Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1929, Page 34

Past Industry’s Deadline (Continued From First Page.) prime of life and without physical or menhladlubmty. merely because of an astumption that having attained matur- jty they have therefore the point of maximum efficiency, is not only absurd but wrong from an eco- nomic standpoint. 3 Condition Is Growing. The condition not only exists, but is wing. It should and must be com- E‘t’ed now if we wish to avoid the evil effect of widespread unemployment 10 or 15 years hence. Even now there are many thousands of men and women throughout the country who are main- taining a very precarious hold on life because of inability to obtain employ- ment after passing the age deadline. Pick up almost any newspaper, almost any day, and in some obscure corner of it you are likely to find some such item as this: “Despondency due to ill health and fallure to obtain employment is believed by the coroner and police officials to be responsible for the death of John Doe, age 42, whose body was found ina gas- filled- room at 216 Water street early this morning.” Careful investigation of many of the cases would probably reveal that the “fll health” or ‘“nervous breakdown” ‘was due to worry over inability to obtain steady employment. Go into the in- dustrial centers of America, mingle with the hundreds of men who use the serv- ices of labor agencies, ask them why they are there, and time after time the reply will be, “I haven't been able to find steady work for two years; the mills won't take on anybody over 40.” All this is a condition and a serious one—not a theory. It is a condition that must be faced and one that must be dealt with in a practical, construc- tive manner. The remedy cannot be found and applied, however, unless we know something of the causes. Falil to Discriminate, In the first place, we have laid such stress and given so high a value to in- dustrial “efficiency” that we have ignored the difference in economic ef- fect between discarding machinery and discarding human beings engaged in in- dustry. The obsolete machine is re- placed, in many cases, by one which makes unnecessary the further employ- ment of 8, 10 or a score of men who have acquired skill in their work over a period of many years, but who are not particularly fitted for any other occu- pation. Find other employment for them, and they continue to produce and thus to benefit society. Leave them stranded, without employment, at 45 or 50 years of age, and they not only leave the world poorer by their lack of produc- tiveness, but they cut down the market for other men’s labor and goods by nec- essarily curtailing their own purchases. Men out of employment buy no auto- mobiles, radios, new clothing or the thousand and one things that are “ne- cessities” for men and women employed, but unattainable luxuries for persons cut of work. Human Side of Case. ‘That, of course, is the cold-blooded, economic argument for continued em- ployment of older but still capable men and women. The “human” argument has been well stated by one of the Na- tion’s leading lawyers, George W. Wick- ersham, former Attorney General of the United States. Mr. Wickersham, after calling attention to the fact that there are 13,000%ged persons being -cared for vin the 82 homes in New York, and that another 6,000 are without such care while they remain on an ever-growing waiting list, said: “I can conceive of no sadder fate than that of the old couple who have faced life’s problems together and who have known no greater happiness than the joy of their mutual companionship being forced to separate at the time when they have no one but each other, the man to wither away in an institu- tion for men and the woman to grieve sut her heart in a home for women. Ex- perience has shown that one or the other usually passes away after a few months of such separation. The Home for Old Men and Aged Couples is one of the few institutions in New York in which elderly couples may spend their last years together.” Centuries ago it was truly said: “What is one man's meat is another's ison.” So it is with the development of the modern industrial system. _Intricate, ingenious machinery has made possible quantity production at low 'cost, and made available to the mass of people in the United States comforts and con- veniences not otherwise obtainable. But, at the same time, it has displaced thousands of older, skilled workers, who can and have been replaced by a lessér number of voung, unskilled men and women, willing and ablé to work for less money, but fully capable of per- forming the comparatively simple tasks connected with watching and “super- vising” the operation of practically sutomatic machinery. Fewer Employes Needed. Fewer employes with experience and skill are needed now in many industries. Speed, more speed, and still more speed is the insistent demand. Sharp-eyed men, with inventive faculties, are regu- larly employed by all large industries to inspect and reinspect plant operations constantly to find ways to speed pro- duction and cut costs. And though age usually increases knowledge, skill and judgment, itb rings no increase of the speed