What America Has Done

Northland Age, Volume 27, Issue 44, 4 November 1927, Page 6

What America Has Done

“And how to do it we may learn from America without any foolish attempt to copy .her slavishly” says a writer in an English Exchange. ‘‘ln American manufacturing industries, by better utilisation of both mechanical power and labour, and through improved methods of management and administration, there was nq iired in 1924 ij per cent less mechanical power, 25 per cent fewer wage-earners, and. 17 per cent less management personnel per unit of product than in 1913, combined with a decrease ot average hours of work per worker per week of 10 per cent. During the same period the value added by manufacture per wage-earner increased by almost 100 per cent, and real wages, measured,in purchasing power, are to-day 28 per cent above pre-war level. With such reduced costs per unit of output, is it surprising that the U.S.A., with real wages, as has been shown, over 80 per cent in 1 xcessot Great Britain, can lores its way through foreign tariff walls anci undercut British manufacturers !"

The foregoing well but it is remarkable that if conditions in America are so wonderful how comes it that the most recent statistics published showed millions of unemployed and the cost of living abnormally high. Wages are high in certain respects but it is quite obvious that wfih a high rate ot unemployment high wages are not a general rule. It is abundantly clear that American Economic conditions ;re not so bright as the writer of the article quoted, would have us believe.