The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-02-28

lrxurles aud proper cxpenditrre for
necessities, We can say simply that
the more money a man earns and the
less he spends. the more he win have
available TO invest What IS true OF
one man Is true OF ten men. twenty,
a thousand. million.
II may be aid that " all men saved
and no one spent there would be a
plethora Of funds aud no demand for
them; but taking the world as IL Is
that condition never exists What we
call 'over production and lack OF
demand is really lack of ability to
purchase Human nature is such that
people as a whole always want more
than they possess.
When carefully analyzed, it Is seen
that ineficiency of labor can be re.
garded as a luxury just as much as
expenditure for fura or automobiles.
The community or the nation has
about 50 much human energy to util.
ize during the year. II the community
or the nation is eNtrayagant every
body's time may be occupied In supply
ing daily wants, real or fancied and
there viii be no time left for pernan-
ent improvements engineering
works. let US say. But this extrava-
gance may take the form of ioafing
while pretending 10 work and the
same effect viii be produced. II the
workers of a community idle away
their time. ,hey cannot build the side
walk OF the roadway or the irrigation
ditch which they might have had time
to- build had they worked indus
triously.
The same conclusion is reached If
we take another point of view. A
railway or a mandatory makes prof
It's from years business which are
closely dependent on the industry and
| effectiveness of the labor in it's en-
! plOy. High wages may reduce divi-
dends to the owners. and yet givemore
money to the workmen to put in a
savings bank But moderate wages
coupled with ineHicient work will just
as certainly reduce the owners divi-
/ Aends. and the workers are likely TO
have little or nothing TO save to add
to the investment fund
II used to be the motto Of one
prominent labor organization that the
injury OF one was the concern OF all
We may reverse that motto and say
that the mischief done by few-the
inehiciency and waste of human ef-
/ tort which so many labor unions have
fostered--has wrought an injury 20
millions OF industrious workers who
had no part in the campaign OF idle
ness that mas wrought so disastrously
10 our national welfare.
on the same plane with inefficient
work must be placed opposition to Ia
bof-saying machinery restrictions TO
prevent effective use OF workmen, op-
l,po itlon to apprentices, which causes
men to be idle who ought to be use
fully employed. All these cause an in
ci ease in the cost Of labor, reduce the
| output available for given expendi-
/ ture. cnt down the earnings available
for dividends
Perhaps some labor leader may OBJ.
iect that he does not want the men
OF his union to work industriously for
the sake of earning dividends for some
worthy man. Rut If railways and fac
tories and mines 40 not earn divi-
dends, there is no incentive for any.
one to invest capital in them, even
when it is available. A million men
ere idle today who would be at work
Il money could be secured 10 build
new railways. Buildings bridges and
other works; and funds for not few
OF these have been shut of because
ol reduced earnings. which are due in
no mall part to the ineiiiciency OF
labor
Have the labor unions learned a les
son from the experiences Of the past
few months2 II they have not. then
the individual workers have. in not
few cases at LEAST. for We hear or
al, hands that with the wedding out OF
forces that has taken place since slacl
time began the workers that remain
are exerting themselves 70 hold theii
!. places.
There Is no more important PROB
lem before engineers and executive
heaas OF our great industrial enter
prises than the problem how to Sc
cure continuously efficient labor. Te
Sc ure a maNimum quantity and su
: perior quality oi output with the leas
5 expenditure of labor. and at the same
3 time to so reward the worker that ht
( can live decently and have constant
incentive for imprcvement-that y
the task which presses harder To-
solution today than at any previous
time
y 49, .r.- -, . rQ0p