of a worker, Public health generally has benefited by modern methods of sanitation and the medical discoveries of the last half century. Human life has been con- served. In 1870 about 20 per cent of our population consisted of persons of 40 years of age or older. In 1920 there were nearly 27 per cent in that class. The expectancy of life of the average man has been increased from 40 to 56 years of age during the last two gen- erations. In 1901 only 41,000 out of 100,000 people reached the age of 85, but in 1920 51,000 out of every 100,000 reached that age. And while the num- ber of older people has been increas- ing, the need for workers has been de- creasing because of machine luc- tion methods. If industrial produc- tion were at the same rate per worker now as only 10 years ago, 133 men would be employed where 100 previous- Iy wl;rl&d. !:;te:déhwe "t:r able to supply the needs of the greater popula- tion with 8 per cent fewer workers. ‘What Older Folks Face. ‘When the time comes that the older 14, but it was virtually ignored. Almost any child of 13, or even younger, could get & “job” in the works at any time. They were paid on & plecework basis. Work started at 7 a.m. and continued until 6 at night, with &n hour for lunch. Many of them lived miles from the plant and "traveled long distances by street car. Some of them have told me that when they went home in the evening they aveided riding at the outer edge of the open Summer street cars, because invariably they were so exhausted by their work that they fell asleep and would have fallen out if they had not been seated in the center. * No Compensation for Huris. Only a few of the machines which they operated were equipped with the safety device known as “automatic feeders.” Nearly all of these child work- ers, boys and girls alike, fed the presses with their hands and operated the mechanism with their feet. Working at high speed, it was usually only a matter of a few weeks or months until the boy or girl would withdraw fingers a moment too late as the heavy stamp came down, and a few minutes later the company doctor would be dressing what remained of the crushed members. No wages were paid for the time of absence from work, and there was no compensation for the injury. The exploitation of children as indus- trial workers is, for the most part, a thing of the past, though there are some sections of the country where it still exists. But the very men and women who suffered from such exploitation in their youth are now at the time of life when, under changed industrial conditions and the demand for You(h and speed, they have great difficulty in finding any em- ployment because of arbitrary age limits. In the days when, as a boy, I worked in the iron and steel mills there was some reason and logic in barring from employment men or 40 or 50. There were no electric cranes and automatic and mechanical devices to lift heavy pieces of material and to perform other work requiring strength and power. Human muscle and brawn, employed 12 or more hours a day, seven days a week and, periodically, 24 hours a day, per- formed the industrial tasks now accom- plished by machinery. Men were old and worn out at 50. Then they usually were ‘“retired” with only some little ceremony designed to pay honor to their service of 25 or 30 years and the gift of a watch or $50 in cash as a “golden anniversary present.” Retirement Systems. The developments of industry which put an end to such back-breaking labor have also limited the market for the services of older men and women. And the spirit of altruism which has prompt- ed many employers to establish retire- ment systems has weighed against the man of 40 or older who seeks employ- ment because, undoubtedly, that man's years of usefulness are limited and the employer does not desire to increase his retirement system expense unduly. Yet it is a matter of fact, not theory, that the average man or woman from 35 to 45, or even considerably older, is a more capable, conscientious, diligent worker for many purposes than the young man or young woman now in great demand. None of those who di- rect the governments and destinies of the great nations of the world are young men. Edison, the great inventor, has given notable service to the world long after 40. Henry Ford, our greatest industrialist, was not even fairly started on his career of service at 40. To correct the condition which is -Visit Our Special menace to our eral economic wel- fare, we must correct a general pm:upmh:mm on the le:n of em- yers. A common Assumption among those who employ others is that age S I i e ure general ence an 3 some extent, bui it will not take the measure of a man's usefulness for a particular job. There are many who at 60, and other men who are old, men or physically, at 35. this point the evidence is abundant. ‘Where Older Men Work. We have, for instance, the results of a physical examination made by Drs. Clark and Simmons of the employes of & manufacturing corporation at Wor- Mass., l'ewm??n “The Nation’s .” The physicians found among the 1,800 employes in the factory 36 workers over 65 years of age. Thirteen of these men were over 70. The oldest was 79, and