Montana labor news., 1934-01-11
SENATOR DAVIS
ASKS SHORTER
WEEK
Former Secretary of Labor Declares
3u-Hour Week Is too Long When
Surplus Products Are Destroyed and
Output Restricted to Increase Prices.

WASHINGTON. The hours of
labor should be reduced to whatever
extent is necessary to put the unem-
army to work with wages suf-
ficient to purchase the good things of
life which are now being destroyed
in the attempt to bolster prices for
the benefit of those who own or con-
troll industry and agriculture, accor-
ding to James j. Davis, United States
Senator from Pennsylvania.
In a recent statement on the length
of the work-week, increased buying
power, over-production and undercon-
sumption, the Pennsylvania Senator
who was Secretary of Labor in the
cabinets of President Harding, and
Coolidge and during a portion of Pres
ident Hoover's administration, said:
1--WE have heard recently a lot of
intolerant talk about shortening the
hours of labor. I believe that the
hours of labor should be shortened
as much as possible. Eight hours is
too long to work in a blast furnace,
a tin plate mill, a glass factory, or a
coal mine, if six hours is enough.
False Scales of Production
Thirty hours a week is too long to
work to fill warehouses with goods
which we do not sell; too long to work
to raise corr to burn; too long to work
to raise wheat to feed pigs only to IN
vert them into soap and fertilizer; too
long to work to pillow under every third
row of cotton; too long to work to
produce goods to export to foreign
countries who borrow from us the
money to pay for the goods and then
refuse to pay back the money they
have borrowed; too long to work to
produce goods that are not needed and
are not wanted and that cost all the
way from three to twenty times as
much to sell as it does to make; too
long to work to produce goods for
profit where there is and can be no
profit.
Thirty hours a week is too long to
waste on false scales of production,
but 80 hours or Al hours is not too
long to work on the right scales of
production and distribution.
'OverprOductiOn" Causes Panic
eve have heard much of late about
overproduction in America. The accu-
mutation of huge SURPRISES has driven
our people into a vertible panic of
fear. This is not difficult to explain.
Confronted with more cotton, grain,
tobacco, milk, live stock, automobiles,
clothing and furniture than were con-
sumed and witnessing the rapid in
crease of these material SURPRISES
we went into a huddle demanding re-
strietion of production.
"There are but three possible ways
to handle our economic surplusage.
We may destroy it, export it, or con-
sumo it. This surplusage is now with
us and calls for positive action.
Destruction of Farm Products.
"The Secretary of Agriculture has
a plan. l may differ with him, but
even though | do, | am willing to give
him a fair chance, but nevertheless !
believe that if this plan is applied per-
manently the result will be unemploy-
ment for thousands of American farm
ers, starvation for thousands Of our
people and malnutrition for millions
more.
1--WE have SURPRISES enough to
transport abroad and yet maintain the
complete well-being Of every man.
woman and child in the United States,
At the same time we should be care
full where we sell abroad at lower
prices than at home while we tax the
American people to pay for the diff
ference.
"With our abundance we have
enough to give not only to u OWL
but to the starving millions of thu
rest of the world"