A SOUND POLICY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 8 February 1936, Page 12

A SOUND POLICY

(Contributed by the New Zealand Welfare League.)

The Hon. R. Semple is encouraging good workers by his policy of “placing men on piece work wherever possible,” so that the men “have the chance to make as much as they can.’’ This is sound policy, but it will be oposed by the Communist agitators who have always fought against piece-work in British industry as evidence of “capitalist brutality.”

This attitude of the Communist is, like many other of their actions, most inconsistent, but inconsistency does not worry them.

A year ago Alexei Stakhanov was an ordinary miner in Russia operating a coal cutting machine. He saw that the miners were not producing the amount of coal they should, so he set to work to show what could be done. If Soviet figures are correct lie can maintain an output of 100 tons per shift and lias once reached 207 tons per shift.- His example inspired a workers movement in the same direction and lias spread into other industries. For instance a woman weaver lias increased her activity until she can handle 114 looms instead of 50. In steel plants certain workers have trebled their output—these are only a few examples. Piece work of payment by results lias been Stalin’s policy for two or 3 years and this “Stakhanov Movement” is hailed as “a higher stage of Socialist competition” by the Communist leaders in Russia; yet Communist leaders here, and in Britain, oppose every move to increase the output or efficiency which leads to better earnings. We note with satisfaction that Mr Semple has told the Communists here, “Where they get off.”