New-York tribune., 1919-02-13
Plain Logic From Lloyd George

Plain Logic From Lloyd George
At least one fact stands out very
clearly from Lloyd Georges straightfor-
ward and unhinching warning to British
labor: this country does not enjoy any
monopoly in the difficulties Of getting
back to peace-time basis. The burdens
of these readjustments are, it is clear,
far more serious in England and prob
ably in other nations which have
been at war than they can possibly be
IN this country. 1t is not merely ques-
ton of unemployment, but rather the
feeling and philosophy that are so widely
prevalent there as here. 1t is summed
up very largely in the notion that this
is the time for the workingman to seize a
great imaginary opportunity. Lloyd
George drove straight to the heart of the
matter when he said
"I'here is a feeling that one way Of
providing employment is by reducing the
hours of labor that there will be
enough work to go round at the same
wages. Reduce the hours of labor to
what is fair, profitable and possible. but
to reduce the hours Of labor merely in
order to create employment paying eX-
acty the same wage, is one way to make
unemployment in the whole country"
At this there were Interruptions and
cries of "boo.' from the Labor benches
The English Premier went on to say:
"It increases the cost of a particular
commodity, and that commodity is an in
gredient in something else. If you put
up the price you diminish the purchasing
capacity, and if You diminish the pur-
chasing capacity you diminish employ
ment. And not only that. for, as | have
pointed out, you destroy overseas trade
cheers upon which this country de-
pends more than any other country in
thc world. despair if the working
classes Of the country do not recognize
that elementary and fundamental prin-
ciple'
The doctrine so succinctly set forth
by Lloyd George is the same doctrine
that must be spread in this country if
we are to have industrial peace and
prosperity. Some of the labor organiza-
tions have a motto that: "The injury of
one is the concern of all This is true
Of every human society, and it is true in
a far wider sense than that in which it is
commonly employed Every machine,
every human hand, every new invention
or process contributes to add something
to that vast fund or flow from which
each member Of the industrial confeder-
alton derives his or her means of liveli-
hood. The larger the flow the larger the
individual dividend of comfort and hap
piness.
Every diminution of this flow through
strikes and depression, every idle hand,
every idle machine, every invention
stopped midway in its development les
sens the individual dividend and makes
life harder for every one, and very much
harder for some. 1t is true it has been
shown that in some industries eight
hours Of efficient work gives as large d
product as the average Of nine or ten
hour day. But this is obviously not the
case in all occupations. An enormous
part of our industrial product is by
machinery. and the principal work CON
sists of simply attending the machines.
1t is obvious that you cannot have the
same product from these machines by
cutting down the hours they work That
is plain question that may be faced by
the extremists and doctrinaires, some of
whom now go to the length Of demand
ing a six or seven hour day