The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-06-26
Unemployment

Continued From Page One)
workers By 1919 there were 8. mil
lions but by 1929 that had dropped to
$3.50 millions and by 1889 depression
bottom) that had dropped still further
to 5.450 millions. This climbed again
to last January, according to the u.
S. Department of Commerce, to 80
millions.
Since the number of wage earners
will vary according to the length of
the working week it is obvious that
the shorter week of 1910 means less
man-hours of work than the longer
week of 1899. In man-hours the fig
ures would read: 1899 1895 billions;
1919 1851 billions; 1929 22.31 billions
and in January 1910 1896 billions.
1T is evident that, industrially we
reached our peak of employment both
as to workers and man hours about
1919 or 1920 and that both have been
declining eyer since; man-hours more
rapidly than workers, due to the con-
tinually shortening work week,
To throw any light on the cause
VI ILLS iOA5 li1ilC u Gnu We luuSL LOOK
at some more statistics: a table of
industrial production, that is the guam
tity Of manufactured articles produced
by these workers. data from "Man-
Hours and Distribution by M. King
Hubbert). In 1899 we find the quaint
ty index standing at 21.S6 for the 1895
billions of man-hours of work. In 1919 |
we find the quantity index standing at |
1920 and the man hours of work at |
1851 billions.
What can we see developing here?
We have an increase OF 9.65 billions
Of man-hours of work producing an
increase in the quantity index of |
1884; or 1909 increase In output with
only a $500 increase in man-hours.
Notice the trend
In 1929 our man-hours, instead of In
,reasing above 1919 actually decreased
% 22.31 billions, or 1.3 billions less;
BUT our quantity production index
s up to 1890 or nearly 500 above
1919. Again in January, 1910 our man.
hours has decreased to 1886 billions
while our production peak was some
where near or above that of 1929.
Figures not yet available; but in De-
.ember 1889 we had passed the 1929 /,
,eak of production.) Now here we
lave the man-hours of employment in :
industry below the
S99 level, while production is above >
IL time or near it.
This ever more rapidly accelerating
ate of production with fewer and few
r man-hours of employment means .
lst one thing-TECHNOLOGY. Sci i
nee and engineering have solved the
reduction end of our problem almost y
DO well. Machines are displacing
len at such tremendous rate that
ne resulting unemployment can not
e absorbed The fewer employed, c
he less purchasing power distributed, b
len industry, under our present eco n
omic set up must shut down to allow Il
assumption to catch up with produc- h
on. But these shut downs further o
ecrease purchasing power, agrayating 5
le problem to greater degree.
We have gotten beyond the point al
here we can shorten the hours and III
crease the wages sufficiently to take
D the slack The rules of the game Id,
our Price System controls prohibit O,
ly solution along that line sc
And new industries? That escape Inn
out too for each new industry sim W
y displaces some old one and is SO sc
echanized from the start that it can OF
IT pick up the unemployment it lh;
uses.
Also the Department of Commerce to