THE SIX-HOUR DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10273, 7 May 1919, Page 6

THE SIX-HOUR DAY

MACHINES AND MEN

WHY TIRED LABOUR IS MUX

PROFITABLE.

Tho present industrial situation is fraught with difficulties, and the only way to overcome them is to faco them fairly and squarely (writes Lord Lever - hulme in a recent number of the "London Daily News.") A full recognition of the facts is essential to the successful solution of the Problems that menace our national veW-oemi.. The Labour unrest is very great, but it is natural and wholesome. Working men and women crave tor better conditions of life, for better houses to live in, for more time for social pleasures and study. . . The workman of to-day js ■ becoming better educated and more ambitious. His outlook on life is expanding. *et he finds himself a mere cog 'n our great industrial system, doomed to labour from morning to night; to provide himself, his wife and family with food and shelter and clothing. •He asks himself vainly why this should bo, why he should be condemned to work for a bare subsistence from the time ho leaves school until the time he dies? He sees other people better off than himself, with plenty of timo to pursue their hobbies and to do velop their brains, and he wonders why Fate should have dealt so hardly with him. Unfortunately he —at this point • —takes the wrong road, and one that can nevor improve his position. CONSCRIPTION OF WEALTH. The consequence is that we hear a great deal about the conscription 01 wealth as the panacea for the Labour unrest. But tho conscription ol wealth in Russia has not made the lot of the Russian peasant any happier; it has made his lot harder. It would be as logical for consumptives to denounce the healthy and strong as it is for the poor to denounce the rich and wealthy. The consumptive knows that H would not cure his disease to reduce everyone else to his state of ill-health, and similarly it is impossible to cure poverty by sharing out all the wealth of tho country. .The power to create wealth is no more a crime than? the power to create health. It is just as possible for a weakly man to- make himselt strong as it is possible for a poor man to make himself rich. Neither ib committing a crime by so doing. On the contrary, each is definitely benefiting the community. Hitherto Capital and Labour have each looked upon the other as enemies, and each has suffered by this attitude. They'pull; one against the other, and bo waste a great'deal;of their energy instead of both pulling or working together for the good of each and all. This attitude of mistrust and misunderstanding must be swept away if we are to'make any progress.' "TRUST, LABOUR." I believe in trusting Labour, in letting Labour know frankly the problems ,uat confront the country, and I am certain- that the same fine British spirit that animates us all will carry us safely over the difficulties to come. The worker wants .more money and more time to himself in which to enjoy the comforts of his homo and the beauties around him. No capitalist ever held the mistaken idea that if he wanted more time to himself, ho musti aim for less output of production in his factory, and if ho wanted more money he must raise prices and disregard world's markets. .

The whole question hinges upon increasing production and reducing costs, fan is not m machine. He is, the master of machines, and by inventing bettor madhine3 and Ibringinfg more machines under his dominion for production , purposes he will be able to create a bigger fund of wealth out of which ho can take a bigger leward foi. his services.

Tired labour is. not profitable labour. And working long hours is not good in the long run for master or man, for the output suffers both in quantity and quality. This_ has been proved overwhelmingly during the war, for the munition workers labouring seven -.ays a. -week eventually turned out loss than those working sjx days a week, and most of the accidents that occurred happened during the last -half-hour of the long shifts when the workers were less alert owing to, fatigue. Indeed uhe statistics of Dr. Vernon actually prove that a woman's total of work in a 52hour wook was greater than her total of work in a 72-hour Week." SIX-HOUR SHIFTS.

What wo (have to do is to work our machinery moro and our men and women less. We must, have a six-hour day for men and-women, and by means of six-hour shifts we must, work our machinery" 12, 18, or 24 hours a day. Uv so doing, We shall increase the'production and lessen the costs.

Not only can we jiroduc*, when all ranks and all classes of both sexes are workers for six hours a day for six days a week, all tho ships and machinery, factories, and; houses, and goods wo require for home use and for exchange for raw materials through our export markets, but tho houses can be built in beautiful garden suburbs; we can provido adequately for education, mental and physical,,and military training for national defence.

But it is not possible to adopt simultaneously a six-hour day in all the industries of tho United/Kingdom. Costs of production govern tho whole movement. Before we can harvest the corn wo bavo first to plant tho seed, and before we can enjoy greater wealth fro have first to oreato it. IMPROVED MACHINERY.

Thero aro some industries where the costs of production aro such as to allow of tho adoption of the six-hour-day at once. In others, improved machinery will gradually make for the adoption of shorter hours. What we have to hear in mind :is that the movement must pay its way. If it is not economically' sound it is sure to fail to benefit tho workers, as thejr cost of living would rise, and so prevent betterment. ■•.■'■■' Tho man who works six hours a day must bo able to earn at least as much ns ho now oarns in eight hours.-. If he actually does more work iand better work, ns all tho facts of the situation tend to prove, then he, will bo creating greater wealth and ho will earn more money. Tlie demand all over the world for manufactured articles is immense. By working four shifts of six hours every day, wo should be aWe to employ four times as much labour, and thus sweep away unemployment, besides quadrupling the output of our factories. II Labour sat down quietly under

present-day conditions, then I woxild indeed despair, of. the future of the British race. It is because Labour is striving to better itself that every one of us : should give it all the help we can.

I firmly believe that the application of the six-hour day, based on increased production and reduced costs, will prove the salvation of tho nation, and that the workers will gain in health, happiness, and wealth by labouring shorter hours.