CUTTING OUT DRINK.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 225, 10 November 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

CUTTING OUT DRINK.

An article which recently appeared

the "Sydney Sun," entitled "N), Booze," and showing how the antiliquor campaign was working out ir Chicago, has drawn some comments on tho drink question fiom Mr Adle.-, president of the New South W'a'cs Ironworkers' Federation. Mr Ad! ir expressed tho opinion that t.,e "Sun' artielo was not fairly put, ;,s it wu likely to lead the average wo; king man to imagine that an uuduo niterferen ■« 1 with his liberties was intended. Bit Mr Ad!er frankly admitted that wh it had been stated about the campaign against intoxicating drink was quite true. "In fact," he said, "the restrictions on the American worker s lilierty to drink go a great deal further than is thero set forth. The greatest leaders in this excommunication 'if John Barleycorn are the American rail road companies. These have dealt ,1 tremendous blow to Bung by the adop tion of what is known as Rule G. 'lhis, I understand, has been enforced on nearly all railroads, and prohibits in employee taking an intoxicating drink cither when on or off duty. Men are even discharged for frequenting places where drink is sold. The organisation kno-.cn as the Brotherhood ot Locomotive Engineers will not have rcembees in its ranks who indulge ••: intoxicants to a noticeable extent.' Mr Adler pointed out that according to the figures of Dr. Edwin Bowes, of the United States, over I,ooo,oo''' jobs 1:1 America aro closed to. the man wn ) drinks. "But all this," declared Mr Adler, "has not been done to assist the workers, but because great industries have come to sec that booze makes for accidents, inefficiency, waste, insubordination, and disorganisation. flie employers have proved this so thoroughly to their satisfaction that tr-e rule 'No drinker rued apply, is becoming general. Tho production of wealth in the States is reckoned at about 32 billion dollars a year, and a conservative estimato of the loss in efficien-.y givts it at about 21 per cent. Tha. 1< s.s through diminished efficiency, therefore ,represents roughly S£ billion dolars a year. It is estimate, that 011 an average 2o j:«r cent, of accidents are duo either directly or indirectly to drink. As there is a rapid increase in State compensation laws in Amend, scientific business investig tion has been concentrated on tho subject, and employers have decided that if they aro to be he'.d responsible for the deaths of or accidents to employees while at work, they will endeavour to eliminate tho cause of such happenings. Whilst American business con- ! cerns have been active in limiting the • ulse cf drink because of the loss it j caused them, they have been also ali/o to the ueeds of the workmen. Milk j and light beverages have been sup- ! plied during the working heirs, while i milk vendors make regu'ar trns j through the factories for that purpose. At tho West Steel Co.'s works refrigerators for the storage of milk for the I men wero recently installed Ice '.s I supplied free, mil; costs 2d, and can bo had while the casting is going on a? well as at lunch. Milk stations for theconvenience of their employees wee? also established by the big South Wor.cs I Plant of tho Illinois Steel Co.. and .* I six months the daily sale h.i i reached ] 1400 quarts. The Pluladelp.na Quartz j Co., in order to encourage a tempe--I ante campaign, offered a 10 per cent. ! increase on condition that tho m:i would agree to retrain from liquor. Ninety-nine per cent, of the men agreed to the jroposal, and the management is satisfied that tho extoa money paid in wages was a good investment, and will be repaid by increase! efficiency, improved service, and a decrease in the number of accidents. Tne result of all this is that in many ef tho great American industries the employees are said tc be getting weaned from tho old evil, and to be realising that milk Leverage: are more invigorating and beneficial than beer. While Mr Adler is satisfied that, genera.'y speaking, tho workers of Australasia

are r.mpn:il>!o to the introduction of nny economic proportion, "which is ethically sound, he realises that there arc difficulties in the way of effectively coping with the liquor evil. Attention, 1.0 says, will have to be given to tne worker in his leisure hour l ;, and the provision of good homes an 1 facilities for recreation and social intercourse must 1.0 reckoned among tho things necessary to combat tho tendency tj frequent hotels. "Good hones," declared Air Adler, "moan good workmen. To my mind tho first and most important factor to bo considered tho housing of th: people. The ho.ne i- every tiling. It is there that trr girls and hoys ;tri< influenced as are crossing tho threshhold ol life e.nd entering the workshops and factories, perhaps to lweoire the future bosses find managers. 'lhe determining effect which life outside the shop has on tho temperament and actions of tho vv.n within is gradually coining to oc re ogmsed. in America to-day a number of (inns have realised the need ot providing proper accommodation !^ r their v.oikers, and they haw spent a gre.it deal of money in carrying out t!i" ii'r.'.. :i you are going to make' :i wcrkor a satisfied m.-.n there is no iiec-t-er way of doing it than to tfke an .11tcrest in him cuts:de the shoD. There r:iu Ik» no rr.oro ecnesion in tho ind'istri'i! -y.--te-;i than tline is in ;>. keg '..► nails unless you can manage to mane tho worker happy ( ut.-.id-e t'i > shop and in:.'rested and contented ;n work.