THE LEAGUE, BRITISH LABOR AND WORLD PEACE
Panken, Jacob
The League, British Labor and World Peace socialist regime in Britain Makes league of Nations Begin to be a Factor in World Affairs By Jacob Panken THE Labor victory in Great Britain has brought...
...the world can look with assurance to 11fbitstion In naval armaments and ultimately limit*tlnn of armaments in general as a consequence of the British election resulting in the victory of Labor...
...Apart from the interest In trade, because of the dependence for raw materials by all nations, the economic life of each Is at stake If unrestricted and uncontrolled right to seixura and search of so-called contraband Is maintained...
...The Negro, the former agricultural worker, the unskilled man, these Invade new fields, while the skilled craftsman does not know Estimated Average Minimum Volume of Unemployment, 1929-1927 (In Thousands) 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 Total employees attached to non - agricultural pursuits 27,538 27.989 28,505 29,293 30,234 30,941 31,808 32,695 Minimum totii unemployed 1.401 4.270 3.441 1,532 2,315 1,775 1,669 2,055 487 3,554 1,761 432 924 578 552 727 Construction...
...One must view wars from an entirely different ansle now...
...There was a lag ta the fall of wages during the depression of 1921-1922...
...National needs are definitely bound up With tatentsttwml np^pslasTthe rasVtf^*wor1fL The absence of a firm and esleessee snsernational instrumentality capable of enf oreen offending nation doss not wave the offender from punishment...
...The wage earner displaced by rationalization has simply been compelled to bear the whole burden of finding a new Job...
...For the aoeteer at maw alone the fullest rights of ajsSE prevention might be -rislnsj: ssfffl private belligerent seeking ft oases* seas tor bis own private aa£bZ should be reserved only the rtfiatefkt outlaw...
...Woodrow Wilson came to admit It...
...In machine and railway repair shops one man replaces 23 skilled machinists with a gang of 5 to 10 semiautomatic machines...
...1M.0O0 Electric light and power...
...They do not tell where those who are leaving the farms, the factories and the railroads find new jobs...
...B Is thai est a ease of a •?¦¦aa.eesifcs- begat by ss glial The United States should be equally Interested with the rest of the nations ta onatinutng and nisstilelnlng peace...
...It would be so destructive as to set civilization back hundreds of years...
...instead of being a legitimate eswap of national sovereignty, h sa sftapb tlonal crime...
...Labours policy U that e*»ah»Me peace Is the only aaaaranao that alb tion can have that It a assure •Off*, the menace of other rations...
...The profitdrive of business men snd the willingness of s mobile and adaptable labor supply to work very hard for an American standard of living have contributed to Increase output everywhere snd promote invention and expansion...
...Labor Party's Views T he pronouncement of the Labor Party ta the pamphlet I sssssbsaef, pgL "What then ts left of tm*mM trine called Freedom rf^ffPb Labor believes that lafthbmbgM stance a left...
...The opportunities for secondary and college education have withdrawn hundreds of thousands from gainful occupations and also equipped a trained and effective set of leaders...
...Perhaps In no other country of the world to there so much statistical work being done on the ups and downs of business...
...As a result of these and other factors, America has escaped for the time being the full effects of genuine and extensive unemployment in such basic pursuits as agriculture, the.coal and textile Industries...
...The high consuming power of s large, relatively homogeneous market without tariffs has been the greatest boon to America...
...Thpsaa to conserve for England the ttfft a warch and seizure...
...What will be the attitude of the Labor Government on the position of disarmament...
...Wm the labor Government work out a change ta the International Law to conserve to neutrals hi tune of war freedom from search and "seizure of merchandise on the high seas...
...Between 1918 and 1938 the lodes for factory employment dropped from 100 to 90, while the production of manufactures rose from an annual index of 84 to 111...
...The poller Labor Party U of coarse in estftaih with its view on the cutis wry ef*& and ta the Party Oonfercneo psaaaaf ment of 1*28 it a saM The past hr ft outlawry of war should be honstik...
...The jobless found work in tbe distributive industries, professional and semi-Professional services, snd in domestic and personal service...
...Xt ft hot only the- desire of Mr...
...Without official figures we must content ourselves at present with the most trustworthy estimates, however unsatisfactory they really are...
