The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-06-15
Comment On
World Events

| DAVID A. morse, 0lrectOr-Renerd
of the international Labor Organ
ization had some interesting things
to say on labor productivity anc
the organized workers attitude or
lit, at the Hos 33rd general con
ference in Geneva. The conference
which opened June 7, was featured
! by the worlds first official inter.
national debate on labor produc-
tivity.
Technically, the worker, employ
er and government delegates from
most of the so member ILO nations
were considering Morse's annual
report. The ILO head, however
has emphasized the vital import
ance of increasing labor produc-
tivity, not only in the worlds
under-developed regions, but in the
industrially advanced countries, too
Reporting on economic trends
during the past year, Director-Gen-
eral Morse declared that govern
ments can prevent lengthy periods
of unemployment, view which
labor has long held.
"Since the war;" Morse said,
"there has been no mass unemploy-
ment due to a general decline in
all sectors of effective demand,
such as occurred in the 1905. If
this kind of unemployment again
arises, understanding of the under
lying factors will be much more
adequate than it was then. There
is no reason why any government
should allow mass unemployment
due to lack Of effective demand to
persist over a long period of time.
Serious doubts are being felt as
to whether the normal forces of in
ternational trade and finance will
be sufficiently effective to close
the gap when the United States
terminates its program of emer-
gency external financing, particu-
larly its European Recovery Pro-
gram.
"Since the end of the war, intra-
regional trade, although it has ex-
panded in Latin America compared
with the prewar PERIOD. has declin-
ed drastically in Europe and Asia.
This has been major cause of the
increased dependence of these two
trading areas on imports from
hard-currency areas. To restore
this intra-regional trade is there
fore an essential condition of a
permanent reduction N the worlds
dollar deficit"
On the question of productivity,
Morse gave the following report
on labor's attitude:
Recently there appears to have
been a tendency on the part of
trade unions to attach greater inn
portance, in the national interests
and in the interests of workers
themselves, to measures to raise
productivity, as distinct from mea
sures to redistribute income. Coupl-
ed with this there has been a tend
ency towards the establishment in a
growing number of countries of
safeguards for the interests of
workers and participation by trade
unions in the administration of
measures to raise productivity.
"In these circumstances, trend
of the greatest significance can be
in a number of countries.
Though it cannot be said that the
deep-rooted fear which many work
ers have of working themselves (or|
their mates) out of a job has been
overcome, nevertheless a tendencyl
can be observed for the attitude of
cautious reserve often adopted byl
trade unions in the past towards
to increase the produc- |
tivity of labor to give way to a new
attitude of positive and vigorous
for and cooperation in such
provided that they are
accompanied by adequate safe
guards for the interests of work.
ers."