Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-02-17

where it was desired to reduce ex-
penses, various gangs are o work.
ing six days out of ten, or five days in
every nine. This movement for which
the employees are responsible is an
ideal n in times of unemployment.
Seniority employees had the right I'M
der the rules to continue their work
at full time, but that would have
meant the complete laying off of a
large number Of men. The railroad
company made the proposition to the
employees to be affected and asked
them to choose the method to be put
in force to reduce expenses and they
chose the plan of some work for nll
instead of all work for a few. That
was the true brotherhood spirit and
we are proud of them.
An instance recently came to our
attention where an employer of some
500 people in an industrial establish
ment found his business going behind
about $4,000 per week, and stocks pill
ing up with a lack of orders. He called
a conference of the heads of depart
ments, some of them with a financial
interest in the business, and the ques-
ton of how to stop the weekly deficit
was threshed out. 1t was the unani-
nous opinion that a complete shut
down would save a lot of money. To
discharge so to 60 per cent of the en-
v10raor MOULD haIn hut NOT cn1uo tho
problem as all the overhead charges
would continue. The head of the bust
ness realized that something must be
done to reduce the losses and decided
on three days per week, employment
for all. There was still a deficit, but
it was greatly reduced. He observed
that he was not willing to see any en-
ployee in distress so long as the bust
ness could be continued without inan-
cial ruin. He said to the department
heads: "You must remember that
many of our workmen have families
to support and in dull times we must
bear our end of the brunt." That was
a fine spirit.
While political conditions appar-
emily usually control the actions of
state and national Legislators, now and
then there appears a mar in an cleo
tive or appointive position who takes
a stand based on his w reasoning
and conscience, and regardless of his
political future, fights for what he be
lieves to be best for the whole coun-
try. Senator Pepper, of Philadelphia,
while a new member of the U. S. Sen
ate, has already shown himself an in
dependent thinker and actor. Doubt
less a hundred national Legislators
think as he does about the soldier
bonus bill, but he alone came out fiat
footed with his views when he pub
licly declared last week:
"If an injustice was done to our
bows" he said, when thus their mo-
tives were impugned, l am forced to
conclude that the injustice which is
being done to them today is one which
they themselves are infiicting."
Three considerations, he said, hac
caused him to decide to vote against
the Soldiers Bonus Bill on which the
House Ways and Means Committee is
now holding extensive hearings.
81 think the pending measure is
unjust to disabled service men," he
said, unfair to service men who are
not disabled and unjustifiable because
it wastes public money.
"Any measure is fundamentally un-
lust to the disabled mar which gives
to hin no more than the allowance
made to his unframed and vigorous
comrade. There is something wrong
in a scheme which withholds money
from the mar who needs it in order to
give it to the man who can do without
it. 1 am ready to vote millions for
the disabled soldier, but not n cent
for the man whose earning capacity is
~unimpaired."
1t is claimed by those in a position
to speak with authority that about 40
per cent of the farmers of the South
and West are insolvent. The president
of the American Farm Bureau FEEDER
alton states that one-fourth of the
farmers, 25 per cen in this country
are insolvent. This is perhaps not
true of South Jersey, although 10 per
cent of them may now be insolvent,
but that would be a normal increase
of not more than 5 per cent. 1t is
probable that taking farmers as a
whole, there has always been at least
5 per cen of them insolvent.
If we take the number of farmers in
the country and could compare their
financial condition with a combination
of all other kinds of business, mer-
chants, middlemen, manufacturers,
livestock and automobile dealers, fer
tilizer and agricultural implement
dealers, publishers, job printers, etc.,
uro ara of tho oDiniOn thai not more