The Manawatu Daily Times Re-employment

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 196, 21 August 1935, Page 4

The Manawatu Daily Times Re-employment

Should an additional 70U men be employed in directly productive work in this city and district, and should all other districts in the Dominion make a proportionate contribution, then the problem of re-employment would be largely solved. Such is the conclusion arrived at as the result of a comprehensive examination of the problem, as detailed in a series of articles that have appeared in our columns recently. .In an article published in yesterday’s issue, the results of that examination were summarised and the principal factors influencing re-employment detailed. One exceedingly important factor appears to have been overlooked. This is the question of labour costs —in other words the rates of wages. These enter into every question of employment, whether on public works, on farms or in factories. The proportionate capacities for employment, as expounded in the article referred to, arc of interest. It is evident that re-employment cannot come from State expenditure alone. The .part that must be played by private enterprise is stressed. A note of warning is struck by the sentence: “If it is desired to continue the present system of society in this country, then those responsible for its management must deliberately set themselves to the task of re-employment.” The maintenance of the present exchange rate and of the protective tariffs are regarded as essentials to recovery, and indeed to the maintenance of the present scale of employment. Unemployment lias reigned as a foremost problem for four full years. Surely it is time for a change of attitude. It has been said long ago that there is nothing in a name, but to-day we know belter. A change of name can work a change of heart and a change of outlook. A changed outlook is needed to-day,' hence our sponsorship of the re-employment campaign. There are a million adult people in this Dominion. Could not each one of these come to think of re-employment instead of unemployment. Negative thought will get us nowhere, positive thought will at least have possibilities.

Men , Machines and Labour Leisure, up to a certain point, is an excellent thing in itself, writes Sir William Beveridge, the eminent economist, in the Listener. But, he continues, it is no good if you cannot afford it, just as too long a summer holiday is no good if you have no money to spend; you might prefer less leisure and a larger income. Leisure is not a way of making wealth, but of using wealth. It is a good thing which like other good things we want to get as cheaply as we can. One way of getting our leisure more cheaply is not to waste leisure on things that can’t enjoy it. Leisure is a good thing for men, but it is of no particular importance to machines. Most projects for reducing working hours of men also involve the laying idle for a large part of the week of. the costly machinery with •which men are working, and that’s sheer waste. The practical suggestion I want to make is that, when people are talking of shortening working hours, they should consider the possibility of combining that with a two-shift system, by which the same machines could be used continuously by two sets of men. The case from the point of view of production and cost of production has obvious advantages. "Wherever such machinery is in use consideration of overhead charges becomes important. All tho time the machines stand idle, the manufacturer is getting no return for his investment in them. If he could get double use out of his machines in the week, he would. save something, and the saving made would go far to help him in meeting the extra cost of his labour. If its practical difficulties could be overcome, the two-shift system -with longer hours for machines may prove to be the easiest road to shorter hours for men.