Evening star., 1932-08-05
SLASH IN HOURS
|. URGED BY GREEN
TO AID WORKERS
I 300, 900 Have Been Laid
OFF From January to June,
A. +. |. Head Says.
SURFACE OF PROBLEM
NOT YET SCRATCHED
Machinery Held Factor, With Only
80 Hours Work Per Week
in Sight.

Labor demanded today that work
hours must be shortened on a perma-
nent basis. William Green, president of
the American Federation of Labor, said
this should be the first step in creating
millions Of jobs" for the unemployed.
Labor wants to earn its own livei,-
hood" Mr.. Green said. 1T wants the
jobs that would come from shorter work
week, slum reclamation and building
homes for workers, Government work,
and the increased activity of regular
production channels that would be
stimulated by such undertakings
He said the federations estimates Of
Unemployment in the United States,
which he explained are based en- Gov
ernment figures, show industries have
laid OF more than 1900, ,0o0 persons
from January to June.
Unemployment Growing.
Mr.. Green placed the total number of
unemployed at l1,023,000 for the coun-
try as whole. He explained that un-
employment has been increasing at
rate of 267000 month from January
to June, and, he added, union figures
for the first part of July indicate an
increase OF more than 100000 since
June.
If unemployment continues to in
crease at this rate we shall have well
over 100000 out of work by Janu-
airy, 1888"
He termed developments among the
jobleSS since January as truly shock
ing" and pointed out that while 1885,
600 lost their jobs in industry, even
temporary work on farms provided for
only 10000.
The only reference in his statement
to the recent White House conference
for a shorter work week, held at the
request Of Gov Winant of New Hamp-
shire, and attended by members of the
New England Employment Conference,
was that mo measures taken thus far
have even schatched the surface of the
problem"
After demanding that work hours
must be shortened on a permanent
basis, Mr.. Green explained that during
the last decade 1--WE substituted power
machinery for human labor at an un-
precedented rate. Production per
worker in cur factories increased so
per cent; two men in 1929 could do
work which required three in 1919; we
reduced the work forces in our factories
to 10000, while we produced AZ per
cent more products.
Machinery a Factor.
"T'he work time necessary to do the
same work was shortened from So to
"a hours in those 10 years, but work
hours were only shortened from So to
so hours; men were laid off to elm
mate the unnecessary human labor. At
the present time there is only 80 hours
work a week for each person If all who
want to work are employed.
Thus development which can mean
increased leisure and benefit for all has
instead brought unemployment And
unemployment, reaching unprecedented
proportions, has destroyed the hcme
market on which industry depends for
the sale Of its product.
"We cannot make permanent prog
ress industrially until this adjustment
is made. And it is essential that, in
making the adjustment, workers pur-
chasing power shall be kept at the
highest possible level. Drastic reduc-
tions in workers incomes when hours
are reduced would defeat much of the
benefit of shortening the work week"