Evening star., 1935-01-06

and in the anthracite industry knows
what uneconomic wages and hours
can do even to highly skilled and
strongly organized labor groups.
A very special factor makes radical
reduction of hours most dangerous.
AS we increasingly mechanic our in
dustry the capital equipment becomes
more important and more expensive.
Arbitrary shortening of hours reduces |
the working life of this machinery, |
increases the overhead cost and en-
larges the depreciation ratio. Increas-
ing the number of shifts is not a sat- |
isfactory solution in any case, and it |
is not even possible in many cases. |,
For many concerns, shortening hours |
means a plant idle so long that costs |
will wipe out returns from sales.
All this tedious economics is essen
| tial for an understanding of the pro- |
posed 30-hour week law. In April, |
1888, the Senate passed the Black
Connery bill by majority of so to SO. |
The Senate had passed a similar bill !
at an earlier session. This time it ap- |
parently escaped passage in the House |
| only because the administration had |
devised the N. r. A. and insisted that |
the bill should give way to the more |
elaborate plan. Its passage had been |
held up temporarily by discussion of !
the necessity of barring imports made |
in countries of longer working hours. |
Class Legislation.
A careless nation considers this !
measure proposal to establish uni !
versal 30-hour week It does nothing |
OF the sort. On the contrary, the |
measure intends to give very small |
and relatively prosperous minority of |
labor special advantage It is class |
legislation for the benefit of a small !
group Of workers at the expense of |
all the rest.
The bill passed by the Senate year
ago prohibits interstate commerce in
commodities produced in plants en- |
ploying workers more than six hours |
a day for five days week. There are |
| $4,000 900 persons gainfully employed |
| in labor or business or the professions |
in this country. This bill would apply |
almost exclusively to workers in mills |
and shops. 1t might be made to in !
clude workers in mines. quarries and |
forests. but large proportion of these !
| workers have piece work or seasonal |
arrangements that would make the |
application Of the law impracticable.
The group primarily affected would !
be the workers in plants, factories |
mills and shops in industries primarily /
of the manufacturing class. The num-
| Ter Of such workers at this time is !
6,000000 and of these great many |
are employed by concerns doing no
interstate business. With some admit |
ted exceptions, this group is made up
of productive and we'll paid workers. |
In the midst of the most pitiful un-
employment and distress this group !
last September earned an average
wage of just under go cents an hour.
September Average 33 Hours.
But note a far more extraordinary
fact. This entire group averaged only
3S hours of work week in Septem-
ber One year earlier they averaged
! averaged 42l2 hours. The prolonged
depression. the general stagnation in
the capital goods industries. the part
time operation of plants, the exten-
sion of the share-the- work plan and
the N r. A. have brought the hours
down to 33. If a rigid 30-hour week
should be imposed on the whole group
it would require only II per cent more
| of the total now employed At the
most it would take 100000 from the
unemployed ranks There are some
where between 100000 and 10000
600. In practice it might not add
half of this 100000 The inevitable
result would be a rapid increase in
costs of operation, a declining market
and reduced production. How much
unemployment would result is un-
certain.
What, then. is the real objective of
this scheme for the 30-hour week?
Its proponents have very hazy ideas OF
the economic forces involved. Some of
them honestly believe that it will
spread work" and relieve unemploy-
ment. Some honestly believe that the
| application of the 30-hour week to
interstate industry would in some
mysterious way force its adoption for
all labor. The American Federation
of Labor, whose economic analysis Is
usually of a sound character, believes
that it will do much to relieve unem-
ployment. At the annual meeting OF the
| federation this year unanimous vote
indorsed the bill and the federation
is now pushing its passage.
Wage Increase Objective.
But consciously of unconsciously, the
| L: ic on increase
in wages by law. The depression is
coming to an end. Normal times are
ahead If in this time of muddled
economics and thoughtless legislation
a legal 3O-hour week can be jammed
through and fastened on industry. it
will have little effect now, but Will
have a profound consequence later.
When prosperity returns, starved
consumer demand will avidly absorb
large increase in manufactures.
The abnormal restriction will create a
tremendous demand for skilled labor.
This labor is limited in supply. A
scarcity value will be created. Wages
will soar
| When the 30-hour law has created
| a shortage of skilled labor workers
will put in one or two hours of over
time at extra pay. The six-hour day
will become an 8-hour day at wages
at least one-third higher than the
present return for eight hours. No
body expects to work only 80 hours
under any law What is hoped for is
pay for six hours equal to present
pay, with pay and half for two
more hours. This is an excellent am
bition, but it is not pretty thing to
force by law. The World War created
temporarily a similar condition, and
wages of $25 day were not unknown.
The real objective Of the 30-hour
week is to Greater by law special ad-
vantage for special minority group
of workers. 1t would be at the ex-
pense of the consumer. all other
laborers and of the standard of living
of the country. Just incidentally, it
will injure the workers themselves in
the end. The monopoly will exist for
a time, at the expense of the coun-
try. but it will collapse. The excess
sAn- -h-.I