The New York herald., 1921-03-16
WEDNESDAY. MARCH Is. 1921.
Idle Men and Union Labor,
Attitude.

Attitude.
In the economic jam which grips
this country like wise the labor union
leaders are showing no realization OF
the gravity Of the industrial crisis.
They did everything In their power,
when the wild work OF imitation was
afoot, to make 1t worse by driving
costs Of production on up with higher
and higher labor charges. Now, when
the Government, when manufacturers,
merchants and distributors, when all
managers and employers are strug-
Cling to lower those costs Of produc-
ton as the absolute essential to lower
cost OF living and the unemployment
of the millions Of idle wage earn
ers, the labor union leaders fight
every inch Of the way down.
If production costs are not brought
back to a peace basis, however, we
must be a fenced-in nation unable ia
trade in the outside world because
our costs of production are higher
than the costs Of production in other
countries. With no markets for ou1
exports, which recently have run
billions Of dollars a year, American
industries which have been supplying
those foreign customers must shut
I. down and our hundreds of thousands
= Of workers in those industries remain
Nf or,,rIor-ttapf
And all this unemployment must SO
ssweaken the purchasing power Of the
American market that still other IN
Tdustries Will have to put up shutters
isand still other workers 60 off the
,payrolls.
- The railroads have learned that ex
icessive traffic rates cut down freight
shipments by massive tonnage ant
Check passenger travel by the hun
dreds OF thousands. Manufacturer:
''have learned that the public will not
e buy and wear the usual quantities
mof clothes when the price Is too dear.
Even the farmers have learned that
American families will not eat as
much as they did before, now that II
costs 50 much. Our Industrial anc
business men for the most part are
Sdoing their level best to get produc
tion costs down so as to stimulate
consumption at the low prices thus
made possible.
But there is q limit, and a very
near limit, to reducing production
costs without the help Of labor Labor
Is the great cost factor in nearly all
production, all distribution from rail
road transportation and wholesale
handling to local retailing and deliv-
cry. The labor cost from first to last
runs according to the industries and
the number of rehandlings all the
way from so to 60, 10 and so, some
times 80 per cent. SO in the great ma
jority of price imitation cases the mark
down can go only a short distance
II labor costs stay up. It could and
would 90 down to a peace basis with
speed but without shock II labor costs
were Immediately readjusted.
But the labor union leaders thus
far have refused to cooperate with the
owners and managers OF industries
and business and with independent
groupings Of labor itself to bring
down the production costs in the only
way they can be brought down so as
to make much lower prices in the
very interest Of idle wage earners
FIRST OF all.
Yet when this Is the only way
to get them back TO work, by stimu.
inting consumption, which will call
for more production. start the indus.
trial machinery Of the nation hum
ming, increase the business Of the rail-
roads and crowd the stores with buy
ers, nevertheless the union labor lead.
ers fight the necessary deAation tc
the limit Of their capacity. If they
continue thus TO ignore all economic
laws which will not be denied, to be
Indifferent to the widely extending
masses OF unemployment and tc be
defiant Of the publics demand that
the cost Of living come back still
further-come all The way back, IN
fact, to a peace basis-these unyleld
ing. unseeing INSTRUCTORS will be sin
Rularly lucky IL they do not brinl
their own union organizations top
ping down upon their heads.
Spring Is When II Finds You.