Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-01-10
SHORT WORK WEEK
VITAL, SAYS BLACK.
Forum Speaker Calls Want in
Midst of Plenty Paramount
Problem.

from the United States, Senator Hugo
L. Black Of Alabama, declared last
night in speech in the National
,.adio Forum, arranged by The Even
.ag Star and Broadcast over coast
to-coaSt network of the National
Broadcasting Co.
The men," he declared, "who leave
their bloodstains upon the snow-covered
streets of our National Capital are not
snoeless because of scarcity of shoes.
They are not compelled to endure their
agony because nature has failed to
,'rovide the raw materials out of which
shoes are manufactured. Their con-
dition is not the result of a scarcity
of labor to work in American shoe fac
sories
These unfortunate people, and the
other millions suffering like them, can
not buy shoes, cannot buy food, and
cannot buy shelter, because they have
no way to work and earn the money to
buy the abundance of shoes, food and
shelter stored up in huge quantities
through the Nation.
Americas Paramount Problem.
This widespread human want in the
midst of plenty is Americas paramount
problem. Upon its solution hangs our
future"
Later he declared:
When long hours of bitterly hard
human labor were necessary to supply
human wants, self-defense and self
support demanded hard work and long
hours. Machines have been welcomed
by every far-sighted and progressive
civilization. Hours of labor have grad
ually declined with each generation on
account of laws, economic adjustments
and public sentiment Too frequently
this reduction, so necessary to readjust-
ment, has been gradually granted"
I'VE are now" he declared, lat the
crossroads, where we must choose be-
tween the evils of a dole system and
some method of supplying work to our
people"
i The text of Senator Blacks speech
follows:
Text of Address.
The text of Senator Blacks address
follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen Of the Radio
Audience: Tonight it is my privilege
to talk with you for few minutes on
subject of vital importance to every
American citizen. 1t concerns an eff
fort to give jobs to millions of people
now unemployed. I propose to aid
Americas unemployed by general law
providing shorter work week and
Shorter work day, In factories, mines
and industry.
There is no disagreement among our
citizens as to the desirability of pro-
viding gainful work for the unem-
ployed. There is not, and there can
not be, any disagreement among
thoughtful people, that neither indus
try nor agriculture can today provide
this gainful employment without
change in methods or operations.
All must agree that the very safety
and perpetuity of any Government de-
mands that its citizens may, by hon.
est work, earn their living. History
and principles of justice unite to prove
that poverty, misery and restitution of
the many, in the presence of privilege,
wealth, luxury and plenty of the few.
Is the greatest danger that can con-
front a national existence. 1t is also
self-evident that if our modern inven-
tons and scientific advancement can
now produce more of life's necessities
and comforts In one year than cam be
sold at a profit, the end of the year
will find an unstable surplus. What
ever the commodity, an unstable sur
plus clogs the market, and If perpetu-
ated In industry, results in decreased
activities, decreased employment, and
decreased purchasing power of men
and women thrown out of work.
Cites Appeal for Relief.
Let us consider an illustration of
such situation. Last week a chart
table institution in Washington made
an appeal for old shoes In the follow
ing language: I'VE need mems shoes
and socks Immediately. 1t is tragic to
turn down applicants who come in
with tattered shoes that have chafed
their feet SO that they actually leave
a trail of blood as they limp along. An
average of 700 shoes is needed daily"
This request was for old shoes to be
given free to people whose naked toes
were said to be actually projecting
into the frozen SHOWS. The stores of
Washington and throughout the coun-
try were at that very moment stacked
with shoes that could not be sold Fac
tory warehouses were bullying with mil
lions of shoes.
United States shoe factories can
produce 100000 pairs of shoes daily;
rs million per month; 900 million per
year. The greatest number of shoes
ever sold by American factories in one
year was approximately 300 million
pairs, or one-third of the present ca
pacity to produce. Let us look further
for an explanation of this condition
The time required to produce 100
pairs of shoes in the year 1863 was
1882 hours. In 1927, with advanced
machinery the same number of shoes
could be produced in approximately
100 hours.
Reasons for Suffering.
These men who leave their blood
STAINS upon the snoW-covered streets
of our National Capital are not shoe
less because of a scarcity of Shoes
They are not compelled to endure their
agony because nature has failed to pro-
vide the raw materials out of which
shoes are manufactured. Their condi-
ton is not the result of a scarcity of
labor to work in American shoe fac
tories.
These unfortunate people, and the
other millions suffering like them, can
not buy shoes, cannot buy food, and
cannot buy shelter because they have
no way to work and earn the money
to buy the abundance of shoes, food
and shelter stored up in huge quanti-
ties through the Nation.
This widespread human want In the
midst of plenty is Americas paramount
problem. Upon its solution hangs our
future.
Let us take a few more examples
from those all about U.s. indicating the
increased productivity of machine
America, in its relation to labor Man
hour output in the manufacture of
pneumatic tires has increased Sc per
cent since 1926, 172 per cent since
1922 and 58l per cent since 1914.
Eleven men, machine aided, can now
produce as many tires as SOL men
could produce in 1914
In 1927 the iron and steel industry
production per man had increased
1929 per cent since 1850. Between
1902 and 1927 the output per person
in the electric power inlustry in
creased $50 per cent With one blow
of a new invention for wrecking
houses, as much work can be done as
two men in an hour and half and
"a machine can do the work of 100 men
nat one eighth of their cost.