The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-10-10
UNION LABOR IS PURSUING A.
PHANTOM

PHANTOM ..r =.
%. In discussing union labOr's thlrty-hour
week program, leaders of the movement
have much to say about increasing con
. sumner purchasing power. ... ......
Let us take a cOmmon-Sense. view of the
matter The proposal is to reduce working
. time in all lines of employment to thirty
hours week, with NO REDUCTION IN
PAY.
How will that increase consumer pur-
chasing power?" The entire body of: work
az ers, now employed forty hours a week
,. or more, would, under thirty hour a
" week law, be employed for, shorter time
at the SAME PAY. Their purchasing pow
er would not be Increased. They would
have more time to loaf but not dollar
'% more to spend. The man who is now work
. ing forty hours week for $50, would then
work thirty hours week for $50.
T., However, this is not the end of the mat
:. ter. 1t does not stop here. One does not
have to be learned economist to under
D stand that % per cent increase in labor
costs, which is what this proposal would
amount to in its practical application to
industry and business, cannot be made
without advancing the prices of manufac-
ture products and the costs of business
operation. Any manufacturer compelled
to add % per cent. to his labor costs will
be compelled to increase the selling prices
of his products. Any merchant or other
business man forced to increase the labor
costs of his business 25 per cent. will be
forced to sell his merchandise or the serv-
ices of his business for higher prices. re-
The net result of the thirty hG.r a week
program would be, therefore, shorter
hours and the same pay for workers; and
the pay would buy less for the wage earn
ers, because of higher prices for every
thing they purchased. The purchasing
power of workers cannot be increased un-
der this plan, because they receive no
higher wages in the future than they are
now getting. The only effect of the plan
would be to raise the costs of manufac-
turing and doing business, with the in-
evitable Increase in the selling prices OF
commodities and services. The plan would
make it certain that the workers wages
would buy less in the future than they buy
now. The plan would decrease instead of
increase consumer purchasing power
If increase in consumer purchasing
power is the desideratum, why not take
practical, common-sense steps to attain
that end?
. The work-week is already absurdly. ard
uneconomically short in many lines of in
dustry. 1t is well known that in those lines
the prices of the products have advanced
on this account to points which have de-
creased instead, of increasing sale and con-
sumption. The net result is less business
for these industries and less employment
for their workers - Il
Take the textile industry as an example.
The work week is now forty hours, re-
duced in most mills from 55 hours or more.
Why not put the industry on AZ hour
week, reduce the costs of production and
selling prices and sell more and not less
textile products? That would bring i'm
@provement in the industry which would
certainly result in expanding business and
gradual raising of wages.
If the textile operatives want an IN
crease in wages they can get 20 per cent
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