MECHANICAL AGE

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 293, 7 September 1931, Page 10

MECHANICAL AGE

Effect on Unemployment

DAY OF THE ROBOT

Displacement of Labour

The question that is now forcing itself upon humanity is whether the machine, man s creation, is to figure as a Frankenstein monster threatening its creator with ultimate destruction, or. as man’s friend and benefactor,” said Mr. H. E. Holland, M.P., Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, m an address at the Trades Hall last night on the subject of “Unemployment and Machinery.” The speaker said that unemployment was an international problem, and no one could approach it without taking into consideration the effect which continuous-ly-increasing labour-saving machinery had upon the subject. Coming to modern times, Mr. Holland referred to the book, “Metropolis,” in which the enslaved workers had passed sentence of death upon the machine. The horse had been superseded by the automobiles, the sailing ship by the steamship, and so it bad gone on. Great as. had been the development of machinery in the nineteenth century, it dwindled into insignificance beside the amazing advance which had been made in the twentieth century. The robot was with us, not to devour us, as an author had said, but to dp without us, and let us starve. All manner of labour-saving machinery had been ' invented; even chimneys were being swept by machines. Steam navvies were at work on the roads; bigger and faster railway engines, and bigger and faster with only one captain to each, were future possibilities.

Consumption and Production. Even now consumption was not keening pace with production. It might have been expected that the genius which had invented labour-saving machinery would have been capable of evolving some system of reducing hours in order that all people might have work to do. The United States of America, Germany and Great Britain-had at the present time millions of unemployed. To-day machinery had come into every calling, skilled and unskilled. One of the most remarkable developments had been the increase in machinery for harvesting. The reaping hook had been superseded by the cutting-bar, and this had been followed by the reaper and binder. Later still came the reaperthresher. Many thousands of agricultural workers had been displaced in ths harvest field within recent years. Milk, ing machines had also displaced hundreds of workers, and a new machine had been invented in America which could wash and milk 50 cows in twelve minutes. Position on the Waterfront. On the railways machinery had been Introduced in New Zealand which was highly uneconomic because it could not be worked up to its full capacity. On the waterfront machinery had also displaced many workers. Coal was now being mined by machines, four mines in New Zealand being equipped with labour-saving machinery. An American paper had. stated recently that coalmining, which had been looked upon as a highly-skilled trade, was more and more being done by machinery. Far underground coal was being scooped out which had never beeen touched by ths miner s pick. ■ In the printing trade, the linotype Had ousted the compositor, and now they were informed' that a new machine had been invented in America which would, supersede the linotype. The reporter came, into the office, and spoke into ■ machine which automatically set type, which could be reproduced if desired in every paper in the country. Machines, too, were invading commercial houses, 1 and these drew, attention to overdrafts by automatically locking themselves. An American paper had declared recently that the post office and telephone offices .would soon not require operators, but girls who could work typewriters, which would do the work of hundreds quicker and more accurately. , Robots Everywhere.

In London there were robots everywhere, which were taking the place of shop attendants. A writer had stated that it was possible that stores would soon be conducted without a single clerk. A Frenchman had perfected a mechanical watchdog, which , would chase burglars, and snap at their heels. Silent policemen were taking the place of uniformed men.

“To-night,” said Mr. Holland, "I have only touched the fringe of this stupendous subject. Many thousands of willing workers throughout the world are idle through no fault of their own. The evil is that the benefits brought by machinery are not reaped by those who operate them.”

The speaker concluded by declaring that the only solution was a demand for the reorganisation of industry on a basis that would make employment available for all who were physically and mentally capable, and that would at the same time bring to the people a full measure of life’s requirements and enjoyments. There was a large attendance, over which Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., presided. A vote of thanks was carried to Mr. Holland by acclamation, on the motion of Mr. P. M. Butler.