Evening star., 1928-05-12
WORKERS SHOWING
MORE EFFICIENCY
Employers Freely Granting
Concessions to Employees,
Getting Good Returns.
BY ]. C. ROYLE.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, May 13.-The trend In
employment today, according to many
of the larger hirers of labor, Is to be
regarded IN the light OF bread upon the
waters. Workers in the last five years
have demonstrated more successfully
than ever before their personal efncien-
cy. This has brought prosperity TO the
employers and the employers have not
been slow, in many instances, to re-
spond for the benefit Of the workers.
1t was only few years ago that some
industries, notably the iron and steel
trades, consented to the adoption OF the
eight-hour day. Today the trend IS
markedly toward the six-day week OF
48 hours or less. Employment statistics
are always taken with grain OF salt
because 1t Is obviously impossible to sep
arate the voluntarily unemployed from
those who cannot obtain employment.
Increased Efficiency Factor.
There is, however, no doubt that en-
ployment in some industries has de-
creased because of individual efficiency
and new and improved equipment. The
Department of Labor estimates thar
there has been shrtnkage of 753, ,107
| workers In the manufacturing and rail-
iuaN AlACS SAlCC 1870. OIl Tie OtLlC.
hand, 1t Is freely admitted that new
industries have more than accounted for
the number Of workers displaced In the
two lines mentioned
One Of the greatest oil companies In
the world, through its executives, de-
| clared today that 1t was thoroughly
satisfied with the policy which had
changed the status of all labor from a
daily or hourly wage to a monthly SAL
airy. and which had reduced the average
working week for men on the drilling
rigs from "a to 48 hours, with no reduc-
ton in salary.
This company started out first by
| allowing one day of a week to every
employe with the exception of drilling
crews. The company today decided to
adopt the six-day week for drilling
crews. This Is radical departure from
| custom.
One Of the executives Of the company
said today: THE policy OF continuous
work for men employed In drilling wells
has not been without reason The drill
| ing Of an oil well is an intricate thing,
requiring high skill and the constant
attention Of experts. The theory has
been that the fewer men having to do
| with well the better. Hence, prac-
tically from the beginning Of the oil
industry the universal custom was to
employ two shifts Of drillers II hours
day and seven days a week.
Factory Output Heavier.
with the advent of the eight-hour
day by this company three crews Of
| men worked on the drilling of a well
each day. This experiment proved sue
ceSsful. Human efficiency increased and
the work of drilling oil wells went along
quite as successfully and economically
as before. Now comes the advent Of an
additional crew working "a hours week
on each well, making three and half
crews istead Of three"
In the last calendar year the factories
Of the country produced per cent more
than in 1923. although the labor force
had been reduced 0 per cent. At the
/ same time this reduction in force does
| not indicate a corresponding increase In
the number unemployed.