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During recent years, the use of plastic materials for the packaging of foods has been increasing fairly rapidly, but with the more recent expansion of self‐service stores, and of pre‐packaging in general, the employment of plastic compounds for the wrapping, storage, and handling of food has assumed a volume far greater than might have been anticipated but a short time ago. There are obvious advantages in these materials, particularly from the aspect of food hygiene, and they offer a range in properties that can suit the requirements of nearly all foodstuffs. While plastics normally consist mainly of synthetic resins and their derivatives, there are also present other substances such as plasticisers, lubricants, stabilisers, colouring matters and fillers; some of these other ingredients are or could be toxic in themselves, or they could contain metals or other substances known to be toxic or potentially toxic. Food in a plastic wrapper that includes in its ingredients a toxic substance is not going to do the consumer of the food any harm unless some of the toxic factor passes into the food, or into one of the ingredients of the food.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ideals and activities of the nineteenth century Welsh industrialist and reformer Robert Owen (1771‐1858), and how they informed modern human resource development (HRD) concepts and practices and provided evidence of Owen as a HRD pioneer.

Historiography provided a method to understand how historical figures, and the context in which they lived and worked, inform contemporary research and practice.

Contextual factors of economics, politics and societal demands and the influences of Owen's early life, his immersion within the British factory system and the creation of the New Lanark mill village, Owen's great work experiment, revealed a strong impact on his thinking and actions. Thematic findings included: managing people and profit, education and training, pioneering workplace innovations, and the failure of the New Harmony, Indiana community. Themes provided unique historical evidence that education and development of workers, and the creation of humane work and community environments are linked across time and contexts to modern concepts of human resource development and thus supported Owen as a HRD pioneer.

Understanding the ideals and workplace experiments and contextual influences on a historical figure such as Robert Owen illustrate how modern concepts of workforce training and education, diversity, equality and justice and social responsibility originated and the importance of contexts on their development and success.

Contexts of economics, politics and societal demands greatly influence organizations and the creation of humane workplaces that nurture human potential.

The study brings history and historiography as a research method to the forefront of HRD research and practice. The study provides the beginnings of a collective historical memory that can contribute to HRD defining itself and establishing its identity as a discipline.

AS Director‐General of the Confederation of British Industry, William Owen Campbell Adamson tramps around Whitehall championing the interests of British business in the face of a current account deficit in the balance of payments approaching £4,000 million; a weighted average devaluation of sterling of over 20 per cent since December 1971; unemployment rising; our Gross Domestic Product in the third quarter of 1974 hardly higher than in the same period a year ago; industry in real terms currently running at a loss; and the Financial Times Ordinary Share Index at its lowest level since the 1950s.

Insights into the roots of social enterprise from before the term was adopted are provided by examining histories of charitable service and comparing current understandings of social enterprise. Social enterprise models of welfare provision are evidenced from the seventeenth century onwards. Persistent themes are identified that provide insights for current practice and understanding.

This historiography examines interpretations from 1905 to the present day of examples of welfare provision between two watershed points: 1600, just prior to the Poor Laws and 1908, when the Old Age Pensions Act shifted emphasis in public sector provision.

Activities that would nowadays be termed social enterprise are evidenced in histories of charitable philanthropy covering each century since 1600. Prevailing attitudes uncritically demarcated deserving and undeserving poor. Histories contributed to a heroic narrative of social entrepreneurs, describing activities dependent on well-networked, politically active individuals that rarely continued beyond their involvement. The political environment was recognised to influence the types of organisations, governance and resourcing.

The historiography takes examples from three centuries between 1600 and1908 but is not comprehensive. Recurrent themes are identified for further research.

Social enterprise is a twenty-first-century label but not a new phenomenon. Identification of prevailing themes provides insights for the understanding of social enterprises in the twenty-first century.

Recent research has considered robotic machining as a dextrous alternative to traditional CNC machine tools for complex sculptured surfaces. One challenge in using robotic machining is that the stiffness is lower than traditional machine tools, due to the cantilever design of the links and low‐torsional stiffness of the actuators. This paper seeks to examine this limitation, using optimization algorithms to determine the best trajectories for the manipulators such that the stiffness is maximized.

