New-York tribune., 1920-06-23
General Loziness
1t Is Called the One Great
Cause of High Prices

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: | have, as has cycry one, been
greatly interested in the high cost Of
living and all its attendant evils and
inconveniences. There is a continual
TRADE and faultfndng with cond.
items and attempts to locate The blame.
No one. in the writer's opinion. seems
to hit ste nail squarely on the head
There is no use in lodging aad calling
for Increased production" withou.
stating the real cause cf the lack Of
production. All the writers on the
subject beat about the bush ana don't
get at it with a grub hoe and bring
the real cause to the front, using plain,
everyday language, that even an ig-
norant man can understand.
In an article in The Century Maya
zinc Bernhard Dernburg. former Mn
lister of Finance Of the German govern.
ment, states the case more nearly than
any other writer of the day.
In his article, How Can Germany
Pay?' he states that the new free
dom they have attained to the people
means more to eat and less to work.
In nutshell, it is laziness. Laziness
on the part CT every one. Short hours
Of labor and unwillingness on the par.
of the worker to worl, when he works.
1t makes no difference what labor is
paid, provides labor's time is occupied
fully and best ctor-' is nu+ia.
The commencement Of the pressr:
condition is TO be found IN the bang
ers' "half holiday see.ag this, ths
worker must have his shorter hours
and Saturday vacation. This is no. 50
Objectionable if during the for:y-fouE.
hour week the best effort IS put in. But
1t is TO; in very many vocations. To
illustrate. let as select some vocatiOn'
on which data can be obtained.
Thirty years ago bricklsye'
throughout the building trade would
lay 1000 brick in ten hours. Now h
lays 700 in eight hours. The basis FOL
contracts for the plumbing Of ce'.
tain class Of houses was n.ne days Of
ten hours. Now the figures are based
on eighteen days Of eight hours, d.
ference Of fif.y-four hours and an III
crease Of 60 per cent in time. A car
penter in rorooaag house used 20 po'
on 1900 shingles; row he lays 1000 Oh
fewer in eight holrs.
On account of the high wages sn'
short hours and supposed better paa
20 live. the youth Of the rural dis
tricts hock to the great centers sn'
the farmer cannot ger help 70 raise III
crops. A house in a small town that e'a
formerly $500 rented sor S22 n0n'A
Now build u counterpart @. that hOu*
and i viii cost $4,000 and must FeH
for S85 month. and tire rent Of 'N
$500 place VIII come m.
l. is said tina, man conunua'
working Viii do as much in eish' noun
as in ten hours. Ho RAY IN some '',
cations, bu. just 30 many linear iee' %
lumber can pass through planes -
an hour. y sewing machine can 'S''
certain number OF stitches IN
hour; machine lathe can MAKE ~
so many revolutions IN ar hour.
the ten-hour day - eight hours, ''
the efficiency Of the si~nt IS reals'.
20 per cent Al the sans wage -.
tie cost Of production has increases
per cent. It is no. alone the aVe'os'
workman that is to blame. Il IS eYe''
body
The writer sees hut one remedy '
it is most deplorable, viz. the hs''s
kind of hard .times-times when ~,
houses and free lodging houses W."
formed all over the country.
If the people will stop "soldief'ns
the jobs" will bend their backs 10 ''9s -
and work when they do work. there '"
be healthy condition engendefeo '''
we will be happy and prosperous
Elmhurst, L. l.. june %. 1920.