Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-27

| and that If driven to accept the dole
| we are extremely unlikely to stop at any
such suicidal point.
The position of American labor is
one of demanding work-work at stip-
ulated wages. BY whatever name the
dole may be called, it remains charity.
It Is not justice of any sort: 1t Is too
mean for justice, too shriveled for
\ wages. Aside from its demoralizing
| effect upon the state and upon indus
| try its effect upon the benehciarieS
themselves is demoralizing and disas-
trous. Quite clearly the fight for bet
ter wages, for fewer and shorter work
days and for better working conditions
| becomes submerged while the fight for
a larger dole takes the spotlight. Lead
ers who should be engaged in better
| ing working conditions become poll
ticiafs, ctiseling away at the public
treasury. And when the treasury Is
empty and government must go with
hat in hand to the masters of inter
| national finance there is inevitably
grumbling because the bankers have
financing that Is drained away by an
outflow of unsound and uncomfortable
charity.
Much Agitation in u. 8.
There has been much agitation in
the United states for a dole Some
have called it dole, while some have
called It Unemployment insurance
There Is no difference, for there is and
can be no such thing as unemploy-
ment insurance. There can be no in
surarce without sound actuarial
basis for the assessing Of premiums and
the forecasting Of losses or payments.
There ft.r Is no such basis in the field OF
unemployment. No one has yet de-
vised method Of creating one or
pointed the road to the discovery of
one. Even If so-called unemployment
insurance were to be built up within
industries to care for those classified
as being within those industries, there
would remain a vast army not in any
industry and not wanted in any in
dustry. Not since 1921 has there been
place in our industries for all who
were willing and able to work. 1t is
probable that even in that peak year
OF employment there were many for
whom no place In any industry was
available.
Had the united States been paying
an unemployment dole we should have
had 1t in operation at least since 1921
and our present treasury deficit would
be insignificant In comparison to the
deficit we would have had. Every ex-
animation of the dole and It's effects
upon nation and individual points
straight to the conclusion that we must
devise methods of affording work. The
resort to the dole to escape the pen
atty OF unemployment is like seeking
shelter from the rain by getting under
a cloud.
Cites British Example.
Some very eminent persons have de-
clared that the policy Of higher wages
and lesser work days and fewer work
hours per week Is false economy. but
the American laborer invites the at
tention of those eminent persona to
the British example. Higher wages,
fewer work hours per week and a
drastically reduced drainage of profits
into dividends on pramided stock
structures are absolutely essential If the
system of private property, democratic
self rule and avoidance of the rr1iser-
able subterfuge of the dole Is to be
continued.
The way Of avoidance for the neces-
sity for q dole, OF safeguarding the
system Of private property and per-
petuating democratic self rule IS the
road Of cooperation between American
industry and American labor which will
reduce the waste Of conflict and share
both the prosperity Of good times and
the adversely of bad times. In the
long run neither employer nor en-
ploye can profit at the expense OF the
other. Then, too, we must overhaul
our prevailing business practice at
home as an example for nations
abroad. Our motto must be "Co-opera-
ate or Collapse"