The issue of low stiffness is addressed with an integrated off‐line planner and real‐time re‐planner. The available manipulator stiffness is maximized during off‐line planning through a trajectory resolution method that exploits the nullspace of the robot machining system. In response to unmodeled disturbances, a real‐time trajectory re‐planner utilizes a time‐scaling method to reduce the tool speed, thereby reducing the demand on the actuator torques, increasing the robot's dynamic stiffness capabilities. During real‐time re‐planning, priorities are assigned to conflicting performance criteria such as stiffness, collision avoidance, and joint limits.

The algorithms developed were able to generate trajectories with stiffer configurations, which resulted in a reduction in the actuator torques. The real‐time re‐planner successfully allowed the process plan to continue when disturbances were encountered.

Simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.

Addressing the limitation of stiffness in serial‐link manipulators will enable robots to become more suitable for machining tasks. The real‐time re‐planning approach will allow robots to become more autonomous during the execution of a given task.

An integrated off‐line and real‐time planning approach has been applied to robotic machining.

A report on this subject has recently been issued by the Local Government Board. It owes its origin to the interest—unfortunately brief—that was aroused some two years ago, when certain allegations were made concerning the methods in vogue on the other side of the Atlantic for, the preparation of meat products intended to be placed on the English market, and has been drawn up by Dr. A. W. J. MACFADDEN. The report is based on the results obtained by Public Analysts throughout the country, who, in the performance of their official duties, were called upon to examine various samples of canned meat sent out by the United States packing houses; on certain statements made by trade representatives to Dr. MACFADDEN; and, finally, on the results of some analyses of canned meats made by Mr. ELLIS RICHARDS, F.I.C., at the request of the Board. The figures must be regarded as representative of the state of affairs then and now. By far the greater quantity of canned meat that reaches this country and is consumed therein is imported from the United States, and hence, almost of necessity, any criticisms that are made regarding this part of our food supply resolve themselves into criticisms of the Federal Meat Inspection law of the United States and the way in which it is applied by the officials there. The conclusion that Dr. MACFADDEN draws as to the efficacy of this law so far as it regards ourselves is one that was expressed in this journal in May last. He observes that “our position, so far as safeguards provided by American law are concerned, is apparently much as it was before the enactments came into force,” that “so far as the use of preservatives is concerned, the new law has not affected the conditions under which the canned meat trade has been conducted with this country in past years,” and that “the onus of protecting their inhabitants in this respect continues to rest, in the first place, with the Governments of the foreign countries themselves.” The first two statements are sufficiently damning, and the corollary is, of course, obvious. The difficulties must be tackled from this side, but the entire absence, up to the present, of all official standards renders the task of the Public Analyst and the other municipal officials who are jointly concerned with him as regards the health of the districts with which they are connected, a most difficult one, and the business of the unscrupulous “poisoner for dividends,” to use an American phrase, correspondingly easy. We go a little farther than Dr. MACFADDEN, and say that the new law does not protect us even with regard to the general wholesomeness of these products. As late as January last the Inspecting Officer of the Manchester Port Sanitary Authority had occasion to draw attention to the unsatisfactory nature of certain canned goods that were imported direct from America. The examination of a consignment of 1,200 six‐pound tins of canned meat showed that 157 tins were blown, and that 156 tins were of doubtful quality. It follows that in this single instance 1,800 pounds of garbage were exported to this country from the United States, the new law notwithstanding.

Details the creating of a library by Edmund and Ruth Frow. Describes the initial partnership and the gradual transition to a library representing the ideals, trials and tribulations of ordinary working people. Summarizes the scope of the present collection of over 30,000 items and gives details of a number of rare books and documents.

Already there is evidence of activity in library circles that was difficult or impossible during the war. A.S.L.I.B. did continue its conferences and the successful one held last month was a useful member of the series. This month the London and Home Counties Branch of the L.A. meets for a week‐end conference at Brighton where some interesting matters are on the programme but, what is more useful, we are able to resume again the pleasure of lounging and discussing together for a more extended time than we have been able to do lately. The South‐Eastern Regional Library System has held its Annual Council Meeting at which some important organization matters were settled and Mr. McColvin continued his missionary work on post‐war possibilities. The School of Librarianship duly began its resumed career on October 3rd. The Library Association Council has held its first officially correct meeting, having been released to do so by the Privy Council. Up and down the country there is evidence that the profession is stretching itself as a preliminary to awaking to activity.