The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-06-20
w. UNITED STATES
By RAIDER WINGET

NGW IOIbh, Cullt 1O.-l< dtiOi-ii control of the machine is being at tempted as the newest phase of economic life in the United States.
 While some other nations, par !. ticularly Russia, are expanding the use of machinery, the United States through many of it's industrial codes is limiting production through shortening the number of opera ton hours of machines and curtail- ing installation of new units.
 A report by the National indus trial Conference Board shows that from 1899 to 1929 the equipment used in productive industry increas- ed six-fold, but with all machinery in place the manufacturing pro- duction of the nation as measured by the Department of Commerce index fell from 119 in 1929 to 63 in 1882
 Conflicting Theories
 The MIRA came into being in 1883 and fundamental conflict between two schools of economic thought was emphasized. One contends the wealth of the nation is measured in terms of goods produced by the nation. The cry of that school is increased production under the theory that greater production means greater wealth.
 In opposition to that school is the one holding the theory that national wealth is measured in terms of money placed in the hands of the human producers-not the sum total of production but the portion of production awarded to the producers, particularly the working class"
 The New Deal" theory is that the great masses of people must be allowed to earn enough to purchase what they produce Hours of work for both man and machine have been reduced under the codes, and wages raised, both moves being call culated to bring consumption and production curves closer.
 Taking Up Slack
 How this might be done is in- dicated in q report of the Nation al Conference Board showing that to attain 1929 production on 30- hour week it would be necessary tc cmp'oy more than 100000 wcrke~s to do the joo done by 5000 0c0 zen cn a 48-hour week.
 With the work-veek at 26.6 hours, < vas shown, the 9,000,000 potential workers in manufacturing industry would all be employed and the slack of 2,314,G00 unemployed on t'-,c basis of last October would be absorbed without increasing pro- duction.
 Industrial recovery plans were more than 40 per cent nearer their goal in April this year than in March of last year as measured in terms of decreasing unemploy- ment, conference board statistics indicate.
 Many new theories pointing to control 1f the machine in order to lessen the misery of unemployment grew up during the depression. One was development of handwork, and Federal subsistence homestead pro- jects foster handwork methods to- day to make men seH-supporting and independent of the machine.
 "Decentration" Urged
 Decentration of industry the breaking up of large industries into small units grouped in small towns lis another theory aimed at open ing a new way to freedom of man from the machine. Those backing it hold that men working in de- centrated communities can support themselves by handwork if the ma chine fails them.
 But control of the machine in America, from all indications, does not mean abolition of the machine. Hermann H. Lind, managing direc- tor of the National Machine Tool Builders Association, has reported recent increased demand, and predicts substantial sales increase in machinery and machine tools for the remainder of 1884.