THE VICIOUS CIRCLE.
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Why Increases of Working Costs are Rapidly Reflected in the Cost of the Commodities of Life.
By C. Le M. Gossehn.
EVERY INTELLIGENT man in the community realizes that we are moving in a vicious circle. The wage-earner has determined that he shall work shorter hours, that he shall work less strenuously and that he shall, at the same time, occupy a better financial position in relation to the rest of the community than he has enjoyed in the past.
On the other hand, the scarcity of commodities is causing prices to soar higher almost weekly. The policy which the wage-earner has adopted is also contributing seriously to the same end. The wage-earner endeavour S to overtake the rising cost of living by demands for increased pay. He might as well endeavour to overtake his own shadow.
Extremists in the labour party declare that the only i way out of the tangle is to have a revolution, as f the mere dislocation of organized society, with the temporary dislocation of production, could help one iota; on the contrary, they know full well that it-would be but the prelude to a far worse state of affairs than those at present existing.
-Is there any hope of alleviating our present dia.tiessful condition 'I Most certainly. , The leaders of labour, those at least who insist upon the truth at all costs, repeatedly point to the direction' from which alone it can be secured. Only the path of production • will lead us to a better and happier state. For five years the ingenuity of half the civilized world has been concentrated on accelerating forces of destruction, which have created gaping voids in the stocks of commodities which men require for life —these voids must be filled—and not until they are filled can we, as a nation, experience better financial conditions in life, for which we have been sighing. Prices are bound to rise so long as commodities are scarce. Every penny spent in war must be paid back in peace. It looks a big undertaking, but still it can be done, and must be carried through, whether revolution is to prevail or not. The only effect of dislocating our present means of production will be to delay the day when we shall be relieved of our terrible burden.
This is not only a, national problem, but an international problem, and it is necessary not only to expedite our own powers of production in this country, but to assist other countries, either friendly or otherwise, to the same end. But, to revert to the immediate consideration of our difficulties in combating the evils of living in a vicious circle. If we are to expect the co-operation of the wage-earner with the rest of the community, we must, at least, pay consideration to his legitimate aspirations.
As declared by his elected leaders all the aspira
tions he cherishes are clearly not legitimate. For instance, he must drop the very comforting theory that the Architect of the Universe intended all His creatures to live in comparative comfort, regardless of the degree of industrial effort made to supply their needs. The man who is content to work when it suits Ins personal convenience, and then only_ so far as his inclination directs, must reconcile himself to comparative poverty, as compared -with his neighbour who gives to the world his best effort, and that steadily and continuously. Payment must always be made by results in the long run. It is the only fair measure of reward at all times.
All classes of the community must either relinquish their desire for ease, or their hope of comparative prosperity in the present world conditions, 030
Working shorter hours to-day is a crime against humanity for which we shall be called upon to pay forfeit in due course. There are literally hundreds of thousands of human beings who are lying on the ',borderland of starvation, and whose chance of life depends upon the length or shortness of our working days. Thousands of Our own kith and kin are homeless for want of houses, and hundreds of thousands of our soldiers seek employment, but the trade unions forbid that the latter should serve the needs of the former. This type of crime—for it is a. crime —brings its own punishment.
Frankly, a great deal which appears inexplicable is due to fear on the part of the wage-earner that, if he plays his full part to assist the nation in its work of reconstruction, he will merely be exploited by his unscrupulous employer, who, when his immediate ends are obtained, will throw him to the wolves.
It is freely stated that, by hard work, it is possible to make the commodities of life so cheap and plentiful that the working man cannot afford to buy them through lack of employment. Clearly the employer has a duty here to perform to his fellow man—the wage-earner. First, he must recognize freely that wages must not depreciate because prices of commodities are rising ; secondly, the wage-earner should be given, where possible, a guarantee that, beyond a living wage, he shall be paid in proportion to his effort ; if he increases production he must be paid proportionately—it is his due. Thirdly, a wage-earner must be given security against the possibilities of finding that by letting himself " go " at his work he has merely accelerated his day of need.
Unemployment schemes should become more universal, and the contribution from both employer and employed should have some relation to the likely needs of the industry.
The road transport industry is about to consider an application for an advance in wages. It is hoped that the subject will be dealt with on both sides with a broad mind, having regard to the needs of the country. Transport is the foundation upon which all civilization is built; it controls the price of the world's supplies in no small measure. Increases of working costs are rapidly reflected in the cost of the commodities of life. It should, therefore? be the aim of transport to keep its costs at a minimum. This does not imply that those engaged in it should be underpaid. The costs can be kept at a minimum in various other ways.
Firstly, delays should be reduced to a minimum. This can be done by insisting that those who delay transport shall pay for the same. Transport must not run about idle ; it must be usefully employed. Traffic exchanges can assist here in some measure.
The wage-earner who controls his output to an exceptional extent should be paid on results, so that the more he does the more he earns; andz lastly, he must have an assurance that hard work will not lead him to hard times, and, provided that the necessary, safeguards are set up to provide against malingering, this should present no insuperable difficulty.
Never was the whole community in greater need of a willing, efficient road transport service ; it is for those engaged in it, whether as wage-earners or controllers, to prove that they recognize the need and are prepared to give it due weight in the consideration of their own individual interests.