Page:The Story of the House of Cassell (book).djvu/284

 Another advantage enjoyed by the employees is that of being able to obtain competent medical advice practically for nothing. Dr. Eric Bayley visits the works for this purpose once a week, and a fee of 6d. entitles every employee to his advice for three months. Dr. Bayley also supervises the sanitation at La Belle Sauvage. The works were constructed on the best sanitary principles at the outset, and there are few factories or offices anywhere which are so well lighted and ventilated and so free from sanitary defect, or in which there is a lower sickness-rate. The accident-rate, too, is one of the lowest in the City, partly because the machinery is so thoroughly fenced, and partly because of the absence of crowding. From this point of view the machine-room won the outspoken admiration of Japanese experts who inspected it not long ago.

Long service has for many years been traditional at La Belle Sauvage; and at the conclusion of the business of the shareholders' meeting in 1920 Sir Clarence Smith, on behalf of the Company, presented a gold watch or a silver tea service, at the choice of the recipient, to nine members of the staff who had been at the Yard for more than fifty years, among them Mr. W. H. Clarke, the head of the Stock Department. Twenty-five others, he mentioned, had over forty years' service to their credit.

The first War Savings Association organized in the City of London was started at La Belle Sauvage in 1916, and by September, 1921, over £17,500 had been paid in. In 1914, when it was feared that the war would lead to unemployment and distress, Cassell's Help Fund was started, with Lady Morris as Chairman, and contributions flowed in. The need for help proved to be less than had been anticipated, but there was no lack of deserving cases which benefited from its timely succour.

Of the members of the staff at La Belle Sauvage, 381 joined the King's Forces, while many others engaged in munition making and other work of national