 The
Metrovick 'pantomime night' was revived in 1935. The first of these
events had taken place in 1920, when the whole of the Palace Theatre
in Manchester was booked for the Company's employees and their guests,
but the depression after the war prevented its repetition. With the
improvement of trade, however, the pantomime night was resumed with
increasing success, and by 1938 it had lengthened to a week, tickets
being booked for five performances covering over 10,000 seats; it
is believed to be the largest block-booking made at any theatre in
the country.
Royal
visitors to the works included Prince and Princess Takamatsu of
Japan in 1930 and Prince George on January 12,1931, when His Royal
Highness visited the foundry and poured a medallion of himself in
M-V 'C' alloy.
At
Sheffield both works relations and welfare arrangements had steadily
improved since M-V took over, developing on similar lines to Trafford
Park. From the very early days of the factory, there had been a
works committee with an Sheffield associated women's committee (about
one-third of the manual workers are women), and welfare schemes
of all sorts were gradually set up. A sports association was established,
and arrangements made to share the use of a sports ground. Steps
were also taken to improve the canteens in accommodation and service.
Apprentice training was introduced, and the Sheffield trade section
of the apprentice association has a present membership of fifty.
APPRENTICE TRAINING
In 1929 Kenneth R. Evans, who had been concerned with apprentice
training since 1920, took charge of the education department under
Fleming, and an important advance was made by the introduction of
pre-university works training for intending graduates. On leaving
school, these 'probationary college apprentices' came to the works
for a year's practical training, during which they were released
for one day a week to revise their science and maths; this was supplemented
by workshop courses during the long vacation. On coming down from
the university, a further year's training at the works completed
their apprenticeship. In spite of much opposition at the outset,
the work done by the first candidates at the universities did much
to convert college staffs, and it is now generally accepted that
undergraduates with this practical experience in industry will
obtain all the more benefit from their theoretical training.
At
this time also the arrangements for selecting college and school
apprentices were improved by setting up selection committees consisting
of departmental and research heads and members of the education
department.
A
little earlier the education department had had the bold idea of
educating the teachers of engineering. It was thought that the work
of the professors and staffs of university engineering faculties
would benefit by closer acquaintance with engineering design and
manufacturing practice, and in 1928. the Company held its first
summer school. This was attended by 94 'students' from the universities
and senior
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