Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-28
WORK. WHY

SS
Standard of Individual Production
(Continued)
Only a Small Proportion of Employ
erS Succeed
According to Dun and Bradstreet,
the two great commercial reporting
agencies in this country, who keep
a careful record Of the financial
standing of all business concerns in
America, a large number of those
who engage in business for them
selves fail. Only a few who try to
become employers of others, succeed.
At the present time Great
Britain has a serious situation in
connection with coal mining. In
1900 the British miners according
to their government statistics, pro-
duced 312 tons of coal per nan per
year. In 1918 this output had been
cut down to 220 tons of coal per man
per year. In 1919 coal miners went
on strike. demanding a six hour day.
a five day week, and increased
wages. Less work and more pay.
Great Britain's coal customers in
other countries are not buying Eng
lish coal now, as it can be obtained
elsewhere for less price. Even Brit
ish factories can buy coal cheaper
from other countries than 1t can be
obtained in their own country, prac-
tically at their own door, for all
Wales has been described as one big
coal pile. Result: Large number of
Welsh miners out of work. Individ-
uaI output of miners is so small that
the selling price of the coal will not
pay the wages of the miners and
cost of mining. The British govern
ment is raising money by taxation
to pay the extra cost of keeping the
mines in operation.
Because Large Numbers of People
Believe Something Is So, Does Not
Make 1t So.
Sometimes we are led to wonder
how or why it is that vast numbers
of people honestly and sincerely be
lieve as facts things which are not
true.
Because straight thinking has been
undermined in Russia by false teach
ing, and vast numbers of Russian
people honestly and sincerely be-
lieve in things which are not true,
does not alter the fact that many
millions of Russians have already
persisted and many millions more
will likely perish in the attempt to
carry out a policy which is uneco.
nomic and unsound. The world is
now witnessing the terrible suffer-
ing and death of these people. who,
in attempting to put into practice
wrong ideas, are actually engaged
in destroying themselves. A great
nation committing suicide.
We now have some crafts doing
less than SO per cent work. the ave
~ p L.. fha% ~ +alrna kxra t.,a1ho pSCe
in all lines to do the same work for
merly done by one, with the result
that where one man did a certain
amount of work in 1914 at a rate of
$500 a day. by 1920 wages were
$1,000 per man per day. but it took
two $1,000 per day men to do the
same amount of work formerly done
by one $500 per day man. conse-
quently, in 1920 the same amount
of work done in 1914 cost $4,000
instead of $500. AS labor is the
principal item in the cost of every
thing, it is apparent that prices of
everything advanced faster than did
wages. In addition it took four
times as much money to furnish the
payroll on which someone must be
paid interest, and this must be add
ed to the selling price.
Doing less work and getting more
money is bound to make prices rise
faster than wages. 1t is producing
less and trying to divide more. 1t
can't be done.
Ringing down through all the CEN
turtles has come the charge to hui
manity-"In the sweat of thy face
shalt thou eat bread"
Increased Production Brings In
creased Earnings.
In this day when there exists so
generally false economic ideas, and
these not only exist but are being
Systematically taught by certain
agencies. 1t should be brought home
to all that only through increased
production can people have, as a
whole, more OF those things which
make for comfort and enjoyment;
that wages and production, not
wage and that utterly ephemeral
thing called Giving cost" go hand in
hand and can not De disassociated.
The dollar has no meaning or value
beyond what it will buy.
Assume for a moment that it
would be possible by some fiat for
everyone's compensation TO be sim
ultaneously doubled. The cost of
everything we buy would be cores
p%ondingly doubled and no n would
have anything more. But il by
greater skill and diligence or i'm
proved methods. everyone could
produce twice what he is now pro-