Evening star., 1928-02-14

There has never been so great a para
dox in social conditions in the United
States as exists today. Il appears al
most inexplicable that business and in
dustry are pre-eminently prosperous.
while. at the same time. the bread line
Of the unemployed grows longer. and
rivals conditions existing in 1921. when
the President recognized serious Situ-
alton. calling for an unemployment con-
ference
In July. 1921. II was officially esti-
mated that there were unemployed in
the United States 5.635. 600: today. the
Cunotticiail, estimates that there are
4o0o. 900 out Of work. and the number
is increasing weekly. The unemployed
now amount in number TO 20 per cent
Of those employed. There are 5000 900
more out Of work now than there were
in 1928. according to the Labor Bureau.
Inc. 1t must be conceded that the fg-
ures are only estimates. based on cues-
tionnaires covering many industries, ou.
they are carefully studied. and are not
the work OF political partisan p.opaSsn-
dists. Politics have nothing 10 do with
the situation. unless II must Be counted
that the Government IS responsible for
rain and sunshine and the develop
mentS OF inventive genius.
Mr.. Francis I Jones. director gen.
eral Of the Ernployu,en. Bureau Q: the
United States Department. q Labor.
attributes the situation largely 20 the
inventions OF labor saving machinery,
diSplac.ng manual labor even u. The
skilled. but particularly ot The uu-
skilled This Is not an argument
against invention. scr history has DEM
onSsrated that In the end AL labor
saving inventions have resulted IL bet
tering the condition o. even the men
they temporarily displaced. The rev
machines do the WORK more econcy,-
ically and 81 they dlSplace the men.
who must seek other erlployeme0;--a
hardship for the individuals,
For example. in Arlington County.
Va. last Summer new water mains
were laid by a machine manned ey
only three men. This machine dug the
trench from zoo 20 900 Zee. Per day.
lifted and lowered into II the iron
pipes and covered the dirt hack into
the trench. Seycnty-Hve Or eighty men
would have worked hard 70 have doce
that much In q day by old methods,
In mechanical sheet metal rol!iilS new
methods increase the output six times
as much rs IN former t;,ieS, III al
other lines oi iron and Stee. works the
increased outpu. per man ranges fscai
: 10 cS per cent, The same spp.ieS IL
textiles, shoes and above all. - farm
ing III the great wheat fields the ma
chine called the combine" ucw or-
Grated with traction engine and
three men. haryestS and thyeSheS 50
acres Of wheat per day-al done III
one operation--frcm 10 Ia IS times the
work accomplished seneca'ton aso
Within the last Ave years million
farm hands have left the farms and
crowded city bread lines, Yet last Sum
mer there VAS Surtess " farm la
borers offered az harve$, time. and
thousands sought In vain t@ employ
mens.
Soon after President uardiaSS Un-
employment conference III 1921, in
IiuStry began IL pick up How uUeA
Of this revival must tc credited ~ the
conference cannot TX assured. but the
fact stands that Within six mouths
thereafter all the 1891 surplus lasNey
MAS absorbed. and many lines we've
calling for more man" power.
The radical changes NJ rsS,SsuctANa
may oe further illustrated With = fe~
typical Instances Until comparatively
recent times II MAS assumed that NJ
machine could ever take the place ~
glass blowers III making e,ttses; n>w
Case man With a modern e,ttle~nakIt.s
machine takes the place M 4. e>ttle
blowers Out NJ employment Ae Mea
Secretary ot lAcsr Davis adds,
We must. l think sSsn eSSm ~
think little less at our WonSternt
machines and little mare NJ eur woa-
detfsli American wugkesS, the alter
native etsns that Ne may have dts
ocu,tens on our hands The amazing
industrial ctsan,aaligsa We have esssH up
IN this country must not be a.leaeI 81
Get In It's own WAY II Ne are ta ~ ,sst
pfI,sl~rins We must give stsaae tAS"Aag
to this matter"
Has there ever eeen laeag~SaN hss
Invention which did net NeSens thus
same prohlems We expect w0kess "