...Many Englishman are beginning to ask why all the expenditure of effort and wealth to hold Ireland, India and spheres of Influence In Afghanistan and elsewhere, and insist upon the affiliation of Canada and Australia...
...In fact, there is no longer such a thing as civilians In time of war...
...The past few months tndtooft sPsa that at the conference which *faHff place, not only will naval lisaashaah the subject of dtoeuartcci, sat tss sab tion of the Freedom of the Seat «*¦ hold a prominent place, and a estops in both instances found...
...Its prosperity depends on its economic power and Its overseas trade, on its friendly relations with the rest of the world...
...State unemployment insurance to not even seriously considered outside of Wisconsin or Minnesota, where the labol movement has made some Inroads on th« Independent political field...
...No wonder that the world at large Is interested in the subject...
...We bold that tbe dei afttaaaffft the codification of tatarnotional jft should be mads on the asmapfa that private war and private Wsaft...
...In a very few unionised Indus tries, especially in the highly seasonal needle trades, a system of Industrial unemployment Insurance has been Introduced...
...The United States, all sufficient ss we are, must look to Germany, France, England and elsewhere for ingredients necessary in production...
...That is entirely sssie from the money nSaxwa'' wbafisshTfhS pass* t»~be smted their teseresta...
...The same official source shows striking reductions In employment between 1919 and 1925 ta shipyards, railroad shops, foundries and machine shops, snd various chemical industries...
...Prevention and Remedies The mam reason why the reduction in employment ta manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and the public service has not caused a greater outcry In the United States to that there have been increased opportunities for work ta other lines...
...that the high asm abas only be closed by international apa> ment for the enforcement ef bdSb> tmnal covenants "We stand for loyal and aobetas a> operation in the League's aaneSBU against a State which resorts ts ap ta breach of its covenant...
...Will It follow the traditional policies of Great Britain of maintaining a superior navy to that of any other country in the world...
...but that tbe smaK has been reborn la a saw smX^^P fectiy pansastern^wUa b*""^k President *v7Uson^*S ESt&k Fourteen Potaft: Triibss lT-tj' tion upon the seas ouastab bssx& waters, alike in pesos sad ft^bs ospt as the sees may be ckaad S*t or ta part by taterneAloaal esmoT the erdoreemeni of Sitw manors Sl_Z nanta.' ,,t, ; "What would that mesa hi sssassa Simply this:—That the w*ss25 commerce-prevention mightiSs...
...165,000 Lawyers' and judges...
...In diplomacy, agreements on very important questions are often arrived at in private conversations before they are ostensibly agreed to at pubHc conferences...
...The powers that be have not awakened sufficienty to meet it, probably because they have thought up to now that they did not have to...
...The destmctioo of the eeonotalr strength of the watlosi having foreign markets carrying on over-seas commerce throws open to the winner...
...We now have a stake In tbe world...
...In the extensive study of the National Bureau of Economic Research published in 1928...
...almost eighteen billion dollars of Amorlean wealth Is invested ta feroara lands...
...Britain is dependent on other nations for some of the raw materials it needs in Industry...
...It has hailed with Joy the proposal of spending billions of dollars on public works during periods of depression...
...The race in naval armaments is viewed by the small powers with real alarm and apprehension, not only because of their Inability to cope with a major power...
...Even the most advanced Industrial nation depends upon others for materials to carry on its economic life...
...They have served the purposes of an expanding and developing country...
...ciauon of the right to tsftsftflS merce-prevenUon on the high ibuTl our own private ends...
...The business cycle is being assiduously studied...
...These are furnished by the civil population...
...It is questionable whether she profits at all...
...Meyer Xarsftlh his resolution presented to tro Aanjfjl Congress substantially took the pxstt that British Labor now boles, wefta> nately we were not able to masasst h government because of the fast bat at movement has not as yet resehaf ft power comparable to that of tas fta> pean Labor Movement...
...Figures for these are not available...
...274 470 520 329 326 308 323 380 Public service, mercantile, miscellaneous...
...Often England pays for these preferential privileges very dearly In life and money, and the fruit goes perhaps wholly and always partly to foreign capitalists...
...Unofficial agencies such as the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Industrial Relations Counselors, the League for Industrial Democracy, the American Federation of Labor, the Labor Bureau, Inc., the Labor Research Dept...
