The daily Nome industrial worker., 1917-08-16
INDUSTRIAL PREPAREDNESS.

The nation is at war. And it will be conceded that the best way to carry on that war is not by con- nnued strife between labor and ca pit2l.
 When, in the pre-war days the question Of preparedness was before the people, the view was emphasized emphatically that the great neces- sity was for industrial prepared ness.
 Now there are two distinct things understood by industrial prepared ness. and it is typical of conditions that one was put forward by the employers and the other by the la borites.
 The employers view Of industrial preparedness meant factories well equipped with efficient machinery and employees on the pay roll, com peteut. efficient docfie and obedient. The employees were to bo content with that standard of living as pro- sided for them hy employers and to avoid ali industrial agitation for bet ter conditions. Hence when the Pa pers devoted space to this point Of view. and the one which achieved the main publicity was this one. they d.a-ussad the mechanical equip ment the efficiency m2thods and the education and proper control of the workers.
 Obviously if there was to re any t.2rooeracy in such industrial man agement and in the industrial scheme therein propounded it was to be wholly a monopoly for the benefit Of the employers
 The view as to industrial prepar- cduess put forward by labor was something entirely differetn, in that it radically declared that the attainment of the point of view put forward by employers was impossible. It was contended that sine qua non for avoiding industrial discomfort was to provide labor with such conditions in the way of living and working that they could be regarded by the workers as satisfactory.
 And it was further contended that in deciding what was satisfactory Tor labor. labor should primarily have the say. IL ] as much 2 psy- chological question as anything else Only the man who is to be satisfied can say that which will satisfy him
 The view taken in this matter by & good many employers is that you cannot satisfy labor, and it is no use trying. Therefore what em- ployers must do is to manage their plants in such a way that they wil be as highly profitable as possible and the acme of industrial efficiency IS profitable efficiency, and for that reason nothing must be allowed tc Intereferc with it. Certainly no any claims by workers for wage: Wh5ch will take slice of the profits. Certainly nc claims which the employer has no already manifested a willingness tt grant.
 And thereupon resulted a dead lock between employers on the on' side and workers on the other, lead ing just as naturally to the perpetu aticn of the class struggle whicf as we see, is continuing during thi war and jeopardizing the cntir' :deal of industrial preparedness.
 It enlarge3 our conception o social liberty to consider what thel in this condition of things, botl c;des propose.
 And just as the conceptions fol the attainment of industrial pre- paredness have differed so the me tSods that must now be employed +sa bring that about differ: accord sss we hear the employer announce Mis views or as the laborites unfold Hheirs.
 The employer takes the view tha his position as an employer gives him the right to make profits. Ina is the why of business. in war time no elss than during peace. Coase Quently he regards his position as .ona absolutely unequivocal.