Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, JULY 18th., 1933. WORK AND WAGES’

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 July 1933, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, JULY 18th., 1933. WORK AND WAGES’

yiiE gratification felt in United States at the end of the depression for many workers, will be shared in other countries, as experts declare that an industrial recovery in U.S.Ai is essential before any other country can hope to return to normal trading conditions. Possibly, to-day’s cabled message is unduly optimistic, but there is real cause for believing that the slump in U.S.A. Is ending. This fact should increase the possibility of achieving a war debts payment settlement, the negotiators for which are to meet at Washington, in September. As it is accepted that the war debts burden is partly responsible for the world economic slump, alleviation in that direction will be most welcome.

Air. Roosevelt’s new industrial codes provide for increased wages and shorter working week, ranging from 40 to 44 hours. This lesser work for more money has long been a Labour aim, and it will be interesting to note American developments. Some New Zealand Labourites are expressing pleasure at the President following their policy, but it may bo found that the American employers’ concessions will have to be met with “speeding up” to increase output. Otherwise the cost of production would increase, making it more difficult than ever to meet Asiatic. compet.il ion, particularly in the textiles trade. Much is heard of Japanese competition in various directions of commerce, but acute as that is, China is believed to be developing into a greater rival of certain European and American industries. At the recent internation-| al cotton congress hold at Prague,' the hours of working in the respee-

live mills were stated to be Great Britain 30 hours a week or fewer, America 48, Japan 102, and China 132. The wages paid in. Asiatic mills are deplorably low, and nobody pretends to see how this trading struggle between East and West will end.

It 'is this enormous and cheap labour supply in Asia and Africa, that is the biggest obstacle to putting into practice in the Western countries, the shorter working weeks. It is agreed that machinery’s developments have made human labour less necessary, in many trades, and that the rationing of labour may become increasingly necessary. This aspect of the unemployment problem is being tackled by leading British employers. those who sell as well as those who manufacture. Lord Trent, Chairman of Boots’ Chemists Company, with hundreds of shops, tc-

cently suggested that as it is imi practicable to reduce the hours •worked in shops, without seriously curtailing the opportunities for shopping which the public require, that a compulsory month’s holiday be given every year with pay for all employees engaged in retail trade. I(. would have to be enacted by law, since it would be impossible for a retailer to act on his own. because his extra costs would be prohibitive. There is scope, here, for controversy, but the fact that such a suggestion came from such a quarter is significant. Adherence to past commercial creeds will never solve the unemployment- problem, which cannot be permitted to be left to itself.