doing full-time work in the draft! room. Another employe in active service was 77. The proportion of men in the factory able to continue work after 60 was twice as great as those Pemloned because of physical or mental disability. Some were foremen, some were elevator operators, some sweepers, two packers, two guards, -four ‘machinists, and still others were em- m)'ed actively as small tool workers, pectors, etc. Generally speaking, the health of these older employes was good. The conclusion of the physicians was: “There seem to be few departments in the factory where work ngrofmte for these older men cannot found. In factories employln’ over 1,000 em- ployes, work can be found which men of 65 years of age can do without in- jury to themselves, to others, or to property.” ‘Take another instance. One great company, with huge elec- trical manufacturing plants at Pitts- burfll, has a veteran employes’ asso- clation composed of 3400 men and women who have served the company for periods ranging from 20 to 40 years, They are not young men and women, measured in terms of the years of their life, But most of them are young in the spirit of interest in and enthusiasm for their work, loyalty to their company and the desire to render good service, The company is not a charitable insti- tution. It is organized for profit. And it continues to employ these 3,400 older men and women because it finds their services profitable to it. Opportunity for Oldsters. In practically all industries there is ample opportunity for the utilization of the services of men and women of all ages. A Philadelphia public service cor- poration is helping to solve the problem of employment for older men by using such men as messengers. It reports that the men are rendering better serv- | ice than boys formerly did and that they appreciate this light employment. Men who have been in the organization for many years are transferred to this service if they request it. One of the Chicago meat packing es- tablishments reports a total of 279 em- ployes who have served the company continuously for 35 years or more. What is particularly needed to solve the problem of employment for older men and women lies not solely in legis- lation or old age pension systems—de- sirable as they might be under many circumstances—but education of em- ployers to the real usefulness of the older employes. A systematic effort to that end already has been made by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. The department has secured the registration of about 2,000 firms which have agreed not to bar men from employment on account of age when they are “physically and mentally able to meet the requirements of the posi- tions for which their services may be required.” The bureau reports that - (Continued From First Page.) to the wonderful hard roads those On | long remnants of the “rebel democracy,” a survival of Reconstruction days, which nearly extinet while Hyde ruled at Jefferson City, still gnash their teeth when his name is mentioned. Some of Hyde's reforms were costly and taxes had to go up to pay the bills. And in rural Missouri Democrats still apply to Hyde that most opprobrious of political epithets—"tax-eater.” One Fight After Another. Gov. Hyde was in the midst of one fight or another throughout his four years. To carry through his educa- tional program it was necessary to sta- bilize county taxation. In some sections real estate was assessed at 25 per cent of its real value; in others the assess- ment ran up to 90 per cent. Hyde set about to even things up. As always happens, those who profited were not grateful; those whose tax bills were scaled up howled their protests to high heaven. But an' admirable system of rural schools is operating in today. “With his road-building program he did another unconventional thing. He appointed a highway commission of four millionaires and set them to work. Again the county bosses were enraged. Such a scheme took patronage, in jobs and the awarding of contracts, out of their hands. This was no news to Hyde. In fact, it was the motive be- hind his action. ‘Theodore Gary, one of the Hyde ap- pointees, hired experts out-of his own pocket to lay out the new roads. The experts recommended through highways from city to city, skirting the smaller towns. Again there was warfare. The small-town merchants in Missouri, as elsewhere, are not opposed to traffic congestion. Indirectly it brings them business. In the horse-and-buggy days trafic came right into the village many of these firms have never had an age limit, while others have lifted the age ban since the installation by the Bureau of Employment of a survey let- ter to the business men of Pennsgjvania. Governments Could Aid. ‘The State and Federal Governments can give impetus to this work by pro- viding preference to older men and women in constructing public improve- ments and certainly by removing all un- necessary age-limit barriers in filling civil service and similar positions. A systematic and official study of old-age pension systems here and abroad is warranted and quite likely to be pro- ductive of good. Good sense, proper regard for economic laws, as well as good morals, demand