Evening star., 1919-10-06

Looks to Them.
PRODUCTION BIG NEED
| In opening the industrial conference
in the Pan-American building today
Secretary Wilson said:
q, Il regret very much that the illness
of the President has made it impossi-
BILE for him to be here to greet you.
I had hoped that he might be here in
PRISON to bid you welcome and by the
clarity OF his vision, the soundnosa
Of his judgment and the felicity Of
| the accomplishment Of the great pur-
pose he had in mind when this con-
! ference was called.
Facing Huge Problem.
"The whole world is face to face
with the most difficult peace-time
problem it has ever had to deal with.
| The wastage of war has been tre-
| mendous. There has not only been
| the loss of millions Of lives and the
permanent disab bility Of other mil
I
an extraordinary destruction Of the
! material resources OF the world. I ne
power of replacement Of the things
destroyed has been seriously impeded
by the conditions that constitute the
aftermath of war.
the processes of readtustment to tho
needs of peace and commerce has been
handicapped by insufficient shipping
facilities, foreign exchange and do
mestic uncertainty. Many countries
are without stable government and
financial imitation in all of the COM
mercial countries of the world has
played havoc with the relative values
of money, wages and commodities.
Reflected in Prices.
1.-THE effect of these things has been
wage worker himself. No portion Of i'm
the consequent demand for higher
wage rates to meet the increasing bur
den of the family budget Yet In
creases in the wage rate do not al
ways give relief. There are but two
ways by which the general standard
of living of the wage-workers can be
Improved. One is by increased pro-
ductivity. making material available
for wages. The other is by taking
the means of increased compensation
out Of the profits Of the employer.
'If wages are increased and profits
remain the same. the burden Is pass
ed on to the consuming public in the
form of an increased cost Of living
and comes back in that form to the
worker himself. No portion Of i'm
proved living standards can come out
of the profits of the employers unless
there is profiteering.
And what gives the opportunity for
profteering? The very conditions that
NJ
destructive agencies Of war, the dis
arrangement Of industry and COM
merce. and the unrest and high nerv-
Gus tension Of our people resulting in
q shortage Of supply as compared with
demand.
Whole World Interested.
The whole world is interested in
returning to the highest productive
efficiency, having due regard to the
health, safety and opportunities for
those who toll. The moro productive
we are the sooner we will replace the
wastage Of war, return to normal
price levels and abolish the oppor-
Unity for pronteering.
There can be no prodteering where
the production is ample to meet the
needs Of the people Of the world, IL
u q
producer to consumer. It - only
where the production 10 not sufficient
for the needs Of the people. or. when
sufncient, where artificial obstruc4ions
impede proper distribution. that there
is any possibility Of prohteering.
Anything that restricts the highest
efnciency commensurate with the
physical, mental and spiritual we'll
being of the workers tends to retard
the progress Of the country ~ q whole.
For that reason we are all inter-
ested in the maintenance Of indus
trial peace. but there can be no per-
manent industrial peace that is not
based upon industrial justice. Just
as international wrongs may accumu-
late to the point where war il neces-
sary to bring relief. SO industrial
wrongs may make industrial conflict
preferable to the further endurance
Of the wrongs imposed. Nor is it
sufficient that either side to an indus
trial controversy should be the sole
Judge of what constitutes justice.
The means must exist by which all
men may know that justice has been
secured. An imaginary wrong has all
the force and effect Of reality until
it is shown that it 10 only imaginary.
Adjustment Essential.
I'VE have found ways Of regulating
Surely human intelligence can devise
some acceptable method of adjusting
the relationship between employer
and employe.
The right Of any man to cease
working for another for any reason
that is sufficient to himself is the
basic element OF human liberty. The
right Of any person to refuse to oper-
ate his plant at any time he desires to
do SO Is the exercise OF q property
right guaranteed by the Constitution.
1t does not follow that because these
rights exist it is necessary to exercise
them.
They must nevertheless be safe
guarded. Having done that and hav-
ing devised the machinery by which
justice can be secured and by which
everybody at interest has the oppor-
tunity OF knowing that justice has
been secured, it 10 not likely that the
right to cease work will be exercised
by SUFFICIENT numbers, or the right to
cease operating industrial plants will
be carried to such an extent rs to So
riously affect the. welfare Of the bal
ance Of the people.