The Washington herald., 1918-09-02
SECY. WILSON
APPEALS FOR
BEST EFFORTS
Labor's Aim Must Be 100
Per Cent Efficiency to
Speed War.

Naking Labor Day the occasion
for an appeal to labor for 100 per
cent efficiency, William B. Wilson.
Secretary Of Labor. issued this
statement yesterday.
-ons hundred per cent eficiency
must be the patriotic aim Of both
employees and wage earners during
the war. Otherwise the cause of the
allies and democracy is In danger.
This duty has been expressed by
the Hon. W. N. Hughes. premier of
Australia. In an appeal to American
vorkingmsn. He says:
-workers Of America. we are In
the greatest Of all wars. 1t 10 q
peoples war. q nght for democracy
and liberty, which We must night out
to . finish. There IL no other
honorable way. The future Of labor
depends on victory; and victory de-
pends as much on the workers as on
the soldiers actually fighting in the
neld. More than all. II depends on
building ships. making munitions.
providing food for the soldiers over
there
you are the great army of
skilled workers whom Germany
fears more than all You are peace
makers In the great race against
him Upon you the eyes Of the
world are turned; on you rests .
Tremendous responsibility. Not only
the millions OF American soldiers.
but the soldiers OF all the allies
look to you to see them through
TO that victory for which they are
fighting 30 heroically.
Hun Menace 10 Labor.
Workers Of America. to you has
come Q great opportunity. You have
the power TO render . lasting service
TO the cause Of liberty and democracy.
The cause OF militarism IL a deadly
menace % America. to democracy and
to labor. II Germany trfumphs, labor
and democracy must fall. Be up and
dotngI'
The appeal thus sounded By Mr..
Hughes 10 being needed BY the work
ers throughout the United States. The
nation was astonished to learn that
the New York Shipbuilding Com
pany had completed the Tuckahoe.
ready for launching, IN tventy-ssven
days. Then came word from the
Pacific Coast OF an even greater feat.
the launching OF the Il, ,oo0-ton steamer
Defiance thirty-eight days after her
keel was laid. At Mare Island the
workmen launched . destroyer In
seventeen and q half days. almost
cutting the worlds record In half.
and the vessel was in commission and
flying the United States flag in sew
enty days
1T Is not alone in shipbuilding that
labor has shown the splendid re-
sponse that has attracted universal
vidual feat by any workingman dur
Tivets in one day by a shipyard
worker. In Nashville, Tenn. the
greatest powder plant in the world
has been completed three months
ahead OF schedule.
More Coal. Fewer Workers.
More coal is being produced and
with a lesser number of workers
than ever before. From every part
of the country likewise comes news
not only Of labors tremendous
effort but OF labor's grim determine
tiOn to see things through to a
finish. regardless Of any and all
sacrifices. In a Connecticut plant,
fer example. the workmen volun-
tGrily gave three hours work on
AAy II anu dIo CIEulLcu Win nav
ing accomplished almost as much as
would ordinarily have been done in
nine hours.
The 100 per cent efficiency for
which the Department of Labor is
striving will come from two things
"a thorough realization Of the need
and q determination to meet that
need. Labor in America and
Europe alike Is performing Q trs-
mendous task; there 10 stiil much
TO be done, but these striking ex-
amples have shown the way. The
glory Of II all IL that labor has
visualiEed the needs Of our armies
ara our peoples and its own rela-
Il to those necsssitisa Labor ac-
cts that responsibility snthus-
ideally. loyalty. with our splen-
is army on the battlenelds Of
ra-ope REINFORCED by an efficient
jlstrial army in America, mill
'sEism II doomed to defeat De-
= ccraey will be triumphant on the
---th."