study of the prob- lem of employment as it affects older men and women. And let it not be forgotten that among the laws promulgated some thousands of years ago, and which have served mankind through the ages, is one, and one only, which carries with it a reward and a penalty. That law, expressed as one of the Ten Command- ments, is, “Honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land.” That Jaw applies no less to nations than to individuals. The nation which is to live long and prosperously must protect and safeguard its older citizens no less than its children. We have been neglectful of age. One of the tasks of the next few years is to remedy. the ills that neglect has brought. Missourt | to he square, around: the courthouse, and many & traveler paused to do & little shopping. Haste . Aout’ Towas ‘The Hyde plan to' curve his highways around THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 21, 1929-PART 2. town meant the loss of this| poisoned barbs 13 transient trade. Some towns even ap- plied for injunctions to restrain this madman in the governor's office. But Hyde won out. The motorist spin along perfect roads from St. Louis to Kansas City without having to slow down every few miles to negotiate a cou: square, Hyde had a Republican Legislature, the first since reconstruction days, and he put through a comprehensive plan for consolidation of State departments, modeled after what Gov. Lowden had done in Illinois. This was too much for the Democrats, for it meant the re- tirement of veteran job-holders, mostly Democrats, and a new batch of ap- pointments from a Republican governor. This was one Hyde plan which met de- feat. Democrats had the referendum as a reserve weapon, they invoked it, and in the tempestuous campaign of 1922, when the old Democratic war horse, “Jim” Reed, was fighting for his political life, there were enough votes knock the Hyde consolidation in the ead. ‘The battle with the insurance com- panies is still going on, seven years after it started. Hyde had appointed his brother Ben as insurance commissioner, and in 1522 the companies were ordered to knock 10 per cent off their rates. ‘They defied the Hydes and went to the State courts. They continued to collect the old rates, but under court orders they were compelled to-set aside 10 per cent for refunds if the judiclal decision should go against them. Courts Uphold Hydes. ‘Thus far the State courts have upheld the Hydes. The case is now in the Fed- eral courts, headed for the Supreme Court in Washington, and the reserve fund has now reached 413,500,000. Hyde and his supporters are still supremely confident that eventually that huge sum is going to be returned to the pockets of the farmers and business men. ‘This, in outline, is the political back- ground of one of the real dark horses of the Hoover cabinet. That hundreds of Republicans could be mentioned for the cabinet, and this vigorous ex-gov- ernor from an important State. be| overlooked, is one of Washington's un- explained mysteries. He had what Mr. Hoover was looking for—courage, ability, experience,..an appreciation of the farmers’ plight—and yet speculation never centered about It was one secret Mr. Hoover kept almost to the last, which is rather surprising when it is known that Hyde flatly rejected the offer twice, and yielded-only after a third request had chased him into his Winter retreat in the sunny South. Perhaps the failure of Washington to “spot” the new Secretary of Agricul- ture until the night of March 1 was due to the belief that the new President was looking for & “dirt farmer,” a man who has steered & plow, driven a harvesting machine, or pulled weeds with his own brawny fists. Secretary Hyde is not & “dirt farmer,” even though he owns and operates 700 acres near his home in Trenton. His major business interests have been real estate and life insurance, and when selected for the cabinet he was presi- dent of the Sentinel Life Insurance Co. Encounters Jim Reed.’ ‘This provided some of Mr. Hoover's | critics with a vehicle of attack when Kannf Penn. Ave., Eighth and D Streets. SUMMER s no time for Street Floor Exhibit of - Frigidaires And the New Cold Control —Delicious frozen dessert can be made in Frigidaire with the #id of the Cold Control. Let the sales- men tell you how easily you can own a Frigidaire on our venient Payment plan. Con- See the New Low-Priced Model With Cold Control $195 ors—particularly when The CLEANING DRUDGERY are a woman of boundless energy, 2 x may enjoy the battle with git during most of the months of the year. But even the strongest woman rebels when cleaning means strenuous, heating work on a sizzling hot day. Better far to use your Vitllit{]in more worthwhile endeav- oover can not only do your cleaning more quickly and easily than your hands can do it, but do it detter. No other cleaning method approaches the results which The Hoover secures through “Positive Agitation.” This Agriculture to chief in action: “Don’t try to make me & dirt farmer, because I am not. I am s lawyer. It litics to claim them, and that I sl humanly possible to help them.” Such frankness is refreshing ‘Washington, for in the long and weari- some