Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-02-24
Think for Yourself

III "
Generally speaking, there is at
least one mar to every department
in our factories, who is a loose lip
loud mouthed individual, who tries
to do all the thinking for every man
in his department. He is common
" called by our sailors in the navy
or on merchants vessels, a "sea
lawyer"
Every working man has heard
him and usually he is the poorest
mechanic or the LATEST laborer in
the factory and a peep into his
| home life will disclose that he is
most always neglectful of his home
and possessed OF other vicious al
| Indifferent habits.
The motto of this individual
seems tt be: do rs little as you
can and get as much TO rit as pos
sible, but never do an honest or full
days work" One such individual
III Il department is bad enough and
| then some, but not content with fol-
| lowing his creed himself, he usually
attempts to impose it upon others.
Most people are perfectly con-
tented to let someone else do the
thinking for them-not because they
cannot think for themselves or that
they agree with those that do the
thinking for them, but because they
have formed the habit of following
someone else'S advice without tax
ing the trouble to look ahead a lit
tie and figure what the consequen
may be TO themselves and all con-
cerned.
Today, was are confronted with
an industrial situation which re-
quires good common and
some real thinking on the part of
every one of us. We must learn to
~differentiate between right and
wrong. between constructive and de-
structive thoughts and acts, and al
ways maintain full freedom of our
W good judgment and not be in
f!uenced by the thoughts or actions
OF anyone else unless we are sure
they are for our best interest and
will not give us cause of regret later.
No doubt, we would all like to
have high wages, short-Work days
and lots of business, but the three
cannot mix unless they are correct
relation to one another and con-
sistent with the current purchasing
power of the dollar which makes up
our wages.
Short-work days and abnormal
wages per hour NEAR high cost of
production, which in turn means
high prices to the and
his results in a lower purchasing
power of our wages and consequent
poor business generally; while rea-
Sonable hours per day, with reason
able pay per hour means lower cost
of production, lower price to the
buying public. and sufficient business
to keep us all working full time.
As workers, it is not only our
duty, but it should be our privilege
and pleaSuse to cooperate LOYALTY
and conscientiously in this endeavor
to put industry again upon a bust
uess-building basis, which will re-
suit in general benefit and pros
perity to all
immigration J
The new Italian government plans ,
to ask the United States government
to increase the annual quota of
Italian e~nigrants allowed to enter
the United States from $4,000 to
100, 900.
Modification of the present re-
strictive act, which limits the an
Eual entrance of aliens to 8 per cent
OF the foreign-born persons of such
nationality resident in the United
States in 1910, has grown from
theory to a practical economic
necessity.
Factories and farms are short of
hands because unskilled and semi !
skilled labor is not to he had; any
amount of construction work is be-
ing held up because of the scarcity
OF common labor.
The great trouble with the law as
it stands is that it d~isregards the
outgoing alien. There went back to
Italy between July L, 1921. and June
30, 1922, 1851 persons; there came
here only 40,319. To Poland, 3d.
581 returned; we received back only
1855. There emigrated to the
United States from Greece, 3,457;
the number of Greeks who left this
country was 1906.
Shortage of labor has caused
higher wage scales in many lines
and the added costs of production
are, of course, passed on the con-
sumers
America owes much to the foreign
born, and it has every right and
duty to pass upon the character
and qualities of those who enter it's
borders. The place and time for
such investigation, however, is in
the presence of United States Off
Gals abroad before passage to
America is taken. Such a system
would prevent the undesirable in
cidents constantly happening at
ports of entry, whore great numbers
OF helpless emigrants are detained
and examined, and also would min