INDUSTRIAL WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23511, 27 May 1938, Page 3

INDUSTRIAL WORLD

NEWS AND NOTES By J, X. Paul The political problem of mankind is to combine three things: Economic efficiency, social service, and individual liberty.—J. M. Keynes. THE HIRED GIRL The hired girl is vanishing, il not almost gone, according to the Bureau of Home Economics in Washington With her going (says the Christian Science Monitor) she takes one mure institution that was truly American She was housekeeper, washerwoman, dressmaker, cook and often a valuable family counsellor The bureau lists as one of the causes that “ sums paid out for household help are too meagre for such service." They always were no matter what she was paid. To many the deepest memories are those of a kindly understanding confidante of childhood. If a little boy wanted a special favour from a parent often the best way was through the good offices of Martha-May. She knew how well-behaved he had been for the past week; she conveniently forgot about last Thursday when he had tracked the kitchen with his muddy boots. “Many a homemaker would ratnei spend money for a car and widen her social contacts.” No doubt the modern homemaker is right. Martha-May wasn’t a social success, but she was kind and a good friend. And now she is gone and in her place there are motor cars, wider social contacts, and even the mechanical “hired girl.” The report lists them all. But there is still something these cold facts and figures forget, UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION The quarterly statistics of employment and unemployment published by the International Labour Office, in comparison with the corresponding figures for the previous year, show an increase in the*, number of persons recorded as in employment, in all countries for which statistics are available, with the exception of two —the United States, where there has been a marked decrease; and Belgium where the decrease was considerably less. Unemployment in most countries moreover, has continued to decrease as compared with the previous year; although this decrease is, in most cases, less than that shown by the statistics published three months ago. On the other hand, for the first time since the beginning of the economic recovery, there has been an increase in the number of unemployed recorded in important industrial countries such as the United States. Great Britain, France, and Belgium. There was also an increase in Bulgaria. Ireland and Norway. It is to be noted that the number of persons recorded as in employment is less than in 1929 (the last year before the world economic depression) in Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France. Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States. LABOUR UNITY IN NEW SOUTH WALES Speaking at a meeting of the East Sydney Labour Electoral Council at Paddington (Sydney), the general secretary of the A.L.P. Provisional Executive (Mr W Evans) said that the trade unions and the Labour movement .n New South Wales were determined to bring about the overthrow of the “ inner group” gangsters now controlling the party’s official machinery in New South Wales. Mr Evans said that the Labour Party would have to be developed unhampered by dictatorship methods. There was a definite desire by the people for unity, and this could only be achieved without Dictator Lang as leader. There must be real democracy in the Labour Party. The party would have to be rebuilt, strengthened,,and revitalised. It was with 4 these ideals that the Provisional Executive had organised the Unity Conference on June 25. MACHINE TENDERS Tens of thousands of people spend their working hours in watching or feeding machines, and this is creating serious problems that have had too little attention hitherto, . Some of these problems are discussed in “The Machine and the Worker,” containing the results of an investigation by S. Wyatt and J. N. Langdon, and issued by the Medical Research Council, England Monotony is the central problem, and that is a socially important fact. “ The monotonous insertion of articles for eight hours a day into the divisions in a moving belt,” the authors say, “is not a particularly alluring occupation, and it is not surprising that the mental and emotional equipment of some individuals proves to be unequal to the task.” Put more bluntly they are declaring that the better educated the individual the less suited for this side of modern industry The authors make some suggestions to mitigate the effect of this monotony. One is that the speed .u the machines should s e varied; another is that the individual might be enabled to vary his or her machine’s speed, a third suggestion is that there must be adequate rest periods; and yet another is that where possible the workers shall be sufficiently close ffi. gether to talk without restraint But the authors realise that anything we may do in these ways still leaves the central problem of monotony unsolved, and they say: “Perhaps the chief hope of escape lies in the possibility of complete mechanisation.” THE WORLD’S COAL A report on “The World Coal Industry ” prepared by the International Laboui Office for submission to the world coal conference, which sat in Geneva early this month, estimates that if the future rate of coal extraction does not exceed the 1925-3 a average the world’s reserves of bituminous and anthracite coal are sufficient to last at least 37 centuries. Should the extraction rate increase, however by 0.5 per cent, annually, then, according to the report, the world supply would last only about six centuries; or. with an increase of 2 per cent annually, it would last only about 200 years The Droved and probable world reserves are estimated at, 4.600.000 million metric tons The greatest reserves of any country, the report shows, are in the United States These are placed at 1,975,000 million metric tons With the extraction rate continuing at the 1925-35 average (535.8 million metric tons per year) they are good for 3686 years, but with an increase of 0.5 per cent annually in the extraction rate, they will last only 593 years, or 217 years, with an increase of 2 per cent, annually If Soviet Russia’s extraction continues at the 1925-35 average (30.3 million metric tons annually) her reserves. estimated at 1,075,000 million metric tons, probably will outlast those of all competitors; for at that rate, they are good for 35,478 years. With an increase of 0.5 per cent, annually they should last 1037 years, or 330 years with an annual increase of 2 per cent. Great Britain’s reserves; estimated at 200.000 metric tons, are good for 868 years with the extraction rate continuing at the 1925-35 average '230.3 million metric tons per year), With an increase of 0.5 per cent, annually, they should last 329 years: or 147 years with an annual increase of 2 per cent The supplies of Germany Poland, Canada and China are estimated at an increase of 5 per cent, annually to last for 470. 590. 969 and 842 years respectively

DESTITUTION IN RURAt, AMERICA ‘ More than one of every four rural families in the United States has had to go on relief at some time during the depression,” was one of the shocking facts told the United States Senate Committee that is investigating unemployment by Corrington Gill, assistant administrator of (he Works Progress Administration. “At least 3,500,000 rural families have been r' r > relief.” he said. “There

is no question that over one-third of our rural population is ill-fed. illclothed, and ill-housed.

“ The need for Federal aid is as widespread and serious in the country as in the city “Farmers and village wage-earners are applying for relief or W.P.A. employment in large numbers. In the cotton States alone, it is estimated. 200,000 destitute rural families are receiving no form of aid. From September, 1937, to January, 1938, the country-wide deluge of relief applications was without precedent, except during the depths of the depression. In many States, the distressed rural population is being left to shift tor itself.”

Gill then pointed out the important fact that this unemployment and -poverty on farms and in small towns destroys a large nart of the market for industrial products, and thus “ intensifies” unemployment in cities. An even darker picture of farm conditions in “ Cotton Belt ’’ States was provided by R B, Vance, who made a special study for the University of North Carolina. He gave income figures for tenant farmers and share croppers, many of whom receive only 10 cents (five pence) a dry to each member of their families.

“ Our picture is not complete,” Vance added, “ until we consider the credit and interest charges which loom largo for both planters and tenants. Nearly one-half the landlords have debts averaging nearly half the value of their farms They pay 15 and 16 ner cent interest on these debts. The debt problems of the tenant are ecmally serious. “What we have in the tenancy system of Cotton Belt is an inheritance from slavery The planter and the ex-slave started behind scratch, and thev have never cauehl tin A svsterr was arrived at whereby labour was secured without waees and lend without monev rent This is tho Tiinrp-nrnnninc system

“The ‘poor-white' farmers poured into th<> tenancy scheme, until now the whito fnrm tenant families exceed Negro tenants in the South two to one There are 1.202.174 white tenants '‘ooooi tenants’’