THE MACHINE AGE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 160, 24 July 1937, Page 5

THE MACHINE AGE

— Pres* Aeaooiation.)

Displacement of Man-Power a Vital Problem AIDING THE WOKKLESS

(By Tnlegraph

WELLINGTON, Lest Night. The world problem of surplus maapower and the eteps to overcome it formed the basis of a® address given by Dr. G. W. Hart, Professor of Education in the University of California, at one of the New Education Fellowship seminars. He reached the conclusion that it was the machine that caused the surpluses, and euggjested that the machine would have to bear the oost of replacing men in useful employment. Organised society he said, would have to find a new definition of nseful employment. There was a time when, if a man iearned a trade, he looked forward to his application to that trade in earning his livelihood throughout his life. "But nowadays," q,aid Professor Hart, "we may wake *ip tomonow and find our long-established means of^earning a livelihood has been swept from under us." Professor Hart asked the audience if they would agree that orgianised society owed no employable man a living. Several voicee; "No." Professor Hart: Organised society owes every employable man the opportunity to earn a living. It that agreed? There was general assent. Professor Hart said the national resources and the powers of production of the world were such that every man, woman and child sjiould enjoy a comfortable standard cff living. Those two things being tme, the only thiflg that remained was for them to apply their collective intelligence to bring these two things together.