Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-16

ftior and that the promotion, opera
tor and expansion OF industry
| should be a social service suborni-
mated to the general welfare OF all
the people. Rules and rights as be-
tween employer and employed must
be esta blished not only on the basis
of what Is fair and just to EACH but
organized society. Consequently
society should have something to
say about this question Of a mans
right to his job.
: A subject of this kind may FER
haps be presented more clearly n
succinctly by citing a concrete ex-
ample. Not many months ago some
several hundred workers here in
Washington found themselves out OF
jobs overnight. The nations of the
earth had decided On = policy Of Gis-
armament which meant that all new
construction for the United States
Navy should be curtailed or cease
entirely. The workers in question
had been employed in the Navy
yard here. and when the Navy De-
rartment set about carrying out the
new policy, they were dismissed al
most without notice.
There was no question of their
efficiency, their ability Or their will
ingness tt work. Most of them had
been In the service many years.
Their labor had been vital in time
of war when the nations life was at
stake. They and their families were
part and parcel of this community.
they had established homes here.
and. presumptively, they were essen
tial to this unit Of the general So
cia' fabric. They had to have their
daily wage In order that they might
have daily bread. There was no
other employment in their line In
Washington and when they were
discharged 1t meant that they had
to sever all ties here and go into
Not a Mere Matter of Ethics
Now 1t may be commended that II
Is not wholly a question as to
whether 1t was fair to these men tc
deprive them Of their jobs in this
ruthless fashion-not merely a mat
ter Of ethics. They were useful
productive members Of society An6
through no fault of their own they
were made non-producers overnight
IL 1t not possible that 1t was no.
for the best interest of organized so
ciety to accord them such treat
ment? II there not some basis to-
tho claim that they had a certain
vested right to their 1obs-that theil
employer should have been required
to md some work for them to d.
or make some provision to tide then
over until they could be absoI tet
into industry elsewhere?
Such are the questions that theil
spokesmen asked. but they wer'
never answered very definitely o.
very satisfactorily.
Everybody was sorry. but nobod.
could no anything about 1t. At tn
time there was some talk of takini
the matter into the courts In q ties
case to determine whether thes.
workers were not being deprived
arbitrarily of rights in the enjoy
ment of which they should hav'
been protected. It vas SUGGESTED
that a suit be brought to en5oil
the Secretary Of the Navy from DIS
charging them on the grounds indi
to the Supreme Court of the Unitet
States for Anal decision as speedil.
as possible.
However. labor leaders are loatl
to go into court. particularly In Al
effort &c use the process of in5unc
tior against which they have in
Weighed for years, and nothinl
came Of the suggestion. The caR'
would have been M OF equity q
we'll as Of law. and its decision woul'
have been Of far-reaching effec
and importance.
1t is not suggested that the em
ployer has no legal right to dis
charge at will as the laws now stan
and as they have thus far been In
terpreted and applied by the courts
In fact, he may discharge an EN-
ploye for any reason. or even to
no reason. But laws may b
changed or new laws enacted. an
courts have been known to chanR
their minds. The knowledge OBJ
tanned by the increasing study Q
Industrial conditions and relation
Is the fundamental factor back Q
the states policy. ~ expressed b
Legislatures and a. sustained by tn
courts, and the legislatures as vel
as the courts must take and hav
taken notice Of this growing fun
o. knowledge.
Whatever the contention for o
against the idea that a worker zoe
nossess some kind or degree of
right to his job 1t Is unouestionabl
true that far-sighted and successful
employers are coming to realize tina
It Is good business policy to accep
lsa6 At Snea that idea nnlsss thu