The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-04-08


of the press, because it comes at a
time when, as the Springfield
Union points out, efforts of labor
have been engaged in combating
the movement for return to the
54-hour week in certain lines of
production" and, the. Quincy paper
comments further, cit will not
rouse much enthusiasm among en-
ployers who have fought shy of a
44-hour week and promised SOL
EMMY among themselves to see
that it never came about"
The remarkable thing about it,
in the view of the Newark News,
sis that it has not come from labor
agitation but has been handed down
like mamma from heaven by indus
trial management in the person of
the Fords."
ION the face of it, the innova-
ton has universal appeal" the
Kalamazoo Gazette thinks, for
those of US who are fortunate
enough to be blessed with what is
known as a steady job are convinc-
ed that the business of making a
living occupies far too much time"
The New York Herald agrees that
from the standpoint of bringing
work down to the irreducible mini
num-" the Ford scheme is Joyous
news" but as the Bridgeport Post
argues, if a 40-hour week sis such
a glorious thing" then "a 20-hour
week is twice as good, a 10-hour is
four times as good and no work at
all is simply perfect"
Unlike Other Business.
The Oklahoma City Oklahoman is
not concerned over the effect of
the example set by Mr.. Ford" for
his plants can shut down an extra
day each week without inconven-
fencing the public greatly, if at
ALL" while mot many companies
can," and the Ford business is such
that it is able to do things which
would result in the bankruptcy of
other concerns" To argue from an
isolated and unusual case that the
fve-day week is possible in all in
dustries is to argue that all indus
tries operate under conditions sim
liar to those in the isolated case, !"
and since the facts are otherwise.
the Indianapolis News does not
look for any further adoption OF
the Ford week
That it is defensible in the spe-
cif1c instance, however, is main
tanned by the Pittsburgh Gazette
Times.
"One thing that may reasonably
be assumed" it says, 'is that the
organization of this factory has
been so perfected that men and
machines are producing every day
all they possibly can. The strain
on the human machine is perhaps
so great that it cannot safely be
imposed six days consecutiveiy. In
that case the course adopted was
imperative unless the management
was willing to permit slackening
Of the pace"
II increased efficiency were the
impelling move, the Grand Rapids
Press would regard the change as
cause for serious comment" but,
it contends. 1.-The scheme contem-
plates nothing of the sort" 1t is
merely a Encouragement by which
Ford employees make $50 a week
in place of $50. Mr.. Ford loses
nothing, provides work for 5000
hiiOAC meu, anu Is tue SdIhSA w
the publicity" in short, as the
Springfield Union puts it. "a plain
reduction of the high wage system
hitherto in force"
In view of this condition, the
Nashville Tennessean suggests that
IF Mr.. Ford's employees accept the
new order without protest 1t will
be another indication that the De-
Toit manufacturer has progressed
further than any of his competitors
In cementing friendship between
employer and employe." The New
York Evening World is confident
that the men will like it," Treat
ing the matter from an angle rath-
er different from that taken by
other writer's. the World points
out that while the new scheme
drops a day from the weeks work.
the 40 hours work '-is guaranteed,
and since many have been work
ing only three or four days
week." the new plan, after all,
amounts to an increase in income.