The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1902-04-23
LABOR SAVING MACHINERY.
What II Has Done and What 1t
Might DO For the Human Race.

What IL Has Done and What 1t
Might DO For the Human Race.
Whatever else may be said Of this
earth, she is generous In her resources.
For centuries she has sent forth fruit
for the benefit of mankind, and5she
seems disposed to do SO for centuries
to come.
We live In world Of plenty, world
of tremendous natural resources. Nor
has the human race been slow In util-
izing these natural resources and add
ing to them by Its inventive genius.
Labor saving machinery is at the
bottom of the demand for shorter hours
of toll. 1t is a mighty question and
has performed the greatest revolutions
In the history of the world. Tesla and
Edison have told us over and over
again that most of the work of the. fu-
ture Will be performed by machinery.
1t is during the past fifty years that
labor saving machinery has played SO
important a part in our industrial life.
1t Is often assumed that this class of
machinery does not displace labor, but
we have only to reckon the labor saved
| place millions of working men and
women.
The machinery in the mills and fac
| tories of Great Britain is equal to the
labor power of 500,000.000 men. In the
single state of Massachusetts machin-
cry Is doing the work of 100000
men. Compare the work one man can
do today with the same human labor
100 years ago. Today one man and
two boys can spin as much cotton as
LOO spinners could have done 100
years ago, and one weaver now does
the work of flftyfour.
Labor saving machinery enables us
to produce 100 times as much as our
grandfathers could have done with the
same number of hands. Why, then,
should we work only one or two hours
less per day than our grandfathers?
Why not have some Of the great BEN
eft derived from labor saving machin-
cry for the laborers?
Why, we now produce so much sur
| plus wealth that the foreign market
has become a leading political ques
ton. With the aid Of the present ma
chinery the work OF the world might
be performed with four hour work
day.
Why is 1t that poverty and progress
have gone hand In hand? The trade
unionists say: Let the work of the world
be done with machinery; let us substi-
tute machines for men in every depart
ment of production; let iron and steel,
steam and electricity, that do not have
aching backs and tired muscles, that
cannot be brutalized do the whole of
the heavy work, and let brains plan.
guide and control them. But, above
all else, let humanity, all of our broth
ers, share In the progress.
The first step to be taken, then, is the
reduction OF the days toll to eight
hours. Eight hours would mean high
CIR wages, more wives at home, more
children in school. The richest nation
on the face of the earth, we are pro-
ducing fabulous wealth annually, and
yet millions are in poverty and igno-
rance. Let us IL necessary produce a
little less wealth and little more sun
shine and Joy IN the homes Of the toll
ers.
The long hour day tends to produce
crime and misery, poverty and intem-
perance. The short hour workday tends
to produce Il better race, more wealth
for the masses and far better ciyilfza-
tion.-F. G. X. Gordon.