Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-11-03
Friday, November 3, 1922.
sLACKERs IN PRODUCTION

EsNti IOhl lItfo itdiu obCoS wv
wage Stacker and too many have had
experience with him. Now comes
complaint Of the business man
Stacker A prominent member of
Philadelphia engineering club asks
rs it fair that the employer should
take three or four days for golf
tournament if he does not come back
and give the same time for play to
his employees"
OF course this is somewhat ex-
IRENE. 1t would be easy for the
employer who had been lying awake
nights thinking about ways and
means required in the management
OF his business to logically arrive
at the conclusion he was more in
need OF recreation than the empioye
performing routine service and think
ing only about the time the whistle
blew. Nevertheless it is quite evil
dent that equity may not be CON-
pletely satisfied by leaving the de-
csion as to need of leisure either
20 employee or to employer. now that
we know wealth OF the community
Is measured by production.
Would the employer or the employee
be a better producer with leisure
10 play on the golf links? That is
n question. About the only answer
which may be received will be that
rendered by the consensus of opinion,
and that will doubtless vary from
time to time. Once it called for
twelve hours work where now it calls
for but eight hours. The complain
ant above referred to argued that
twelve hours didn't hurt our grand
fathers: that nowadays we want to
Put all the work on George" and
attend board meetings and clip
coupons"
Now 1t doesn't contribute to the
general welfare TO produce n lot more
of any one thing than the world
needs, and the way business and ia
oilities are now keyed UP" this is
possible. Furthermore we nowadays
work under pressure such as the
rrandfathcis didn't know. If we
could work twelve hours under this
pressure and by so doing produce
more than could properly be dis
posed or and could find no way to
divert the productive effort so there
wouldn't be overproduction of any
kind there might be no logical ground
for complaint. assuming the producer
had enough OF time in which to pro-
duce for self, for dependents and in
service to his community that which
he should produce If the measure of
such welfare is to be increased to
what II should he.
Al tins only serves to indicate
bow involved the issue can become.
and TO what extent the decision must
he loft to the individual. Under the
stimulus Of competition those who
hulld up business may devote moe
az time and thought to it than is
souls. Those who just happen to
bo bus ness mon are not likely to
continue long in that role with en-
tcrpriqs abundant all around them.
someone Wiling to make greater
cr'urt VIII take II from them. For
n time they may serve as a danper
and current reports indicate that
such condition is noticeable in
scmc quarters. 1t may he doubted.
however. whether there is in this
phase OF IT any cause for general
apprehension.
There is cause for general appre-
r~na on II the producers of the
world nrc diverted from production
80 pleasure. IL Whey lose pride ard
skn in production. If they become
"s'a~kcrs' on the job. whatever the
lob may he. Indeed there has been
enough evidence of this to warrant
somc alarm. Under those condlt ons
tie cxamplc Of the employer becomes
"a factor that should lie considered.