The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-30
BIG BUSINESS
SPLIT ON JOB
SAFEGUARDS
U. S. Chamber of Com
merCe Shows Sharp Divi-
sion on Work Insurance.
HAND IS BEING FORCED
Leaders See Action as Soon
Necessary, With States
Taking UP Matter.
BY THOMAS L. STOKES
United Press STAFF Correspondent

ATLANTIC CITY, April 30
American business, as represented in
the United States Chamber of Com
merce convention here, found itself
sharply divided today over I'M
employment insurance-most vide
~ advocated remedy for the ills of
depression.
Some industrial leaders were out
spokenly hostile and most ad-
vocates only lukewarm
But frankly facing adoption Of
such system by a number Of states
i'm the most radical form Of state
compulsory insurance, most bust
ness men here seem to realize the
necessity Of meeting this movement.
Consequently, a variety Of plans
for working out lief measures
within the industry have been
brought forward, some of them
already in successful operation.
Job Plans Considered
Accepting the unemployment
problem as the chief concern OF the
annual meeting. the business lead
ers continued today 70 offer and
inspect carefully numerous alterna-
tives, which resolve themselves into
these plans:
Shorter working days and week,
with retirement at an earlier age
on pension to make way for young
er men.
Establishment of a reserve fund
for benefits to unemployed for a
certain period, such as the Roches-
ter plan, which goes into effect in
1893, a modified employment insur-
ance scheme.
Sterilization of production, such
as successfully achieved by the
Proctor & Gamble Company soap
manufacturers
Creating of planning boards for
each industry, to control production
according to consumptive demand.
Budgetary control through indus
trial units. by trade associations,
and even on a national scale.
Way Is Paved
Occupational education of labor
To train for new jobs when intro
duction of new machines displace
workers.
The variety of such plans and the
general sympathy they have
aroused here indicate that indus
tries may be expected gradually to
evolve some such plans according
+o the individual needs of the par
ticular industry.
The wide divergence of opinion
here is indicated in the fiat oppo-
sition of such men as Rome O.
Stephenson, president of the
American Bankers Association, and
the warning of Edward A. FIene
Boston merchant, representative OF
the liberal group here, that twenty
state legislatures have pending
before them state compulsory in
surance proposals.
Defends InstaIment Selling
Filene said he original opposed
state compulsory insurance, but
added he had little hope that indus
try would provide its own. He sug-
gested a compromise optional pro-
posal. whereby the state would en-
force compulsory insurance on in
dustries which refused to adopt their
own.
There is considerable discussion
under the surface here of the wage
reduction controversy, but thus al
1t has been kept out OF the public
meeting.
Installment selling, severely criti-
cised in an address last night by
stephenson, was defended today by
Edwin c. Vogel, chairman OF the in
vesAnent committee of the CONNER
cial Investment Corporation.
He said instalment selling was
sound and denied it had any part IN
bringing on the depression.