The Washington times., 1922-11-05


many private employers report
Unemployment is vanishing rapid
ly throughout the United States.
Too much employment and too few
employees to transact this country's
business will be the next problem"
Already the trade papers devote
columns to 1t. What does the grow
ing scarcity Of handworkers mean?
Why has It come upon business so
suddenly?
Because. OF course. business is ex-
panding. That reason requires no
comment. Prosperity is returning.
New enterprises are demanding help.
Automobile makers alone are EN-.
ploying more than 900 men
where they employed but 10000 ten
years ago.
Because immigration from Eu.
rope has been restricted. The num-
ber of European workers coming is
offset by the number of European
workers going back nowadays. BE.
fore the war a million immigrants
came in each year; now. only about
300 900, and the departures are only
a few thousand less.
Cannot Meet Demand.
Because. though fewer Europeans
come in TO do the handwork of the
country. the population. the needs
Of the population, the demands on
the peoples farms and factories,
and therefore the call for more
workers and producers 20 on in
creasing.
Because the increase OF perhans
million year in native popula-
ton does not and cannot meet the
demand for additional hand labor,
for the simple reason that men
born in America have growing
dislike for 1t. Any sociologist will
confirm this statement. Conse-
quently the 10000, 900 new popula-
tion added to the American people
between censuses find ii evermor.
difficult TO get men to produce the
additional things that they eat and
wear.
Because with the rising standard
OF living and the growing desire Of
workers to labor less and enjoy
themselves more. the working hours
have been reduced and still are be.
ing reduced, For example. IL L.
000. 900 men work ten hours n dav
easch, they account for 10000 900
hours. II their hours go to eight,
they account for 5000 900 hours-a
difference of 2.0OO.0 900 hours OF pro.
duction that in busy times have to
be made up somehow.
Where the Pinch Comes.
But made up how? BY the EN-.
plOyment of 200, 900 more men work
ing ten hours each or 250,000 men
working eight hours each. That is
where the pinch comes in busy
times
The writer understands the ready
objection to this. 1t is but a man
working only eight hours is so
much more spirited and contented
that he will do as much in eight
hours as he did previously in ten
hours. But experience hardly
proves this, and human nature is
against il.
The Economic Review of London
has printed a report OF 6 1000 or 1000
words on the eight-hour day in Eu
rope. 1t indicates that where the
reduction in hours has taken place
there has been corresponding re-
duction in the amount of goods a
man produced. What else Is to be
expected? How many readers Of
this column would speed up their
| hand labor or head labor If their
| profits or wages were not speeded
up in the same proportion? Not
many.
Another Problem.
If, as the statisticians reckon.
this country will have 10000, 900
Persons to be clothed fed and
sheltered in 1850. where will we
find the hand labor to feed, clothe
and shelter them-that is, il we
go on as we are giong? That is
another problem, but 1t does not
require attention just now.
What does require attention is
the question as to how in a con
tinental country but half developed
we are going to do the work laid
out for us in business way dur
ing the next five or ten years?
Answer: One thing is sure. Is that
either we must get over our
American prejudice against hand
work-which would he slow
professor we must adopt policy
of letting efficient workers come tc
this country to help us, without al
the same time accepting the unde