The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-11-14
SEEN and HEAR
around the,
NATIONAL CAPITAL
BY Carter Field
FAMOUS WASHINGTON CORRESPONDIN

Observation-Disclosures Increases that
there will be real drive for the 30
hour week when congress reconyenes.
In fact, despite the bitter opposition
OF many business men, particularly
large employers whose plants require
continuous operation to obtain maxi
mum efficiency and economy, the prob
ability is that congress would pass the
30-hours week bill at this session If
the union labor leaders we're sincerely
for It,
Nearly every development Is grist to
the mill of the measures ADVOCATES.
For example, the latest government
figures show that wage payments-a
rough way Of stating employment
have advanced to within II per cent
OF normal. But production as result
of that employment and these wages
his reached 81 per cent of normal
It's technocracy all over again---the
constantly recurring problem Of how
to pass the work around--how TO keep
enough consumers in funds to purchase
the products of the decreasing number
of workers
Many experts still think that this
cycle, far more than the loss Of cash
by the purchase Of foreign bonds that
later defanlted, and infinitely more
than the stock market crash, was re-
sponsible for the economic troubles
which began In this country in 1920
No better Illustration of this theory
has ever been advanced to this writer
than What he discovered In Birming-
ham, In August. 1929. Just year
before. the stee. mills of that dis
trict had employed 1900 men, In
August. 1929, they were employing
only $4,000 men. But they were turn
Ing ont more STEEL
Down the Line
In short, $4,000 we'll paid men had
lost their Jobs, had stopped buying at
the local department store and other
stores We're wearing old clothes and
squeezing their pennies. Newspapers
were forced to cut expenses because
the stores had been forced to cut their
advertising. And so 1t went all the
way down the line-more than two
months before the stock market crash.
And the same thing was happening In
Pittsburgh, Gary. Youngstown. Chi
cago and Bethlehem. The same sort
OF thing, to greater or lesser extent,
was happening In every other indus
try, which meant that the buying
power OF Che country was being
dried up.
But virtually nobody realized I'll
In the Inst session OF congress SO
much sentiment developed for the 30
hour bill that, In the early stages,
leader after leader told a group Of
editors lnguiring Int the general leg
islative situation that they expected
some modification OF the 30-hour meas
TIRE, Ii not that Itself, to pass II did
not pass because union labor leaders
traded 1t for the Wagner labor rela-
tons bill. They far preferred that.
There are two major objections to
the 30-hour proposal, one by the big
employers, and the other by some OF
the very people who believe that the
type Of thing illustrated by the Biz
mlngham steel mills not only caused
the depression, but has held back the
return of prosperity.
The objection OF the employers Is
that 1t will disrupt their organIza-
tons. Thirty hours week Is only
five six-hour days. Such limitation
on work hours does not fit In readily
with shifts. And of course there Is
always the objection to a blanket
raise In wages, boosting production
costs. This last phase Is especially
true now because business generally Is
over the resentment of house
wives In particular and buyers In gen
eral over advancing prices. Also be-
cause they know that security bill
taxes for old age pensions, unemnloy
ment Insurance, etc, are shortly go
Ing to advance production costs fur
Their.
The objection by the theorists is that
any such move Is just temporary
palliative. Further advances In labor
saving additional shortcuts
viii come. They fear the 30-hour
measure might prove verltable strait
Jacket.
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