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Show ' -HOW MUCH SPEED? There have been many theories advanced as to the results which will follow Henry Ford's Ove-day week. Mr. Ford is credited . with saying that a five-day week will give people more time for leisure and buying, and that this in turn will rn.E-.ke a greater demand for, manufactured goods. This does not explain how a man with simply more time to upend rnoney is going to be able to spend more money with his wage cut from, six ;to five days. The Ford plan does not contemplate contem-plate six days' wages for five days' time, without increased production. produc-tion. If idleness is merely to breed the desire to spend more money, the results will be disastrous. Mere money-spending, in itself, without with-out an, aim or purpose in life, would be a curse to the nation. Extravagant Ex-travagant ideas would be developed which would soon demand artificially ar-tificially higher wages, which, in turn, would result in uncalled-for increases in the cost of living. Can , any . but the strongest and youngest workmen maintain a pace which regularly calls for six days' work in five days' time, in an industry already traveling at high speed? It is pretty' generally accepted that as production is increased per man, workrnen are entitled to their .share in the profit, in the form of increased wages. This, in itself, does not mean increased prices. Whether human activity can be forced beyond a certain point remains to be seen. The life of a, racing automobile is short because it runs continually at full speed. Can the human body be .driven at racing speed without disastrous results? Mr. Ford's idea is worth watching for he generally knows what he is doing. |