The Washington herald., 1921-08-14
The Herald
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the production Of the industries Of
the country and cause waste, ac-
cording TO the findings Of the en-
gineers who investigated plants in
elk industries TO determine how
waste could be eliminated This
study was made by q committee OF
the Federated American Engineer
Ing Societies.
Seemingly one or more waEs
esrners out OF every forty are al
ways out of work." the report de-
clares in calling attention to the
loss due TO unemployment The
amount OF idleness or unemploy-.,
ment In industry can only be evslu-
ated through rough estimateA
There is no national machinery for
collecting the facts.
But in the best years, even the
phenomenal years OF 1917 and 1915
at the climax OF wartime industrial
activities, when plants were work
ing to capacity and when unem-
rloyment reached its lowest point
in twenty years, there was a mar
Gin Of unemployment amounting to
sin is fairly permanent
This unemployment means for
the worker a loss in wages, for in
dustry increased overhead due TO
lack Of equipment and idle mater
ials, and for the public a lessened
purchasing power. with all its at
tendant evils"
During periods OF industrial and
business depressions unemployment
reaches its greatest amount, the re-
: port points out Such depressIons
appear more or less regularly at
seven or ten-year periods and each
brings its increase in unemployment
and wastage Of the productive ca
pacity OF industry. In January,
1921, a nationwide survey OF en-
ployment made by the L. S. En-
ployment Service OF the Department
o. Labor showed that there were
6,070.6Is workers then employed in
representative industrial centers. as
compared with 100000 in January
Of 1920. a decrease. of 5.33l,g52, or
approximately 35.5 per cent
In addition 10 minimum and cli-
maCteriC unemployment, many es-
sential industries show a high un-
employment or idleness once a year
or oftener, the inquirers found.
Practically all industries are in a
sense seasonal.
The clothing worker is idle about
- per cent OF the year; the average
shoemaker spends only 65 per cent
Of his time at work: the building
trade workman is employed only
about lso days in the year or ap-
proXimatsly 63 per cent Of his time:
the textile industry seemingly has
regular intervals Of slack time:
during the past thirty years biturus-
nous coal miners were idle an aver, ,
age Of ninety three possible work
inc days per year.
Another form OF uncmpIoymcnt
comes from open confict between
ihdnagcmvnt aud labor" SAYS the
report. Here IL should be said that
in the past at least, the amount OF
'SI- Irom the general run OF
strikes and lock-oUts through loss
~Ses and Curtailment of pro-.
duction has been less than is popu-
larry supposed. That these disturb
ances do produce unemployment Is
true. but in the industries studied
they do not Of themselves appear to
constitute a major source OF re-
duced production. The ramiica-
tons Of such strikes with their at
tendant and indirect losses the com
mi't"e has been una hle to trace.
Such labor disturbances are
either strikes or lock-outs. II is
difficult TO distinguish between
them and the industrial effects are
practically the same.
More than one-half Of all the
strikes that occurred between 1881
and 1905 and more than one-half OF
the employees thrown out Of work
were in highly irregular or dis
urr'lv seasonal occupations. Since
most strikes occur in seasonal en-
Payments, il can be deduced that
output is not necessarily penalized.
for IL is often possible 10 make up
the losses incurred by strikes
through increased production at
other times.
More coal was mined in 1910
than in 1911, although the former
year witnessed many protracted
strikes involving large numbers of
employees. The year 1919. with 81
per cent OF the entire labor force
out on strike and with an average
loss per man Of forty days, showed
an increased output OF coal per man
per day and per year. and six days
more employment than in 1911,
4 which was relatively strikeless. The
total production was also more
low production IN 1914 and 1915 was
! due to general business depression
caused by the world war rather
/ than to strikes.
In New York State in 1915 two
/ days were lost per capita per year
Of those classed as gainfully en-
rloyed because of strikes. This was
loss only one-hfth as serious a.
average time lost through Illness.
In the same State in 1918 about 80
per cent OF the time lost from
! strikes and lock-outs was in the
building and clothing industries"
The waste OF idle material
through deterioration, obsoIescence
and carrying charges Is large. par
ticularly where there are great in
ventories OF both raw material and
finished goods. the investigation .
showed. Unbalanced production Is
another notable cause of idle ma
tcrials and consequent waste
"Unsound production policies re-
suit in wasteful over-equipment."
the engineers say. Clothing fac
tories are built IS per cent larger
than is necessary; printing estab-
lishments are from 50 per cent TO
$50 per cent over-equipped: the
shoe industry has a capacity Of
l.75o,0oo pairs OF shoes a day. and
produces little more than half that
number; throughout the metal
trades Standardization OF products
would permit Of large reductions in
plant and equipment.
Standardization Of machine sizes
would make possible the use Of one