Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-07-26
Larger Share in Earnings OF
Industry and Better
Social Status Declared
Needed
Chaos Rules European In
dustry-Un Unemployment
Declared to Be EUery-
,U1ere Except Spain
By FRANK A. VANDERBILT

organization of today, the Nonleucratlon
Generate du Travail Of France, consists
of two words-"comfort and liberty
Here is the key 10 an understand
ing of the greatest problem of the age
the labor problem. If one will grasp
in their significance what these TWO
words connote in the mind OF labor
he will have pretty much the whole story
of labor's aspirations.
Rv comfort is meant larger snare
in the earnings Of industry; by nDer!E
is meant less subordinate position II,
industrial surroundings and soclal
status. u
# has been kccnly observed that thc
ospirations embodied III these ''nI."N
have been ripcned by the war, Wh''n
has QuickCned the CONSCIOUSNESS ol i''''''
in the laboring classes.
man who has had enormous eA
ncriencc during the war in handling the
Enolish labor situation, Sir l'yhuen
Mnccasscy. sums UP the essentia'S 70
ncacc in industry under the three h'au
inps of contentmcnt, cooperation anu
production. IL
The factors on which contentment &C.
rords hc saws, are in their respective
order of Importance:
First. Security Of employment.
/ Sccond 4 voice in fixing conditions
of employment. r.. !;
Third Remuneration and a fair dl-
vision of profits.
Fourth. Working hours.
Fifths Prevention of prohteerlng.
Sixth. Housing.
Seventh, Economic education.
Eighth. Opportunity to rise.
Tho factors on which co operation
turn depend on:
First. Elimination of suspicion.
Second Creation of confidence be
tween employer and cmploye.
Third. Recognition of their mu'ua
community of interest. =,
Fourth. Machinery for tacllltatlne
co operation.
The final factors upon which produc
ton primarily depends are
First, Economic education.
Second. Modernization of their meth
ods by employers.
Third. Rcpudiation by labor of llmi'
totion of OUTPUT and of demarcatlon re
striCtions.
The significance in this catalogue is TN
arrangement in respect to the order O
Importance of the different factors. oni'
preceded by the factor of the security o
emnIovmrnt is the weight given to nav
ing n voice in fixing the conditions
employment. That I believe is giving 1T
lust weight to this aspiration of labor
I found the situation the same in ever!
labor community where l had the op
portunity to observe conditions. Iher'
is n determination on the part of labo
To have more to say about conditions o
its lob. No matter in what country on
studies this all important matter, h
will find the wage question is subordl
nate to the question of the workers
status. There is determination t
have larger share in the profits of in
dustry. but there is even a stronger de
termination to see to it that society n
longer regards labor as mere Commodi
, tv. and instead of that, that societ
shall grant to labor, not as concessio
but as right, voice in determinin
immediate industrial surroundings, rule
and regulations under which labor wi
work.
Labor Chaos in Europe
8 There is today nothing short of chac
4 in European industry. One phase of
s is manifest in the enormous unemplOy
ment encountered in every country ex
t cept Spain. In England one millio
~
Il pounds a week in ''unemploymer
. wages" and in addition England is sui
IS sidizing wheat by selling it for less tina
. it cost, so that this form of contribu
p ton is costing the nation fifty millio
pounds per annum. The present unem
r ployment figures, it is thought, are Gel
n tain to increase. In Belgium the pei
d centage of unemployment is far mo-
2 serious with 500 900 in that compare
Il lively small community receiving "ur
t employment wages" The situation
IS France and Italy is little better. TT
II effect on the industrial life of the natl,
of this system of unemployment dol
d would make in itself the basis of an i'll,
v minating study. No matter how ser
!. Gus consequences one may trace as lik
II ly to follow these vast national di
= bursements, it may as we'll be admit
at the start that they were absolute
necessary. If the war industry h,
ceased and armies had been demobiliz
d to return to hunger and idleness, t
Ie foundation of the capitalistic ord
It would have crumbled
= Unemployment Pay
De In England the weekly unemployme