Evening star., 1937-12-13
FAMOUSPHYS|C|ST
LAUDS MACHINES
Produce More Goods to Aid
Worker, Is Advice of Dr..
MiIIikan.

DR.. Robert A. Millikan, one Of the
worlds foremost physicists, was con-
fronted with battling question at
the Town Hall last night.
isn't modern civilization" asked
DR.. Charles G.. Abbot, secretary Of
the Smithsonian Institution and a
member of the panel, like the yucca
plant? This plant spends five years
growing a f1owerless stalk The next
spring this stalk is coverel with beau
tiful flowers. Then the plant perishes,
leaving only seeds. from which other
yuaccas will grow and flower after
a barren interval"
Prophecy" quoted DR.. Millikan.
lis the most serious form of mistake" 4"
Defends Thesis.
In his address, the California phy-
sicist had defended the thesis that the
modern machine and machine methods
were not to be blamed for the upset
economic condition of the world. He
laid down what he characterized as
fundamental economic laws about
which there would be no dispute
among professional economists. One
was that "the living standard of any
civilized country is determined directly
by the total quantities of services and
goods produced" AS a direct corollary,
the only way to increase the economic
we'll being of the worker is to produce
more goods and services by the use
of more technology"
Accepting these laws, DR.. Millikan
stressed, any other devices to increase
wages and improve working condi-
tions are likely to prove illusory. The
actual purchasing power of the wages
of American labor, he said. increased
80 per cent between 1890 and 1923,
coincident with the great squirt of
machine production. Then, since
1888 and in spite of the depression,
there has been a further increase of
9 per cent up to date with the meth
DDS for boosting production recently
introduced.
Peaks of Employment.
True enough, DR.. Millikan said, this
use Of the machine has been attended
by temporary peaks of unemployment
while the labor market adjusted it.
self. But, he insisted, the total of
wages lost by the unemployed has
been small compared with the total
gained by society as whole, so that
it would have been good investment
for society to have taken care Of
those thrown out of work until they
could fit themselves into the economic
pattern again.
But this must be done. he insisted,
by society as whole, which gets the
bulk of the income regulated by the
total production. '-huS, he stressed,
those making enough money to pay
income taxes receive q total income
Of only 10 billions out of a national
income of so billions. This year. he
pointed out, the average income of
the employed person was $1,000. The
only way to raise 1t to $4,000. the an
nounced goal of some labor leaders, is
to treble production in some way
either by making the working day
three times as long, making men work
three times faster, or introducing
some machinery which will boost pro-
duction threefold.
More Intelligent Action.
If only these simple fundamentals
could be impressed on everybody in
the elementary schools. DR.. Millikan
thought, there would be more in
telllgent political action and democ-
racy would be safe. Apparently, the
members of the panel, while agreeing
with DR.. Millikan that, in the long
run. wages paralleled production,
didn't think the problem quite so
simple.
Conway P. Coe, commissioner of
patents. stressed the duty of society
to take care of the workers thrown
out of Jobs by competition with the
machine. Society must take care
OF the TRANSITIONS" DR.. Millikan
agreed.
Leverett S. Lyon, vice president of
the Brookings Institution, pointed out
that. while it was easy enough to es-
tabliSh the nrincjDIa thot ipcroo cod