Evening star., 1932-09-04
SHORT WEEK URGED
BY DOAK AND AIDE
Secretary and Miss Anderson
Call for Adoption of Five
Day System.
Deer" \ "watergraph" by David T. Darling.

Two Government officials yesterday
urged the establishment of a shorter
work day and week as a means of
spreading employment and to allow la
Dor to meet mechanization OF industry.
Secretary of Labor Doak in radio
address over the Columbia Broadcasting
network last night said labor has given
an outstanding example of Znservative
ability and "for its action in this crisis
all classes of Americans will have bet
ter understanding of labor's problem" !"
Its experience in these distressed
times gives further assurance of its
stand in times of plenty and thus 1t
shows to the world labor's high impor-
tance for the future" he added.
Urged by Miss Anderson.
Legal STANDARDIZATION to compel q
f1ve-day week was urged by Miss Mary
Anderson. chief Of the Labor Depart
ment's Women's Bureau, in her annual
Labor day message. -.
Miss Anderson said that only through
this method. under which mo employer
could work his force of men and women
beyond the schedule. and working time
would cease to be a factor in barter and
competition could real f1ve-day week
be achieved,
She asserted that spread of employ
ment by shortening hours but with an
accompanying cut in the pay envelope
would be futile, She said adjustment Of
work hours to work methods through a
flve-day week was "the only safe basis
on which to reconstruct for the future. u
THE toiling masses of humanity
constitute the largest number OF our
population" declared Secretary Doak,
and it follows as a most natural Sc
quence that the stability of the Gov
ernment, the veal or the woe Of the
Nation, of our civilization, rests upon
them for fulflllment of high ideas.
with the broad use of labor-saving
devices provision for appropriate par
ticipation in the benefits of such de-
vices must be made for labor. This
participation is absolutely necessary
from social, economic and civic
standpoints sa@ .'-
Upholds Rights Of Labor.
Included in the modern method for
such participation of labor in the sav-
ing of money and Of time through the
meohanization of industry must be a
plan for the shortening of laborS
hours. and for q general liberalization
to the ultimate consumer of the cost
of the products of machinery. In
fitted by the machine. or the machine
will destroy the civilization or society
1t Is intended to benefit. I am a be-
lever. in. the short work day and the
short work week. 1t has been to me
q pleasure and privilege to have had
small part in bringing about such
reforms in the years in which I have
been privileged to engage in the labor
field.
Il believe firmly that what might be
called the human side of the machine S
advent must be kept in mind. Caution
must be wisely exercised in the turn
over" which the ceemingly boundless
scope of the machine is likely to pro-
duce.' There should be care exercised
in the making of radical changes, CIV
ing thought first to the welfare of our
workers. This, I think, should tran
scend speed and initial savings. Ger
tainly, considerations of speed or initial
savings should be coincident with con-
siderations Of the welfare OF those
whose state in life is likely, or almost
certain, to be disturbed.
Such policy as this will mean the
safeguarding of the men and women
of labor in their various fields of work
They should be. and am certain they
will be allowed to adapt themselves to
the new state of affairs without in any
way disturbing their economic condi-
tion or without violent loss to them of
anything they have gained through the
years of patient industrial and personal
advancement. The rights of labor must
be conserved, in order that the labor
ers may continue unhampered in their
contribution to the new age Of pro-
duction."