EDISON AND LABOUR UNIONS

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 927, 6 December 1910, Page 2

EDISON AND LABOUR UNIONS

The Mayor of Gisborne (Mr W. D. Eysnar) has published in Tondon an account of an interview he had with Mr Thos. Edison, the •great inventor, “ I do not pretend to know anything about political economy,” said Mr Edison, “ but I do see the one little thing—that in Germany a man will sit on his stool and watch four planing machines turning out work. He performs no physical labour. In England au Englishman sits on a stool, but on account of the union, he only watches one planer. The products are sold in competitive markets. To me the end is clear.” When asked to suggest a remedy, Mr FMison replied:—“l would suggest that the Eabour unions should allow their men to get out as much work as possible, providing there was no physical increase of labour in doing it, so that their country can compete with other countries. The trade union people,” he continued, ” will not allow this, because they think it will knock other workmen out of a job. Now r , this contention is contravened by the history of every new invention to cheapen production. For instance, take the sewing machine. It was supposed to throw out of employmen; hundreds of thousands of seamstresses. On the contrary, it increased their numbers by 2000 per cent, and it is the same with all analogous things.”