OCR Text |
Show Increased Consumption One of the problems of the economic readjustment of the United Uni-ted States involves the employment of mil'icns of men thrown out of work during the past twenty years by the use cf machines and the improvement of technilog'ral processes. pro-cesses. The only apparent solution is in increased consumption to an extent greater than ever before in the h'story of our nation, which means setting up a national standard stan-dard of living upon a higher scale. Iliustrat'cns without end cou'd be Riven to make vivid the unemployment unem-ployment caused by the adaption cf machinery to various human ac-tiv ac-tiv ties. A few will suffice to remind re-mind our leaders of the processes going on. The automatic dial system in telephone exchanges makes the use cf many thousands of "centrals" unnecessary. Telegraph Tele-graph messages need re longer be sent by trained operators or re-ce re-ce ved by them inasmuch as there are automatic transmitters and receivers, re-ceivers, doing the work of many skilful operators under the old system. In many manufactur ng processes machinery has been successfully suc-cessfully used to increase production produc-tion at lower cost but by recess ty throwing workmen out cf employment. employ-ment. Thus, through the u?e of machines, ma-chines, production has Increased while in the very processes workers work-ers have lost ther jobs, which reduces the buying power cf the s ciety for which the machines are supposed to work. Th?se d c w rkmen can only be given employment em-ployment if h'urs of 'abor are reduced re-duced 50 that the available v.-rl; mi y be shared or, on. the other band, consumption is incronsrd s: that there would be a reay demand de-mand for the total produ-tl'-'-i possible with the extensive use cf machinery. The latter 's the desirable de-sirable utilization oi the modern processes. Therefore. rat oral economy rhould be p'anncd so that the American people could rap th" benefit cf the impoved methods cl production. There are thousands of people in need cf clothes, shoes, hemes and all the other productions produc-tions cf an improved industriil system. Production cf the neces-s neces-s ties of life thru'd not b? curtailed cur-tailed as a permanent policy until the millions of Americans have been adequately supplied. How this .problem can be woiked out should be the subject of much thcucht. |