The New York herald., 1921-02-06

His home is at gag Chestnut street. Rich
mond Hill, to which locality he moved
three years ago from Brooklyn.
BY ARNoTT J. WHITE.
W. a's ns s1s ~nen s r %S's :. s'ssa msra.s ,"s a
history as epoch making. Hos
tilities have ceased as suddenly as they be-
gan, but people still see naught but confu-
sion. The world will not be the same as
that with which we were familiar before the
war. We are on the threshold of a. new era.
Tho transition from prosperity to depres-
sion has come swiftly. This is very un-
fortunate condition. for which everybody is
to blame. Labor is to blame for its share in
raising wages: capital is to blame for de-
manding increased profits consumers are
to blame for buying carelessly and lavishly
when they realized that prices were much
more exorbitant than the case should be
even in such an emergency as war.
The people have at last come to their
senses. They see the injustice of paying
twice as much and more for commodities as
they did in the days previous 10 the war;
They have decided to save their money con-
scious that prices must come down. This
cessation of buying causes a decrease in pro-
duction. which in turn leads to unemploy-
ment We have now reached the unemploy-
ment stage and seem to be entering a period
of severe business depression. This Is bound
to cause widespread suffering, an overtaxa-
ton of our relief giving agencies, and will
leave In its wake lowered standards of vital
ity and efficiency
The fair minded employer should make
every effort to keep his men employed dur
ing this period. He must give his best
thoughts to the methods by which new
markets may be found for his products or
how standard goods may be produced and
carried until normal markets result from
their present paralysis. Labor must resign
itself to lower standard of living than the
abnormal standard set up by the war
Production and Consumption
Must Be in Balance
The problem before us is TO bring produc-
ton, employment and buying to q level that
Is sound and enduring. A defiation Of prices
resulting In greater buying and therefore
increased production and employment will
accomplish this end The enormous infia-
ton Of currency which maintains high prices
must be contracted. This can best be real
lied by a discontinuance Of Government
borrowing. economy on the part of consum-
ers and increased production
Employer and employee must be brought
TO realize that their own best interests de-
pend not upon mutual distrust and unfriend-
ly attitudes toward each other but upon
hearty cooperation good faith and a friendly
understanding. The labor organization Is a
great thing. but II must be handled with
higher motives than selfish interests and
Injustice. The basis of membership should
be the conviction on the part OF the mem
bers that the organization truly represents
their best interests and that its officers are
honestly and efficiently working 10 promote
their best interests and the interests of the
community at large.
It's closed shop" policy is unfair to work.
ers In trade who are not members OF the
union. II is unfair In that abor's standard
OF efficiency is determined by the work of the
least efficient worker. This Is a great draw
back In production. The open shop" is
best not only to employers, but to the pub
lie, and In the long run to the employees as
we'll II is not always conducive to the
healthful development Of a labor organiza-
ton to have an arrangement with the en-
ployer which constrains employees to afili-