Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-06
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT HOOVER
BEFORE AMERICAN LABOR FEDERATION

4
BOSTON, Mass, october 6.--Presi-
dent Hoover delivered the following adj
| dress at the fiftieth annual conven-
ton of the American Federation of
Labor here today:
Members Of the American Federation
Of Labor:
In his invitation that should ad-
dress you on this occasion President
Green spoke in terms of high praise
of the benefits to labor from the Ma
! tion-wide cooperation initiated at the
White House last November for mitiga-
ton of the effects of the present de-
preston.
At those White House conferences
the leaders of business and industry
undertook to do their utmost to main
tain the rate of wages. They also
undertook in case of shortened en-
ployment to distribute work as evenly
as possible over their regular body OF
employees The leaders of labor I'M
dertook to urge effort in production
and to prevent conflict and dispute.
The public officials and the managers
of industry and utilities undertook 70
expand construction work to mitigate
unemployment.
We have now had nearly year IN
which to observe the working of these
ARRANGEMENTS These, the first unoer-
takings of this character in our history,
have been carried out in astonishing
degree. There are, OF course, eXcep-
tons, but in the large sense our great
manufacturing companies, the railways.
utilities and business houses have been
able to maintain the established wages.
Employers have spread their employ.
ment systematically. For the nrst
time in more than century OF tneSe
recurring depreSsions we have oeen
practically free of bitter industrial con-
flict.
The fine cooperation In the .proVlo-
ing organized emergency employment
through Federal State. and municlpal
public works and utility construction
has been an important contribution in
taking I'D the slack of unemployment.
The measure of success Is easily DEM
onstrated. The Department Of Com
merce reports to me that pubic WORKS
and the construction work by the ran
ways and utilities in the last elght
months amount to about $4,000, DOC, 600,
as compared with about 100000 900
in the same period of the boom year
of 1929, or an increase Of about $780,
600, 900. In all previous depresSions
these works decreased, so that the gain
is more than even the apparent f1gures.
NathOn~ w AuC AGdAh u h@ss
: We have thus had Nationwide CO.
operation and team play which have
greatly ameliorated the hardship OF
this depression. These measures have
served as a practical system OF unem-
ployment insurance. There are some
unexpected by-products. Through dis
tribution of employment, large num-
bers of workers have been saved from
being forced into competition Tor new
Jobs; the sense of security that the
Job is theirs by part-time employment
has contributed to relieve much OF the
fear, dependency and encouragement
that come to men and women IN searcn
for new jobs in hard times.
I would indeed be remiss II / did
not express an appreciation, in which
know you share, to the thousands OF
men in leadership of business and
labor who have served in bringing about
these results. In the face OF cecreas-
ing prices it has required great courage,
resolution and devotion to the interest
of their employees and the public on
the part of our great manufacturers,
our railways, utilities, business houses
and public officials.
The leaders of labor have likewise
contributed their part. Our freedom
from strike and lockout. is well evil
denced by the statement of the Depart
ment of Labor that In the last depres-
sion there were more than 1000 labor
disputes, many Of them Of major char
acter and accompanied by great public
disorder, as compared with less. than
800 disputes in this period, and these
mostly of minor character. And the
great body of labor itself deserves much
praise, for never was its individual EN-
cheney higher than today.
The undertakings made at that time
represent growing sense of mutual
responsibility and a willingness to bend
private interests to the general good.
Still Have Unemployment Burden.
We still have a burden of unemploy-
ment. Although it is far less than one
half in proportion to our workers than
in either England or Germany. no one
can contemplate its effect in hardship
and Encouragement without new re-
solves to continued exertion and to
further effort in solution of our great
est economic problem - stability en-
ployment.
Your chairman has spoken Of my in
terest in the development of an, Ameri-
can basis of wage. Both the directors
Of industry and your leaders have made
great progress toward a new and COM
mon ground in economic conceptions,
which, am confident, has had pro-
1ouno eHecI upon our economic prog
ress during the last few years That
is the conception that industry must
be constantly renovated by scientific re-
search and invention; that labor well
comes these abor-savinR devices; that
labor gives its full and unrestricted eff
fort to reduce costs by the use of these
machines and methods: that the saw
ings from these reduced costs shall be
shared between labor. employer and the
consumer. 1t is philosophy OF mutual
interest. 1t is a practice of co-opera-