PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS. The Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1920. PROFESSIONALS, AND PROFITEERING WORKERS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 497, 16 January 1920, Page 2

PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY AND FRIDAY AFTERNOONS.

The Times. FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1920. PROFESSIONALS, AND PROFITEERING WORKERS.

" We notMng extenuate, nor let down auaht in maliee."

PROFESSIONAL men are being relentlessly, the upper mftlstone of iperchant profiteers and the nether one of go-slow, strike-loving workefsThe former raise the prices of their goods, and the latter demand higher wages —and get them—while at the same time they deliberately do less than a fair day's work. The professional man's Gharges or salary being, generally speaking, of fixed amounts, he has to pay for all increases out of a stationary income. In conversation with a representative of the TIMES, an Auckland medical man had some terse things to say on the subject. He retailed how a Huntly miner was commisserating on his lot, thinking he was badly done by. " I have no sympathy whatever with you," replied the doctor, " you men, by your demands for shorter hours, increased pay, and your failure to do a fair day's work—and so keep up the volume of production have raised the cost of living on everyone in the Dominion. You are profiteers, just as much as are the merchants who secure exorbitant profits, at whom you are making such a raucous howl." "Don't you dare to tell me that," replied the miner.". "Yes, I will," retorted the medical man, " and it is'a pity thaf the Government do not send men around to tell you these things, too." An amusing, but pertinent personal instance of the grandiloquent notions possessed by some workers asrto their value to the vrivnunily was also told by the > -r,'- professional. A working ,n;ir came to him at 10 p.m., for medical attention for

Himself. While waiting for the doctor tri take down particulars 6f his complaint, he volunteered the information that he was employed cleaning out drains about the city. He was receiving 10/- per day, but he reckoned the time was fast approaching when he would get " the full fruits of his labour " ; also a 4hourday. "Well, now," commented this straight and har<s ~hittin£" gijsqptments, "Tthink therf 'is a good jleal in say; hqse I have been practically without cessatiorirfrom 5 a.m., is now after 10 p.m. 1 \ffil allovtffthat I he of the horny hands, •>" only. the man who lakes his coat off and works Mith his hands and is a worker, really." " do ypu not think brain work strain die worth 1 asksd the astoi^^|^!» octor : '"in- cleaner of wjfvdoubtiv'< about the p<%t, but he wentopinion mjejpctual ca pa>®£;j required to clean out dram! efficiently. 'W

may be as.;Vgy say," was the final rejoin#*- of the doctor, " but! should vthink that • while brains would be required .tg design the drains, levels, etc! it would not take ail intellectual giant sto rake the muck out of them. AnvHtw? tfre >^<7b"-iHust be an unpleasant one, and I should imagine ; 'thst whi|p any man might be obliged to clean off?city, drains m - order to get an honest Ji^felihi9odr77© Ad, all ' credit to him-- ; nevertheless, I * .'7 opine that a m*tt with any brains worth mentioning would soon raise himself to a better position. At. anyrate, I am going to take your tip about a shorter wof-kihg day ; you come and see me. to-morrow." Indignantly, the knight of the muck rake produced a doctor's fee, .demanded that he should be attended t(g£her@ and thefl, otherwise he would call in the pofice. " Will you, indeed#* retorted the doctor. "No doubt you would like the conditions of government of Soviet Russia to obtain here, but this country , is at present a reasonably free one. If you want my services you must call here between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. —my 4-hour day. And now, just get out, because, if 1 am unable to kick you out I shall ring up the police and have you rerfioved !" The gallant %ainer departed, deeming discretion the better part of valpur. The foregoing instances "are typical of thewdihtlous attitude", feken up by- many # workers,' Ask building \

get out of their labourers, on the average; by with the results obtained'-even ten years ago, and they will nearly all tell pretty stories of gross and wilful incompetency, and and utter lack of conscientiousness. With the ever-increasing wages and the depreciation of the labourers' output, tlfe* cost of living is bound to rise, and the men who suffer mostly are those of the professional classes who are unable to raise their salaries after the manner adopted by the merchants and organised sorkers ; The deliberate reduction of output is really more damaging to the workers themselves than they realise : if and when there is again keen competition in the labour market, many of the goslow workers will find that they have permanently impaired their efficiency to such an extent that they will not only be out of employment, but will be unemployable—the worst state of all! But there is hope, because Labour has its capacity to sense some of the imponderable values of life : Labour, at one time, was indiscreet enough to rail at and denounce what is' termed " orthodox religion " ; Labour has learned better now, and it will also learn that expressions of disloyalty and extremist views have a boomerang tendency ; the general election just passed taught this latter lesson. In time, Labour will learn that conscientiousness has a great material value, and their employers, while rightly being forced to pay a fair wage, will get a fair day's work in return. This is the solid foundation on which we must build for our increased production, and we must build rapidly, because now is tlfe time, before the Old I World recovers from the devastation of war, for New Zealand to reap a great harvest. The world now wants every ton of goods we c? .1 produce—let us make the most of the unparalleled -opportunities before us. Our salvation Hp u in a wholehearieJ a nation of the gospel of woiß, as propounded by Emerson and Carlyle.