ECONOMIC CRISIS

Evening Star, Issue 20666, 13 December 1930, Page 22

ECONOMIC CRISIS

DISTRIBUTION BLAMED CHAIN STORE’S AID Edward A. Filene, a. Boston economist and business man, .told an industrial conference at Lehigh University that an antiquated system of distributing goods'produced by natural scientific factories has caused the world’s present economic depression (says the 4 Christian Science Monitor ’). Tho chain store, ,he said, is the “first halting step ’’ in tie direction of natural scientific distribution, but buying goods in the average retail store,' ho asserted, is frequently like paying 3,000d0l for an automobile whose production cost is less than half that sum. i “ We even have movements to tax tho chain stores out of existence,” ho said. “ Yet the chain store is tho first attempt in retailing to achieve mass distribution in harmony jwith the development of mass production. At a time when the world needs a (natural) scientific system of distribution so that mass production may function, distribution is licit only refusing to take the step, but frantic efforts are being made to mobilise public sentiment against the move. “ Tho chain stores, of course, are but a halting stop. Ultimately wo must come to mass distribution upon a scale which wo have scarcely dreamed of. All along tho lino there must bo such an elimination of waste that‘the masses everywhere shall bo able to buy in abundamce in proportion as (natural) science teaches us how ito produce abundantly. ‘ ‘ This itself would eliminate unemployment. Tho cure for unemployment is through tho lessening of work, not through any system which makes unnecessary work necessary, i With such economy prices can bo lowered, and with a (natural) scientific outlook behind such economies pricesiwill bo lowered, and with tho lowering of prices more people will be able to buy more things, which will necessitate more production and more employment.” . Mr Filene advocated wider standardisation in tho interest of economy. “ Standardisation, as far as it has boon developed;” no said,- “has not tended to standardise life. >lt is in our tradition that life is standardised—in our fear of facing tho facts —and in so far as we do face the facts and act fearlessly upon them human lives aro liberated to go their different ways. But wo are constantly undping with traditional hands the things which our (natural) scientific hands':are finding to do. “Wo aro erecting tariff barriers throughout tho world to iinako mass distribution impossible at the very time when it is most necessary. We are lowering wages in many cases when we ought to bo raising them, and we, in our literature and drama, and even in our pulpits, aro crying out: against tho ‘ materialism ’ of this machine age, when what is most needed is to perceive the machine for what it really is—tho instrument which man under (natural) science is at last raising jup to solve the overstrain of tho struggle for existence, and liberate him to pursue his cultural and spiritual aspirations.”-