attempt to relleve agricultural distress there has been too much pre- tense, too much tiiting at windmills, The Capital is rather tired of some of the professional “relievers,” and there that some of the Westerners continue to press the financial heresies of McNary-Haugenism out of sheer stubbornness long after their own better judgments counseled a change in tactics. Farmers to Be Cared For. As the Hoover administration swings into its first Congress there is a better spirit in Washington. Something will be done for the farmers this year, something which is almost certain to lift part of the gloom which has now rested on the corn and wheat flelds of the Nation for eight years. The farmers believe that President Hoover is their friend. They rolled up overwhelming majorities for him, even though his innate honesty would not permit him to promise them everything they wanted. As Qs first gesture toward them he sels a man they could trust to deal with their problems. Sec- retary Hyde talks the farmer’s language. Like Mr, Hoover, he hates red tape and | delay. His remark some years His standing among the farmers of B o et B hreea by e words of John P. Case, ed!wr?l’ the Missouri Ruralist, and for eight years president of the State Board of Agricul- re. de” sald Mr. Case, “is keen of wit, brilliant of speech, enjoys a joke and never forgets a friend. Youthful Homes It is not the years alone that make homes old . . . unattractive , . . but neglect. Many “youthful homes” are nearly 100 years old . , . kept good looking by good paint. “Murco” Lifelong Paint —will protect your property against time . . . will give it renewed beauty. “Murco” is 100% Pure . ., its use an economical investmenf. Decide to use “Murco” this Spring . . . because it is a “good buy.” E.J.MurphyCo., Inc. 710 12th St. N. W. Main 2477 2 More Days of the Remarkable Sewing Mac hine Offer That Is Giving— This Priscilla Sewing Cabinet and— This Home Dressmaking Course in Six Volumes —VWith Every Cabinet Model “FREE-WEST- INGHOUSE” Electric Sewing Machine : Five Handsome Models Priced From $144 to $210 And a Handy Portable Priced as Low as $107 —Each of these “Free-Westinghouse” Electric Sewing Machines in addition to be- ing a perfect piece of mechanism, which will give many years of service, is a beauti- ful piece of cabinet work, which will harmonize with the finest furnishings. Opened it is an electric sewing machine without a peer. Closed a useful and handsome piece exclusive principle, which is beating reduced to an exact scicenoe d?slodgl; the deeply-embedded dirt which the usual cieaning methods'never reach at all. The better results of Hoover cleaning are oasily provable. They have been proved in a series of scientific tests of the recognized leading makes of electric cleaners. These tests show unmistakably that The Hoover removes more dirt per minute than any other cleaner! of furniture. Motors will operate on either alternating or direct current. A touch B Shé Whkiem (0K W e Sow of the knee controls the speed. A full set of attachments with each machine. productive service in our industries, only a comparatively small perceritage will be pensioned by private interests. ‘This means that the great majority must live on their savings or, if they have no savings, be provided for by jrelatives; and, if they have no relatives, “finally become depenfent upon public icharity for their very existence. In “Industry’s Coming of Age” Dr. ‘Tugwell states that about 86 per cent of the people of America are members of families whose incomes are less than /#2000 a year. We can understand, itherefore, why it is so vitally necessary ~that we prevént shutting off the main ‘source of the family income by arbi- | trary age limit for workers. + . There has been a singular reversal in “the need for labor protection in the last quarter century. The change can best “be pictured by reference to actual con- " ditions in one of our smaller industrial - cities. Among the man and woman { workers of that city will be found many t'whose hands have been mutilated or “fingers amputated. Ask any. of - the history of the accident and, almost “invariably the reply will be something *like, “Oh, I lost that finger at the works “when I was about 14 years old.” ' ° In the factory referred to 5 loyed * “EASY” Electric Washers $109 —The latest wringer-type wash- " 'xl?lf ni:c.;mve at a very low' prlcle‘ e ‘acuum cuj flfsm the onl; &ethod that = cleanse your clothes thoroughly, yet as _gently as your own hands. On sale Street and Third Floors. Phone Main 7200—Branch 105 - Convenient Payments 4 See the Window Display First Payment—Balance in Monthly Phone Main 7200 for a Demonstration ; g The Model 700 Hoover * TheMo del 543 Hoovee An Old Machine Allowance Regardless 87500 $59.50 Dusting Tools, $12.50 Easy Payments! Only $5.00 Down! Liberal Allowances for Your Old Cleaner Installments—No Interest or Extras of Condition R S 40 : And by Presenting This Coupo! - $ Will Be Deducted From Regular 20 Prices in Case You Have No Old — Machine to Turn In— M . In Wkicjl Case You Will Also Get the Special Gifts Shown Above s wicks of lamps and hnm:r- Zens of other small parts. W “bade the employment of