New-York tribune., 1920-02-24
Anti-Auton1obile
A Farmer Argues That 1t Is
Sapping Our Labor Power

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In whatever direction one in
vcstigates the automobile industry
the direct or indirect results there of
a continual sapping of our potential
labor power is noticed, not in small
quantities, unfortunately, but in large.
Non productive labor is always with US
always has been and will be-in
varying quantities. but beyond a GER
tain point it must become a greater and
greater. burden on production unless
the latter, zoo, has increased in similar
proportion. OF course, we all know
this and l merely repeat it here to lead
up to my next remark. 1 believe-a and
my belief, admit, is based or pure
conjecture at present-that the auto
mobile industry, in it's sudden and tre-
mendous growth, has been one of the
greatest factors in swinging the pendu-
lum, SO to speak, the other way, and
we feel the effects. the more acutely
the more the industry expands.
TO take a small item in the grand
total as an illustration of this sapping
of potential labor power, was told two
years ago that there were then 10000
chauffeurs in New York City alone and
$4,000 in the state How many there
are there to-day l do not know-a great
many more, l suppose, if the figures
given me at the time were correct. +
do know, however, that . large propor-
tion of these men seem to be Young
and husky and it seems a pity that men
OF this caliber are thus unavailable for
far more important work-real work. I
should say.
A sales manager for one Of the large
automobile concerns appeared recently
IN print with statements showing just
how the automobile had benefited the
whole country. One of his statements
wish to speak Of He said that "the
automobile had added to our material
wealth by increasing land values" We
know that land values have increased
and we will assume that he can trace
that fact back to autom mobiles. All 7
know about this is that farm land
values have greatly increased in the
vicinity Of towns and cities, due in
large part to the increase in number
of back TO- the -landers," otherwise
known as gentlemen farmers" or lust
as Erich people owning country estates. :"
question very much whether our
political economists would consider
this healthy increase or not. The
automobile has unquestionably been re-
sponsible for the creation of most of
these new landowners, and their crea-
ton has also unquestionably boosted
certain land values.
On the other hand, their total hold
lngs mean just so many legitimate
farms taken out Of the market; mean
that farmers are beng driven further
and further away from their markets
as the farms nearer town or city are
converted into estates; mean that
transportation costs are higher. and
mean, therefore, that food costs in such
cases are higher.
therefore, to sum up, may I ask
question of my own? Just where does
the material wealth addition" come in
from the reduction in the number of
real farms; from the increase of food
costs due to increased distance of
transportation; from diminishing the
number of men available for work on
she real farms, or to the imitation of
lana values due to a certain class of
automobile owners buying up farms to
make estates out of them? wonder.
AS there seems to be cure for most
'i's' presume, there is a cure for
'ne abuse Of good thing" such as the
From my point of view, |
would suggest as one possible method
greatly increased license fee, teaching
people common sense by the onlv