LIFE OF A WORKER

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 329, 14 April 1928, Page 12

LIFE OF A WORKER

AT HIS PEAK AT 60 A man or woman of 50 or 60 years of age is just as capable a worker as he or she was at 30, and perhaps more capable, even physically, Secretary of Labour James J. Davis told an assemblage of 3,000 veteran employees of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company at the 15th annual banquet of the Veterans’ Association at Pittsburg, U.S.A. “The reason,” said the secretary, “is that the years have brought the reward of experience and added skill. Instead of becoming a liability at 50 or 60, the intelligent worker is all the more asset to his employer. “Many a time, I remember, when 1 was a boy at work in the iron mill, I saw a faithful worker who had rounded out 50 years of life. The custom was to present him with a gold watch, in token of his age, but he was also presented with a discharge. It was assumed that at his years a man had outlived his usefulness. A man that old was thought to be old indeed. A man that old thought so himself. “Since then,” Mr. Davis asserted, “science has added years to the span of human life. To-day nobody feels old at any age. We not only have abolished the feeling of old age, but people are healthier, they lead a more active life.” The secretary added that “in face of this tendency of science and our better life to abolish age and keep us young and even more productive, we have a tendency among employers to drop good workers at an ever younger and younger age. I think it is something that is serious and should be watched.” Thomas A. Edison, at 81; George F. Baker, at SB, and Chauneev M. Depew, at 93, were given as examples by Mr. Davis as men who are “accomplishing as much as their juniors by many years and are still hard at work.” The combined service of the veterans at the event totalled more than 700 centuries, and during the evening felicitations from the Westinghouse Board of Directors and executive staff were conveyed by E. M. Herr, president, and F. A. Herrick, vice-president. One woman and 54 men whose employments date from the early days of the Westinghouse concern were presented with jewelled emblems marking the completion of 40 years of service.