The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-02-20
A TECHNOCRAT
SPEAKS


Editor, The Times: A recent
editorial states Industrial pay
rolls become a larger part of
American income with each new
invention. bursting the bubble
Of chronological unemployment
"a favorite phrase Of folks who
talk faster than they think"
AS Technocracy, Inc, first d.
rected the attention of the Amer
lean people to the fact the ma
chine permanently displaces man
power and that the inevitable
consequences of this displace-
ment would be social and eco
nomic chaos unless scientific
remedies were applied, it is ap-
parent that your little pleasant
try ia directed toward the men,
bers of this organization. We
accept the challenge.
We have no means of disprov-
ing that in 1886 the steel indus
try employed a few thousand
more men than in 1929, nor are
we particularly interested II it
be true or not. But we are Wit
ally interested in other facts OBJ
tanned from the Steel Institute
booklet; that In 1885 the aver
age weekly wage was $26.25
against the average weekly
wage of $35.97 in 1929. Also
that in 1885 the annual payroll
of this industry was S150,000,-
900, less than In 1929.
This enormous reduction in
payroll was made possible by
the expenditure of large sums
for labor saving machinery along
with other minor causes. The
end product is heavy reduc-
ton Of purchasing power and
another wedge in the concerted
movement to lower the American
standard of living.
What has happened since the
year 1886? Harold J. Rutten-
berg, formerly economist with
the Brookings Institute, estimat-
ed last April that $4,000 men
would be permanently displaced
when the 81 mechanical mills
already completed or still under
construction were in operation.
The st. Louis Dispatch gave a
like estimate.
What about industry as a
whole? From the Statistical Alb
stract of the United States we
learn that the total number of
employees in the u. S. not in
GLIDING self employed persons
such as farmers. merchants, in
dependent professional practi-
TONERS, etc. employers gener-
ally, work relief employees and
unpaid farm labor in 1896 was
3o,664 900 but in 1929 the same
group numbered 34,66o,000 per-
sons. Also during the same
period the number Of men en-
ployed in manufacturing indus
tries in the L. s. during 1896
stood at 7,600.0o employed for
IL billion man hours; in 1929.
$500, 900 workers and 20 billion
man hours. and in 1919 the year
of greatest employment, 10000, :
900 employed for 20 billion man
hours.
In practically all industries the
displacement of men by the ma
chine goes on at an ever accel-
Grating pace. The mechanical
corn picker last summer in the
middle west displaced an esti-
mated $1,000 farm hands. The
mechanical cotton picker is well
on its way to replace 1000. 900
share choppers. Rayon factories.
lotion and face cream plants and
many others now turn out their
products without the help Of
human labor.
A decade ago we had normally
from one to two millions of I'M
employed. Just before the last
recession" when nearly all in
dustries had nearly reached and
few had surpassed their 1929
records Of production. the L. S.
Department of Labor said with
recovery well under way we still
have 100000 unemployed. e"
Today We have a still greater
number wholly unemployed and
many millions working part
time. Still you continue TO say
that chronological unemployment
does not exist. Just what kind