Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-06-08

There has been great Improvement
IN the labor situation, not only in this
country but abroad, within recent
months. Productivity has increased
very considerably, although by no
means has it reached the degree of
efficiency essential to industrial pros
iperlty upon which the welfare of
labor itself is dependent. The tenn
There has been great Improvement
in the labor situation, not only in this
country but abroad, iwthin recent
months. Productivity has increased
very considerably, although by no
means has it reached the degree of
efficiency essential to industrial pros
perlty upon which the welfare of
labor itself is dependent. The tenn
per of the American people today is
to pay for labor so large part of the
profits of industry as can be done
consistently with the healthy develop
ment of the industries themselves. In
this Americans display both sense of
justice and appreciation of the need
to maintain high standard of liy-
ing among wage earners in order to
insure that high standard of citizen
ship which is essential of a democratic
form OF government. But labor must
realize that even SO rich a nation
as ours would inevitably soon be-
come bankrupt if the cost of pro-
duction exceed the value of the prod
uct. Especially if we are to success
fully compete in our overseas trade.
which affords employment for large
part of our labor, we must develop
the highest possible efficiency of the
wage Garner, representing as labor
does so large a share in the cost of
the production.
The individuals Right.
All intelligent citizens now agree
that what our government could and
should do, apart from it's action in
regard to national defense and kim
dred matters, may be expressed in
single phrase; it can see that the
gates OF opportunity are kept open
for its citizens along the whole
length of every road that crosses
our political and industrial life In
other words, it can assure to all men
and women a chance to work and
win according to their talent and
diligence and moral fibre, and can
guard the paths to success from OBJ
struction of trickery, fraud, oppression
or monopoly
But the function of government is
not to guarantee equality of reward
for inequality of ser.ice. No inaIieH-
able right is guaranteed a citizen to
unearned increment in the fruits of
industry
AS We sow, so shall We reap"
All a government can do in this
respect, even paternal government,
is to give equality of opportunity.
1t is of vital Importance to the
United States that the Genoa Confer
ence, or some future economic con-
ference of world powers, take such
action as will re-establish the con-
fidence of investors in foreign secur-
tiles. Reputation on the part of
any Of the great powers of their
financial obligations to other nations
especially obligations contracted be
fore the war, would seriously impair
the principle of inviolability of con-
tracts and would greatly initiate
against the interests of the United
States, in that it would deter Amer
leans from the investment of capital
in the industrial reconstruction of
Europe and in the development of
the resources of the backward nations
as we'll, upon which America is COM
mon with other commercial nations
depends for future markets.