Evening star., 1941-06-29
Longer Work Week
Cut British Output
Of Arms, Study Shows
Wuee-Hour Division Says
Machines, Not Men, Must
Be Used TO Maximum
By OLIVER MCKEE.

After a lengthening Of working
hours had failed TO yield the de-
sired results, the British govern
ment has turned TO new methods
in the hope of increasing its de-
fense labor supply, the Wage and
Hour Division pointed out in a
special study of British war expert
ence published yesterday.
The study reviews the regulation
of hours and labor supply in Great
Britain from the start of the war
through the early months Of this
year.
In opposition to longer stand
ard work week in the United States,
Wage and Hour officials have cited
British experience as evidence that
excessively long hours will cause a
decline rather than an increase in
output. Administrator Philip B.
Fleming has taken the position that
the best way to step up defense
production is longer hours for ma
chimes rather than men. He has
repeatedly urged the operation Of
defense industries on a three or
four shift basis, thus utilizing ma
chimes to the maximum.
while no conclusions regarding
American economic mobilization
have been drawn in the text. many
significant parallels will be obvi-
Gus" the report declares.
Longer Hours Cut Production!
At the time of Dunkirk, British
labor was working TO, 30 and "a
hours week the study pointed
! out. The former absolute hours
limit had been removed, though
overtime was paid.
The immediate effect Of the
/ longer hours of work was a large
increase in output the study said.
According to the House of Com
mons Select Committee on National
Expenditures. the danger to the
country stimulated the workers to
increase not only daily, but hourly,
output.
However, after two months of ex-
treme effort, absenteeism became
much more common and men ar
rived late for their work. Sunday
labor led in some instances TO men
taking a dav off in the middle of
the week, when they only lost an
ordinary days pay and earned
double pay on Sunday to make up
for 1t. In the Royal Ordnance Fac
tories, abSenteeism rose from 10 to
IS per cent.
Within a few weeks. excessively
long hours resulted in increased
sickness, higher accident rates. large
scale absenteeiSm, and to a decline
IN production. In December, a par
iamentary committee warned that
an immediate reduction in hours was
necessary to avoid serious impair
ment of the health of workers, and
a possible decline in output.
Other Methods Hunted.
AS the program of longer hours
began to show its limitations, the
British Government devoted more
and more attention to other methods
of increasing the supply of workers.
the report said. The Government set
up training centers and encouraged
training in factories: the unions re-
laxed their rules to permit substitu-
tion of semi-skilled men and women
for skilled workers.
Britain quickly discovered In this
war. as it had in the last, that be-
cause the unemployed lack the skills
needed in armament factories, un-
employment cannot be eliminated
automatically by an arms program,
the report declared 1T was dlscov-
cred also that ordinary training pro-
cedure can be used to limited de-
gree only, since traditional methods
require years to train skilled work
ers in small numbers.
Two Problems Faced.
The first problem faced by the
British was to find a way of inducing
the trade unions to permit the dllu-
tion of their crafts so that semi
skilled or quickly trained workers
might be employed. and to induce
employers to adapt production
methods to the use of greater guam
titles of less-skilled workers. The
second problem was to find means
for training workers in the diluted
occupations without impeding the
production of those already skilled" 3"
AS the reservoir of unemployed
declined, the British Government
last fall called on women and work
ers in other industries to transfer to
defense production. This was done
through voluntary cooperation be-
tween workers and employers. In
recent months the Government be-
gan to put its plans for industrial
conscription into operation.
Workers in key defense industries
were prohibited from leaving or be-
ing absent from their jobs without
reason. In return, they could not
be discharged and received guaran-
tees of minimum amount of work
each week. To free factories and
factory space for defense industries,
production of non-defense goods was
concentrated in nucleus" factories.
Men and women, both employed and
unemployed, were registered by age
groups and made subject to call for