Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01
Wage Farmers In
Manufacturing
The Social Consequences.

The Social Consequences.
But what has become of these dis
placed workers? This is a problem of
social as we'll as economic significance.
The disintegrating effect Of unemploy-
ment on the individual is so well known
that we have come to dread its conSe-
quences to the Nation.
We naturally expect technical ad-
vancement to be followed by industrial
expansion. The changes and the in
creases in production have been SO
sweeping that very great expansion
would be necessary to reabsorb the dis
placed workers. We must look to other
sources of help.
New service industries as well as new
manufactures are supplying new work
opportunities. But in addition to dis
placed workers there are added to the
adult population of employable age each
year more than half million persons
for whom employment must be pro-
vided.
Just what becomes of displaced work.
ers we have very few clews. DR.. Lubin
of the Brookings Institution, interviewed
a group of 754 from variety OF occu-
pations who lived in Baltimore, Chi
cago and Worcester, Mass. His inter-
views disclosed the following facts:
"Of the 754 interviewed only 4l0, or
545 per cent, had found steady jobs at
the time they were seen by investiga-
tors. Three hundred and forty-four, or
ASS per cent, were still unemployed.
Nor had the task of getting new jobs
been an easy one for those who had
been successfully placed. More than
one-half of them were out Of work for
more than three months. while six were
idle for a whole year. Only Al, or Ills
per cent, Of those who found work had
secured permanent jobs within month
of discharge.
Idle Four Months.
"Of the 344 workers, or ass per cent
of the total interviewed, who were still
unemployed when seen by investigators
the majority had been out Of work for
more than four months. Twenty-Five,
or "a per cent, of those still unemployed
had been without jobs for a year.
Thirty-seven, or 10.7 per cent, had not
been able to find work for II months
or more. SiXty-six, approximately one
fifth of the group, had been unemployed
for more than ~two-thirdS of year.
Only 2O2. or 58.8 per cent, had been idle
,, for less than one-half year, and 154,
or 44.6 per cent, for less than one-third
Of a year.
Jobs only 1877, or one-third, were re-
employed in old industries that Is, in
dustries which produced products SINH
lar to those made at the plants in which
I they formerly worked. Two hundred
and Seventy-three workers, two-thirds
of the total who had secured employ
ment, found work in industries which
were not related to those which formerly
employed them. These workers. in
other words, had to adjust themselves
! o. 80
with which they were unaccuStomed."
Yet There Is Prosperity.
Such facts are strikingly in contrast
with national prosperity and tremendous
technical progress. If We have the in
telligence to make such great material
progress, We certainly have the ability
necessary to handle the human
problem involved in machine displace-
ment. Sweeping changes should not be
made until the problem Of human adj
justments Is as carefully thought
through as the problem of factory ad-
justments. Conferences of all concerned
should precede at least major changes.
There is pretty general acceptance of
the principle that persons able and COM
petent to work and wanting to work
ought to have the opportunity to earn
a livelihood. There are number of
very practical things that can be done
to further this purpose without entail
ing great expense or change. The first
thing Is to connect unemployed workers
with existing jobs. There may be a
good job just around the corner. but If
the worker has no way of knowing that
some one is needed and the manage
ment doesn't know where to find an
other man, both lose. We need local
employment bureaus, co-ordinating Fed
cral control, so as to get industry-wide
and Nationwide circulation of Informal
ton. A Federal employment service
would accumulate data on employment
and unemployment that would enable
us to anticipate difficulties and avoid
preventable troubles.
StabiIizing Employment.
Our second proposal is to stabilize
production; to plan to avoid overtime
and the employment of additional work.
erS in rush seasons, and to find the
products that can be made in the slack
seasons preparatory to the peak season.
Many companies have found that this
kind of management has meant steady
work for stable work group. BY care
full planning and cooperation of men
and management the Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad has reduced labor turnover on
maintenance and repair work from 90
per cent to 10 per cent and lower.
Sterilization has added at least two
weeks more work a year for all workers.
The building industry has been stead
lily increasing the amount of its Winter
work. In wallpaper industries guar
anteed employment provisions in union
contracts and unemployment insurance
in the garment industry exert strong
force to sterilization. Industry which
is responsible for unemployment should
assume its responsibility for the costs