The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-03-09
Truths Pondered While
Riding At Anchor
MIR. MODESTUS
D MACHINE KIDDING
Q INSTALLED HORSEPOWER
Q WHAT ARE PEOPLE DOING?
. INCREASE IN TRADE
They are still claiming

| They are still claiming
That machines make more jobs thar
they spoil
Until they quit this kidding
1t will be necessary for us to con.
tinue-
To feed out the figures pertaining
to these matters
There are so many figures which
are perfectly simple
No engineering ability is required
to make sense of them
No complicated mathematics is in
volved in stating them
| So here goes, again.
x x x
Population of U. S. A. in 1920 was
1865 million
In 1880 it had grown to 1913 mill
| ion
This was all increase of 1871 per
cent
Mechanization, machinery applied to
industry
Is measured by what they call "In-
stalled horsepower
In 1920 this was 1913 million HIP
In 1880 it had increased to 42.8 H
That was an increase of 1876 million
HIP, or ATT per cent
Equivalent of about eight times
that many man-poWer-
But it did not displace that many
human workers.
Because it was doing lot of things
which human beings never did
However: persons gainfully occu-
pied
In 1920 numbered 41.6 million, in all
occupations
While this increased to 48.S mill
ions by 1890
Increase of 7.2 million in 10 years,
or ia per cent
Which was 1.3 per cent more than
increase in applied Horse power
In agriculture, those gainfully en-
ployed decreased by 193,314-
Although farm lands increased 3d.
SS7 acres, or 3.2 per cent
Extraction Of minerals employed
10000 less, decrease of 1.3 per cent.
There were 133,567 less machinists,
or 14.5 per cent
While toolmakers, die settlers and
die sinkers increased 23,702, or 43 per
cent
Manufacturing and mechanical in
dustry employed 1,27S,773 more
An increase of 9.95 per cent; while
population grew by 16.1 per cent
Electricians increased by 67,353,
which was gain of 800 per cent
But apprentice electricians de-
creased 5,041, or 81 per cent
And building trades apprentices de-
creased by 46 per cent
X X X
Then, what were all these people
doing?
Well, there were about 100000 more
in transport and communication
Most Of whom were in the 613,O00
more chauffeurs, truck and tractor
men
But there were 100000 less team
sters, draymen and carriage drivers
AS we'll as about 1875 900 less oper-
ating railway mem
There were 10000 more laborers
building roads and highways
But $4,000 less laborers on railway
construction
Telephone operators increased about
$4,000, mostly women-
While taleUronh ODerotors decrao cod
about 1000
Railway officials increased about
1000
X X X
But the great increase was in
"Trade", by 1.S millions, or 42.5 per
cent
In professional service, by l mill
ion, or 60 per cent
In domestic and personal service,
by is million, or 46.5 per cent
In clerical work, by 10 millions, or
6l.5 per cent
The increase in numbers and per
cent of those gainfully occupied
Is not in the jobs which are opened
up by operation of machines
This increase in jobs is in what has
been called "overhead''-
Labor saving machines have re-
leased these people from production
Has increased supplies of food and
clothing available
But has not increased directly the
number of occupations.