Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-13
CREATING A SURPLUS

| ~ NE of the great reasons for
ID the present high cost of liv-
ing is that there are no sur
pluses of any of the necessities OF
| life anywhere in the world; in other
words, no big reserves of foods and
supplies of other kinds upon which
we can draw. The war took mil
lions of men out of industry and
agriculture. Many of them were
killed; others are still under arms,
while millions more are laboring
| under the disadvantages of a world
of business trying to readjust itself
from a war to a peace basis.
The labor supply of the world,
statisticians say, has been reduced by
| 100000 able-bodied men, plus
seven millions more whose injuries
| have made them unavailable for
industry. What affects the world
at large affects America, and espe-
cially so in this instance, since the
war has prevented immigration,
resulting in a shortage of 100000
laborers and the loss of others who
are now taking their savings and
going back home. This, added to
the determination of many men to
reduce the number of their work
ing hours, a falling off in produc-
ton and n greatly increased con-
sumption has been responsible for
most of our price troubles.
And the remedy?
1t lies in reversing the present |
order of things. We cannot re-
store the 100000 lost by death,
or make the cripples whole again;
we cannot bring immigrants to
these shores by a mere wave of |
a wand; but we can all produce |
more and use less. We can, many |
of us, add an hour or two to our
work, and all of us can reduce our |
consumption.
r. ID. Hatton, q we'll known st. |
Louis observer, instead of address
ing working men on this subject, |
speaks in this wise to the employ |
eTS OL the country.
First, we can all work harder
and work longer, thus setting an
example for those in our employ.
We can preach the gospel of in
creased production to oNr work
ers-not by cramming the idea
down their throats-but by put
ting the whole matter up to them
clearly and sincerely, by means Of
weekly talks to them, by means
of bulletins and house organs, by
means of letters and circulars en-
closed in their pay envelopes
by means of local newspaper ad-
vertising. In brief, there is need
right now for nationwide cam
paign to sell contentment to
American labor.
Show your men how in Germany
labor is responding to the de-
mand for production by working
twelve and fourteen hours daily
how even the German Socialists
are preaching that production
own good. Tell them that our
own Socialist, John Spargo, says:
THE first great task of any So
cialist society must be to increase
the productivity of labor" and
that the American Federation of
Labor says: The high cost of liV-
ing can be reduced only through
intensified, increased production"
Second, we can improve the
quality of production. p. L.
Burkhard, an industrial engineer,
estimates that the average lnuus-
try to-day is susceptible to in
creased production with propor-
tionate decreased costs of from
80 to 300 per cent. In other
words, while production increased
during the war, efficiency act
ually decreased, because efficiency
can be calculated only in re-
lation to cost, and the present
high cost of living is ample proof
that the minimum unit cost of
production has not been attained.
The solution of all our price
difficulties lies in piling up de-
pleted reserves; in creating sur
pluses; in growing, producing and |
making more than we need for i'm
mediate purposes; in getting the |
world away from it's present-day |
hand -to-mouth policy of existence. |
Then we shall return to sanity in
living, to lower costs, to a stabili- |
zation of industry, employment and !
wages, and to a price level that !
will be real level and not series |
of sharply drawn wave crests ever |
tending toward the top of the !
sheet.