THIS MACHINE AGE.

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 27 January 1933, Page 4

THIS MACHINE AGE.

One of the factors contributing to slump conditions which has been too long left out of consideration by New Zealanders is the machine. Most New Zealanders, in attempting to view the economic situation as a whole, think in terms of butter-fat, wool or moat prices per lb., and not in terms of horse-power. -This is. natural' and logical, so far as our immediate problems are concerned. To-day, however, there is a growing appreciation of the fact that the solution of our difficulties is largely dependent upon the solution of problems facing industry overseas, and inasmuch as horse-pow'er has played an important part in bringing the Old World to its present condition, the machine problem has an interest for New Zealand students of the worldwide and national economic situation. Indicative of the growing interest in economics by the masses is the fact that all the'triumphs of science and invention no longer give the man in the street a cheap thrill. To-day the announcement that a new labour-saving device has been perfected gives thoughtful people reason for pause and self-questioning along lines dictated by self-interest. Bv his notable Armistice Day speech Mr Baldwin gave the nation food for serious thought by describing the wholesale slaughter that would take place in the event of another World War as a result of the advancements made in the field of scientific invention. It was a ghastly picture he painted, but it has been described as the be'st speech ever made in the cause of disarmament. It was alarming to find from that authoritative source that during the course of the Groat War there were at leas-t three inventions which were never brought into use simply because they would have been too destructive. When the possibility of future wars is being considered the outlook for the human race is too horrible to contemplate,. At the moment, however, most people do not seriously consider the possibility of another war in their time; they are too

conscious of 'the pains and penalties of the aftermath, even of a so-called victorious war; moreover, nearly every man in all countries is engaged, closely or distantly, in a war of a more; personal nature, and the enemy is the slump, It is no less alarming to' the combatant in the economic war to find that “machine” invention is threatening to leap ahead-at such a rate that it may yet be necessary for some of its products to be withheld fro, ml the world, in fear of its repercussions on employment, purchasing power and economic health generally. There was a time, not so long ago, when we felt we could afford to smile in .superior fashion at the fears of the weavers of England who destroyed the new machines. We had learned things that the simple working folk of an earlier period did not understand, one of the most important of which was'that machinery meant increased production, cheaper prices, more trade and, ultimately, more era.plr.ymcnt. To-day, however, wo do not f<-3l quite so secure in our assumption of superiority. The "wheel of progress has taken; another turn; we can still pioouce in plenty and at low cost, but we arc no longer as certain as we were a few years ago that we are assured of increased trade and new sources of employment with a consequent maintenance of purchasing power. The experiences of the immediate past and of the troublous present cause both capital and labour to ponder, seriously and anxiously, when inventors proclaim success ior the results of years of research and experiment in an effort to benefit mankind.