Evening star., 1940-02-25
Manufacturers Cite
Successful Program
Of Job Sterilization
General Repatriation
Plan for All Industry
Held Impossible

Programs aiming at stabilized en-
ployment have been worked oui
with q marked degree of success
by many concerns, the National AS
sociation OF Manufacturers said yes
terday after a Nationwide study
designed to show what industry Is
doing to reduce fluctuations in pro-
duction and provide steady income
for labor.
At the same time, however, the
association said, employers agreed
that a general employment regu-
larization plan for all industrie,
was impossible"
The survey covered the opera
tions Of 1873 companies affiliated
with the N. A. NJ, which were
chosen at random. by reason OF
their diversification - industrially
geographically and in point OF size
these companies may be viewed as
representing fair cross section OF
the country's industrial concern" 1t
explains.
See Stimulus to Efficiency.
"Tnese employers" the report
says, "see In greater degree OF
employment regularity a substan-
tial source of benefit not only to
employees in the matter of their Sc
curity and their sustained income
but also real and impressive stim-
ulus to plant efficiency, lower pro-
duction costs, and financial saving. u
The association said the new
work-hour law has initiated
against employment repatriation
but that the principle has been
advanced materially by reason OF
the merit rating provisions in State
unemployment compensation laws
under which the social security un-
employment compensation tax rate
is cut below the customary 81 per
cent for those concerns maintain
Ing steady employment levels.
Consumer goods industries have
been the most fertile field for sta
bilized employment, according to
the report, but certain capital goods
industries also have benefited by
application Of the plan.
Difficult to Measure Gains.
att is difficult the report ex-
plains, "to measure the extent to
which companies in general have
succeeded in regularizing employ
ment and provided steady or fairly
steady work to their employees in
view Of the fact that each industry
and each company within each in
dustry is confronted with conditions
that vary considerably.
''1t Is apparent from the expert
erces reported by responding COM
panies that their efforts toward
employment regularizing often re-
suit in stabilizing employment only
for one particular group of en-
ployes or. the employees of spe-
cific division or department where
copditions make it more feasible
and more practical to level of pro-
duction fluctuations Such efforts
may bring degree of employment
stabilization that represents a
marked gain over previous condi-
tions. although measured from the
objective statistical viewpoint, the
degree of sterilization achieved may
not loom as major accomplish
ment in relation to the whole en-
ployment picture in that company.
Regularize Employment.
"A large number Of responding
companies report that they have
succeeded in regularizing employ
ment for their long service or 'regu-
lar employees with a lesser number
indicating that such Repatriation
has affected all workers. In all OF
these companies. the goal has been
the steady employment or the es-
adjustment of an average minimum
work week during the year that
would afford employees fairly steady
employment and wages"
In this connection, the report saws
that IN an effort to evaluate the de-
gree Of employment regularity ac-
compllshed in individual companies
from the practical viewpoint of fac
tory operation, those companies par
ticipating in the study were asked
whether their employment curve
showed greater stability than their
production or sales curve"
With overwhelming emphasis" it
adds, the response to this question
revealed that the employment curve
IN the large majority of responding
companies was definitely more stable
and maintained a considerably bet
ter level than did either their pro-
duction or sales curves, thus giving
proof of industry's practical at
tempts to reduce the fluctuations in
employment"
Sterilization Devices,
Starting out with planned produc-
ton, number of devices have been
employed in the sterilization pro-
grams.
They have included stimulation of
on-season business by various meth
ods, including special discounts:
training of employees for greater YER
satility and departmental inter-
change of workers to dovetail busy
and slack seasons, careful holding
down" Of the number of new en-
ployes hired for peak seasons, aver
aging of work hours and improve
ment of old products.
The report points out that wage