The Connecticut labor news., 1923-11-24
Manufacturers of State
(Continued from Page One.)


 .on the floor of the House or Senate.
 Your association, however, does not
 take entire credit. Due credit must
 be given to the members of the vari- 4ous committees of the legislature, to
 the members of the 1923 General Assembly and to the state executives
 who recognized the fundamental
 principle that needless law Is a break to economic progress and that a vicious law would sap the very life
 blood of onnecticut and New Eng land
 Can any one of us forecast the dire results had House Bill No. 34I, which had for its object the estab- 1ishment of the IA hour week, passed? I, for one, do not pretend to know whether or not the legal hours of labor should be A or Go. I do know, however, that we cannot afford to es- tablish A or 48 hour week in Con- necticut as long as other states per let us wait until the shorter hours of labor have become more universal. After all it is question of competi- tion Labor cannot afford to force it. For upon cooperation between the investor, management and labor shall be decided whether or not New Eng land, as an industrial center, shall continue to exist Industrial warfare can mean nothing but utter ruin to all parties concerned. We of the la boring class, we the investors and we the management cannot follow the leadership of those outside of New England whose interest is not in New England but Is in promoting personal ambitions. Let us bear in mind that New England management and labor, jointly, are competing with other sec tions of the country.
 "I presume that many members do not realize that the Manufacturers Association of onnecticut maintains direct contact with every section of the United States. Nor can anyone outside the operating staff appreciate the value of such contacts. Our Washington representatives keep us in touch with every proposal which directly or indirectly affects the inter ests of Connecticut manufacturers. When great pressure is needed to of legislation we have at our call the entire weight of organizations all over the country This is but one il- 1ustration of the value of such con tacts.
 As to Labor, MT. Hubbard said:
 "Twenty-three industrial disputes, resulting in strikes have occurred dur ing the year 1923, or rather that DOT tion of the year up to and including November I. Pursuant to the policy established in 1920 representatives of the association were in direct touch with the executive heads of all con cerns, whether members of the asso- ciation or not, and with the local or ganizations where such existed, when a strike was in progress or was threatened. It is significant that al though the total number. of strikes occurring during 1923 was greater by eight than in 1922 the number of working days lost, the estimated loss in wages and the estimated loss in production was proportionately lower.
 While no one can say that this desirable condition of affairs has been brought about by your association, the open shop conference of Connec- ticut, the Connecticut Industrial Council or any of the local ,organiza- tions 1 am of the opinion that through their joint efforts we are gradually es- tablishing, in Connecticut, more cor dial relationships and a more thor ough understanding between labor and management.
 T want to emphasize at this point, however, my feeling that no leader of industry should permit himself to be- come enamored with the belief that we have arrived at an era untram- melled peace and serenity. 1t is in a time such as this that we should re- double our efforts towards the pro- motion of the open shop in industry. Apparent inactivity on the part of or ganized labor means nothing in itself but it is apt to promote dangerous passivity on the part of industrial leaders whose interests are with the open shop but who do not always realize that to promote it's interests we must proceed u1interruptedly with our development of it in individual plants and with our education of the general public to its advantages. express the hope therefore, that in 1924 we may see an even greater CO., operation among our manufacturers in the work now well under way of making onnecticut state where men and women may work where they wish, as efficiently as they are cap able and regardless of their afiliation or non-affiliation with any organiza- | ton.
 "The operation of a Dillingham; 3% | law has also been one of the greatest barriers to New Eng lands industrial progress. You may know that your association has taken | an extremely active part in attempt | ing to secure the enactment of more | equitable and scientific law. We have | been in close touch with Washington and with other state and local organ lzations through the preliminary stages of the efforts to coordinate l