SAVE LABOUR

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 1 April 1930, Page 6

SAVE LABOUR

AMERICAN HOUSEWIVES KNOW HOW AGE OF ELECTRICITY American housewives wield 17,000,000 electric irons, 7,500,000 vacuum cleaners and (i,000,000 electric elotheswashers, while 0,000,000 radio (fans struggle with static every day. 'The age of electricity lias come in the United States.

HOW

This was stated by Mr Julian B. Foster, United States Trade Commissioner to New Zealand, during the course of an address on “The Current Trend in American Business,” at a meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Foster, who has been away from the States for 4.1 years, paid a visit homo recently and was amazed at the progress made in tho newer forms of business and business methods.. The American automobile industry had also advanced considerably. When the speaker was living in tho States in 1924 the slogan was “A ear for every (family.” Now it was “A car for every member of the family.” Last year’s production was 5.1 million ears—l,ooo,000 more than had ever before been produced. Though production might fall off slightly this year, it would not he as numb as might he expected.

“Big business in the States is realising tho value of mergers,” the speaker continued. “Industries are consolidating for the purpose of cutting costs, eliminating waste and opening new markets.”

Mr Foster mentioned means of a cooperative marketing scheme, thus avoiding glutted markets, the farming community was oil a much better footing. The chain stores over there were able to buy and sell so cheaply that the independent stores were being forced into hard competition. This was due to the elimination of waste and in pooling of resources. Referring to the growth of the wireless telephone business in the U.S.A. Mr Foster mentioned that when Mr Winston Churchill was in Los Angeles he was able to speak' to his wife in London and even hear his dog harking across 7000 miles.

“We are living in a great age,” the speaker concluded. “With the development and exploitation of all these new inventions it is difficult to say what labour will be saved the human race.