Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-12-08
SHARING Of WORK
/ HELP TO MILLIONS
kpfead Of Movement and Its
Benefits Shown by
Committee.

ny the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, December 8.-Between
three and four million Americans have
Jobs today that they would not have
had not industry adopted the policy
of sharing the work, In the opinion Of
leaders In the share-the-work move
,anent, O committee of the Federal Re-
serve Banking and Industrial Com
imittees.
The movement, headed by w. c.
Teagle, president OF the Standard Oil
Co. of New Jersey, seeks to bring to
the attention Of business concerns the
possibilities Of sharing work instead of
dismissing men, and of employing more
men rather than increasing the hours
OF those already at work where wage
levels are high enough to permit such
action.
How the movement has spread is
indicated by the committees figures.
which show that, whereas about 1000
companies were spreading work" in
August Of this year, between 5000 and
also show that the plan was widely
adopted before the organization Of the
committee.
Would Protect Pay Rate.
The committee is emphatic in stating
that work should not be shared where
1t would force wages below the SUBJ
siStence level, but it believes there are
opportunities in many fields for re-
ducing the amount of time worked.
One Of the largest employers in the
country estimates that by sharing work
the company saved the jobs of 48600
persons Another company, instead of
discharging 5000 men, found 1t had to
hire 1000 more. Still another reduced
hours Of work, hired more men, found
its production increased, and the unit
cost goods reduced, and also that it
was able to sell all the production.
AL examples are not so successful.
In many cases hours worked have been
reduced to as little as Is per man a
week, while the national average in
manufacturing industry Is around IS
today. The average Is considerably
above that IN non-manufacturing in
dustry.
The movement Is not directed toward
any specific plan of shorter work
period, such as the six-hour day or
the five-day week, its sponsors believing
that methods must vary In different
industries. The program is further
held to be emergency In nature and
not directed toward longtime promulga-
tion OF the shorter hour theory.
Security In Jobs.
N reply to objections that reduction
"a hours worked causes too great reduc-
ton in earnings, leaders in the move
sment express the opinion that workers
fare given security in their jobs even at
: reduced incomes, that wages are spread
over larger numbers, and that more
basic spending power is released.
It Is argued that wage Garner now
receiving a fairly large income Is try
ing to save money at faster rate than
usual, and that such funds are not be-
ing spent. But by taking part of his
wages and giving them to another, the
money actually and Immediately flows
into the channels of trade, with a
generally beneficial effect.
Sponsors Of the movement argue that
when an employer announces such a
plan, guaranteeing In considerable
measure the continuance Of the job, he
also takes of the burden Of fear from
those, whose wages were above q living
margin, but who would not spend
money for luxuries and semi-iuxuries.
On the other side, opponents point out
that reduction of wages to a living level
prevents some who were able to buy
luxury goods from continuing to do so.
The American Federation of Labor,
while objecting to certain aspects Of
spreading work as 1t Is now being done |
on the ground that this is another |
method of cutting wages, has an
nounced an aggressive policy to obtain |
shorter work periods with no reduc- |
lions in wage rates. and rises where |
possible. -