Joint
Management
(Fabian Tract 277.)
1s.
THIS
is
a discussion of the management of
nationalised industries with particular refer-
ence to the organisation of the
Post
Office.
The main contribution is by
J.
M. Chalmers,
who puts the viewpoint of the Union of
Post
Office Workers (Mr. Chalmers is
Editor
of
Post).
Mr. Ian Mikardo and Professor
G.
D.
H.
Cole add interesting and stimulating
comments. This is an important pamphlet.
We hope to review it more fully
in
the Summer
issue.
The turbulent London
of
Richard
I1
By RUTH BIRD. (Longmans.) 1949. Pp.
xxiv, 156. Bibliography. Map. 18s.
THE
struggle at the end of the 14th century,
when a serious effort was made
to
break the
power of the merchant capitalists in London.
The capitalists gained the victory, and the
author maintains, from evidence collected
from the City records, that the result was
mainly due to the political apathy of the
average London voter.
The
Law
of
Trade
Unions
By HARRY SAMUELS. 4th ed. Pp.
xv,
96.
THE
new edition of this well-known guide to
trade union law contains a full exposition of
the law as it stands after the passing of the
Trade Disputes and Trade Unions Act of 1946.
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