Evening star., 1920-02-18

| ly organized-the employers on one
! side. the workers on the other-and
disciplined under an industrial gov
| ernment of their own. there is danger
| that they will use their power to en-
rich themselves at the expense of the
people who must buy clothing. / have
! argued this point manyestimes with
, men on both sides. They answer that
| their arbitrators are farSiehted. I'M
partial men of high standing. VINO
! will help to watch the public interest
and that they themselves are wise
| enough TO see that very high prices
! tend to curtail consumption ana
| therefore reduce the income to the
J industry. Indeed. these are all drag
/ upon the tendency of IA powerful ana
united industry to force up its pronts
| unduly: but unchecked power or TINS
| sort is still dangerous.
Governments Part in 1t.
/ 1t is at this point, probab bly,. that
| the United States government will
have to play an important part. Al
present there are no such things as
standards in any industry. We don't
know what are proper standar rds OF
living. or what should be the relation
ships of wages to cost of living. OF
wages to profits We don't know by
scientific t,StS what should constitute
"a days work in any industry. either
: in hours or in production. Here Is a
vast fef4 for thorough and impartiaI
examination. and a new kind OF pun
licity. and the United States govern
ment is the only agency that can
: properly undertake it.
! Whenever | have spoken of TINS
new system to employers in other IN
dustries two quest .ons are nearly al
ways forthcoming. How bout union.
ism? How do they get rid Of bad
! labor leaders?
| ~, haI N
shop. the clos ID shop and the prefer
rentfal shop-all three kinds-but the
! question. once the new spirit OF CO.
opera ation develops curiously becomes
one of minor Importance. In Chicaso
they agree to neither an open shop
nor a closed shop. but have prefer
ential shop-that is. preference Is
given to the union man in both hiring
and laying off. But with a thoroughly
responsible union the whole matter
takes care of itself. AS to the ire
sponsible or grating labor leader, ne
phere of constant cooperation ana
| good will.
Great Changes Wrought.
Your bad labor leader fattens on civil
| war in industry: he plays upon the fears
, and cupidities of both sides. In the New
/ York market recently several minor
!: lea ders We're accused Of dishonest prac-
| tees, tried by the union itself. and not
only deprived of their Offices. but IN
three cases were expelled from 'he
union.
! AS to the workers under the agree
ment. the change from the sweat
shop conditions of a few years ago is
little short of miraculous. They now
, have "A forty-four-h hour week throughout
! the industry and wages that bring them
! well up to the American standard of liv-
! ing. They have gained in morale and IN
| re spOnsibiiity through self-eXpresSion IN
| their unions The social spirit is strong
among them and is beginning to exhibit
itself in all sorts of new projects; such
as cooperative enterprises, educa tlonal
+; and amusement associations. naturailza =,
,, tion and Americanization work, mutual
! aid organiZa tons and SO on There is a
! world Of social education and discipline
vet to be ained but the beginnings
| nave been made.
| have feared all along the temptation
! to be oversanguine about this remark
| a BILE new movement. as well as about
the less developed shop committee sys-
| TENS which | have described in former
articles.
Great Test Yet to Come.
| 1t must be said in all fairness that
I the great test of these new expert
, ments is yet to come. TheE nave
! come into being on rising market
and during a shortage OF labor. What
market or hard times'-when there
is again a surplus of labor? or what
will happen if the immigration OF for
i "i"n l.bor again mandates US ana
brings new competition into the labor
market, We must face these ques-
| tons.
/ found the leaders on both sides
in the clothing industry very certain
that they could weather the storm.
There is no other alternative" said
one: "if we don't hang together. We
hang separately. The only alternative
is anarchy and chaos: we have got TO
maintain organization and reign of
law. or we all go down together.
And it is a fact. also. that in both
Great Britain and Germany industry
is seeking these new cooperative ar
IA ngements as the only way of escape.
Far-sighted and wise men on both
sides see in some approach toward in
dustrial democracy the inevitable next
step.
No. we cannot be sure that this par
f.; ticular mechanism will work. All We