Evening star., 1962-05-22

Department auditorium that
reduction Of the work week be-
low 40 hours is part of the
answer" to the problem of un-
employment caused by push
button technology.
Charles r. Sigh, ir., execu-
tive vice president Of the Ma
tional Association of Manu-
facturers, argued that a shorter
work week would be 'juSt about
the worst" way to handle prob
lens of automation, because it
would increase hourly labor
costs.
Hodges States Viewpoint
Commerce Secretary Hodges,
also speaking on the automa-
ton panel. agreed that a short
er work week is the wrong ap-
proach. Those who proposed to
reduce the 40-hour week, he
said, show "a lack of conf
dence in our future"
Mr.. Hodges reiterated the
administrations viewpoint that
the task now is to provide full
time jobs for all workers, not
to spread the work by reduc-
ing hours
But Mr.. Hodges leaned
against Mr.. Sligh'S arguments
on aid to workers displaced by
automation. The Secretary said
management must help pro
tect" these workers, with the
aid of Government programs.
Mr.. Sigh warned that tech
biological progress will be re-
tarded if business is saddled
with "all sorts of extra costs,
penalties, restrictions and re-
sponsibilitieS" designed to cush-
ion the impact on workers.
Squeeze Seen Aggravated
Proposals for extra severance
pay, training programs, unem-
ployment benefits and tighter
seniority add to labor costs,
he said, and so aggravate the
squeeze" on business profits.
When profits are squeezed.
he said, businessmen are dis
couraged from investing in ia
cilities to create new jobs.
In the hottest outburst of the
conference, AFL-CIO President
George Meany grabbed a floor
microphone to challenge Mr..
Sligh's emphasis on the need
for higher profits to combat
unemployment.
Mr.. Meany said the NAM has
an obligation to explain exactly
how it proposes to create jobs,
instead of talking in general
terms about low profits.
Scarcely yelling his skepti-
cism, Mr.. Meany said: IF they
can show me. I'm for more
profits" He continued:
II challenge the NAM to tell
US how much profit business
needs and how this profit is
going to be translated into
jobs"
Interested in Profits Use
. He emphasized that he was
interested in the use Of profits
to create jobs, not to pay higher
executive salaries or TO increase
stock options, which he called
"legalized larceny"
Mr.. Meany said the confer
ence was called only because
the country's economy is "in
trouble" with unemployment
approaching "crisis" propor-
tions.
Mr.. Sigh replied that the
NAM for years has disseminated
specific plans for creating Jobs,
and dryly offered to send Mr..
Meany a copy.
Mr.. Keenan, contended that
business and Government must
Tdecide that the social hazards
which stem in part from a rap
idly advancing technology must
be controlled"
Some businessmen are aware
that they must pay this price
for the benefits of automation,
he said, but this sense Of re-
sponsibility has not been
shared widely enough"
In many cases, he charged,
new technology has been ap-
piled without regard for its
economic or social conse-
quences.
Sees Benefits Wasted
So far, Mr.. Keenan, said,
many potential benefits of
automation have been wasted.
He said the economy's increaS-
lost