TIMELY TOPICS

Northern Advocate, 12 August 1935, Page 4

TIMELY TOPICS

SHORTER HOURS. Discussing the proposal to establish a 40-hour week, as brought before the International Labour Office Conference, “The Times” says: “A fortyhour week convention would be interpreted in two ways—here as a great step in social reform, as well as a possible means of reducing unemployment; and elsewhere as a means of reducing unemployment without increasing labour costs. Inequality of application in respect of wages—where conventions are impotent — would destroy the value of such an international compact and defeat its ostensible purpose. It would impose a handicap on the high-wage countries injurious to their international trade, and tend to transfer trade and employment to the low-wage countries. Even if it were possible to reduce hours of work and maintain

the weekly rates of wages in all i countries, the convention would still : produce unequal results to the disad- i vantage of the high-wage countries. A reduction of working time from I forty-eight hours to forty hours j would require an increase of wage j rates by one-fifth if the economic j position of the individual worker was not to be impaired. A fifth of a high | wage is more than a fifth of a low j wage, and by so much would the com- j petitive power of the high-wage coun- , try be prejudiced. Theresult therefore, in the countries with the highest standard of employment might be more unemployment, not less. If more workers were employed but the total oi wages paid was no greater, then purchasing power would be distributed in a different manner but not in- j creased. On the other hand, if wage rates were increased, then the post of manufactured articles would also be increased, and there would be a widening of the gap between the prices of manufactured and agricultural products. <g> <s> <S> Words of Wisdom. Custom is the plague of wise men. and the idol of fools. —Novalis. <s> <*> ® Tale of the Day. Albert: “What is floodlighting, BUl?’’ , Bill: “I don’t rightly know. Maybe it’s got something to do with arc lamps.’’