Evening star., 1927-10-16

That the introduction OF labor
saving machinery. while vastly in
| ereasing output, has not decreased
the number of persons engaged In
industry. thereby cutting off theii
means Of livelihood but, on the con
trary has increased the number. il
shown by study of facts CLEANED
from Industrial figures gathered By
the Department of Commerce..
The beginning of the twentieth
century may be taken as represent
ing the production index number
100. In quantity Of production this
index number had mounted to 275 by
1925; that is, there were two anC
three-quarters times as much pro
duced at the end of the first quar-
ter OF the century than at it's begin
ming. AS to the number of persons
engaged, and still using the start oi
the century as the 100 mark, the
1925 Index number is shown as 1877
not far short of twice as many. The
greatest gain is In the installation OF
labor saving machinery through the
use of power. Primary horse power
in 1900 was 100 and i'm 1925 had
reached 356. The output per capita
increased from 100 in 1900 to lat In
1925.
Such showing reveals that not
only were more people employed but
each one of them produced a vastly
greater amount of products, thus
raising the American standard of liv
ing until 1t now is the highest in the
world. Every man has more than he
did at the beginning of the century
and ne Is getting many of these
things at lower price.
Population of the United States
during the period, increased by 50
per cent but production in the four
principal classes increased 140 pei
cent so the new generation, although
superadded to the old and further en-
larged by millions of immigrants
finds itself with more and better
things.
The Department of Commerce rec
ognizes four main branches or produc
tion. Agriculture, during the first
quarter Of the twentieth century
showed a gain of Al per cent in pro
duction. The Increase in mining Ii
given as 34S per cent: that in the
manufacturing industry, ITS per cent
and In railway transportation, 199 pei
cent.
Increase i'm Manufactures.
The outstanding increase, tina,
shown by the mining industry, is in
/ teriocked with the increase In manu-
featuring. The lahor.saving machi
merry, which has made possible the In
crease In manufactured goods, has re
quired millions Of tons of metal to con
strucA and, therefore, more minerals
have been dug from the ground tt
meet this demand.
When one pauses to think of the
22.O00,000 automobiles being operated
in the United States, it will be seer
at glance where much Of this metal
went, but there have been other
mighty incr eases. The weight oi
steel rails has been increased, build
ilg construction now il almost In
variably of steel, offices and ever
household furniture absorbs much
steel, and the electrical industry util
ICES tons upon tons of copper.
1t may be noted in passing thai
these figures on increased production
do not include the enormous increase
In building of both commercial and
residential structures. The meta
that goes into them shows in the
mining group, the manufactured Items
in the group comprising manufactures
but the increase in total value oi
buildings, nCnmanufactured items, Ia
bor costs, professional services, such
as architects and engineers fees dc
not appear at all. Nor have factli
. ties for amusement and recreation
been included. Even more marked
percentages of gain doubtless woule
be found I'm these classes.
The introduction of labor saving de
vices Of necessity would cause de
crease in the number of employed
| were 1t not for the fact that mass
production, by cheaper means, en-
ables producers to lower prices to
point where the demand is far greater
thereby calling into employment ever
more men than We're released by the
machines. Did the demand remair
static, many would remain out OF EN-
ployment.
Then. too, the enlargement of bust
nesses requires greatly increased
| numbers to handle the clerical Wort
entailed and the distribution OF pro
ducts. Whole new industries or pro
| fessions are born as the result of the
Increased output of the machines
Probably 10 men and women are em
ployed in advertising work now where
but one was so employed at the be
ginning of the century.
Increased Efficiency Helps.
The big gain in per capita produc
tion has come about not only through
the use OF machinery. but through th'