Evening star., 1928-05-06


IL manufacturer of some popular
article which the public is de-
rfan6ing as a result of his great sell
tnS organization THAT means that
can reduce the cost Of the article tc
the consumer and more people viii ht
able 10 use IT, have many machines
and that, in turn. means that there
vIIl be scores less al the pay window
or each Saturday night"
Mr.. Manufacturer. Just one Of the
many who are naturally seeking way
10 cut down their expenses, sits back ii
his chair and mentally figures out what
the increased production is going to
bring him in profits. taking into the
consideration the cost of the machine
and its upkeep At the END Of 3 brief
period of machine work he sends for
his auditor when his dividend check is
rettinS smaller instead OF bigger and ne
wants 70 know what the trouble is. The
auditor tells him the stuff is not NOV
inS. the great increase turned out by
the machines is still in the warehouses,
Something Is wrong he decides, ano
he sends for the sales manager, man
who has not failed him in his diStrl-
button before He wants 70 know whv
the product is not moving and then he
inds he is only one of many who
have been turning to machines and
turning away employeS-the people
who must buy his product, The machlne
has DISPLACED the human. but the ma
chime does not use the finished product
as the human being does. and the
human being consumer. with an empty
pocketbook. produced by lack Of work,
cannot buy.
What Then Results.
- -. s..n. .n-->o, 10 So1d he
cause the consumer cannot buy. then
the machines must stop and then there
are more people-tilose kept TO run the
nnachines--out of work and they cannot
buy. An6 when factories stop. their
ceasing is felt in other industries and
then there is the unemployment.
That is the economic situation which
now presents itself and IL Is not alcne
sn the United States, but Europe has
been wrestling with it for several years.
The manufacturer is not alone. The
farmer has been turning to machinery.
because he has found it cheaper than
Rand labor. And 50 the farms are
sending people to The cities. europe
has faced il and she hes let her people
on; 70 come to the United States
More production cannot answer the
eitsfsttou because II gets back TO Mr..
Manufacturer What IS the use OF
producing If there are no buyers. There
must be more industries TO absorb the
unenployed from other industries. Ana
there are further complications 70 those
indicated cv the Unemployment forced
BY the introduction Of modern ma
cfinery
Farh year there moves into the In
o1lstrial stream a great horde OF work
erS. nearly as large as the population
Of the City of Chicago. and even as
Isrre as the State of wisconsin. This
number of new talent seeking absorp-
ton In the American industrial ma
chine totals the great amount OF 2,451.-
023. II represents the number that for
the most part seek the cities. and IN
eludes immigrants to the number OF
252.023. those gong from the rural sec
tons 70 the urban districts totailng
205. 900. ard 10000 girls and boys in
our own population who reach the
working age each year.
What to De With Workers.
What TO do for this horde Of workers
and the great numbers forced out Of
work by the development OF machinery
20 take the place OF hand tasks is now
bothering ooth the executive and legis-
lativs branches of the Government.
Commissioner Ethelbert Stewart says
that II is not unreasonable TO believe
that a considerable percentage Of the
employment shrinkage is due 20 new
machines and new mechanical devices
Waiting for industrial developments is
OF no avail Their jobs are gone.
Inventive genius must devise new In
6uEtries commercial agencies must Gre
ate new wants in order to create new
occupations or adapt themselves 70 new
Scr 4~Arp 8F. 20
AZ age permits them TO learn new
industries This need for new indus
tries and new occupations daily be-
coraeS more pressing.
The Department of Labor is in con-
gtsnt receipt Of reports Of acute situ-
atoms resulting from the introduction
OF new machines II is believed in
many quarters. moreover and with
good reason. that this mechanical de-
veiopme1lt viii probably proceed as
rapidly In the immediate future as IT
has IN the immediate past
Public Works Suggested
Inauguration OF public works. Fed
ersl. State, county and municipal, has
been suggested as the best means Of
quickly providing for taking up this
employment sl1rinkage over the period
when the inventive genius Of the land
may create new industries and the
commercial agencies new wants. There
e no choice 70 the taxpayer. II viii
eoss money either way. Taxes must
&c into the public works. and II an
increase is put of 10 cut down the
expenses 81 government then the tax
payers contribution will have 10 come
anyway. for the unemployed must be
taken care Of. II not provided with a
means n earn . livelihood for their
families. then the families eventually
vii become public chsYge6-there wiil