...That may have been so at a time when only a few of the peoples of the world were Industrially developed and engaged ta maritime pursaita...
...To gtre a nation the right of control of the seas Is tantamount to making It overlord of the world...
...Because of the tremendous power that each of the nations pbsimssu, their duties seem quite clear...
...The unemployed workers ta agriculture, the coal and textile Industries have been simply thrown on their own resources...
...of Rand School of Social Science, besides governmental sources of course, are contributing to our knowledge of the subject...
...and ijnDcveriehes the nation...
...25,000 Domestic and Personal Service: Hotels and restaurants...
...Despite all that to being written and said by economists, employers, and trade unionists, the unemployment problem gets no real con*ideratk)rf%n the United States...
...That postulate needs no QSarMsftnn It is accepted by most Intelligent people...
...a> garded as a renunciation of war, oast insofar as may be necessary ft east the enforcement of the puboc^sssstsb provided for in the covenant at ft League orations jj| Labor It quite realistic It rSDsjsfe that the change* brought shaft fey ahem methods ta transportation aaf a kvention has weakened control ef tbtaa as a weapon for commerce armsfti Realistically looking at the attaahl Labor does not disregard the efstap a* the submarine and aeroplane ossbtb tag force to the battleship, wsybjst shipping engaged ta neutral eaSBMsa British Labor's Peaey ^ What can be expected of Urn Mht Government to lucidly set torts h ft pamphlet from which I have ak*fj quoted: ^4s| "The Lahbur Party standi (arte complete renunciation of the right a private war and private Meckas* "We stand for the fun aeoaaaap of the new doctrine of Frsedesj at ft Seas, l_e...
...It is not true that it is at all necessary to British prosperity to retain control of the seas, but when I use the term "control of the seas" I mean the right to search and seizure In time of war and certainly ta times of peace...
...But we shall not have the necessary information until after the decennial census of 1030, which will take a nation-wide inventory of those unemployed as of April first of that year...
...It formerly took one man 8 hours to make 450...
...150,000 Professional and Semi-Prof essin rial Services: Teachers and professors...
...used as a private weapon...
...MaertonaM In his foreword says, "I hope this historical and critical statement on the subject of the freedom of the seas wm be widely read both here and In America...
...During periods of cyclical depression estimates and guesses are made by Interested parties...
...And the millions out of work 'during cyclical depressions have simply been made to shift for themselves...
...War, therefore, h a punishment rather than a gain...
...16,000 Insurance agents...
...War between us and England to unthinkable...
...Life lias become rather complex, and needs that must be supplied cannot so be supplied without the import of materials from overseas...
...Sea power was the basts of the right to search and seizure...
...Research and trade associations have spread widely new Meas...
...It is not an exaggeration to say that the man at the front Is effective only so long as the population ta the rear Is able to furnish him with the needed munitions to carry on...
...The economists and some of the more intelligent business men are making a real effort not only to understand but also to regulate the violence of the swings of the business cycle...
...used laatftmH peace...
...In which presumably the Bfngfy" of the present visit of the pieuuer was has been largely discussed...
...Munitions are no longer confined to ammunition, guns, powder, dynamite bullets, etc...
...Instead of gaining its objective, it rears another competitive factor, sad sows the seeds of economic aintasnsawma and possible future wars...
...The maintenance of peace between themselves end that of the world is their primary duty, ta their own respective Interests as well as that of the world...
...The question of "freedom of the seas...
...230 248 230 220 350 345 280 422 Transportation and commu170 598 580 251 340 184 144 152 Min?s, quarries, oil wells...
...the civilian working is the factory Is as necessary for the proper prosecution of war as is the man in the field...
...There are no figures available...
...These same elements are studying the causes for seasonal fluctuations and some employers have taken steps to regularize employment...
...535,000 Barbers, hairdressers and manicurists...
...watshodTthe eleetlon in GreaT'Britain with a keen thtereet and weer deeply concerned ss to what the attitude of the Labor Government would be on these two questions, particularly "freedom of the eess...
...Men over forty find It harder to secure employment, while their wives, and their sons and daughters take their jobs...
...the steel Industry...
...We are still ta the stage of talking about the need for a national system of efflcTent labor exchanges, under civil service...
...In the term "munitions" we now Include all that is necessary to equip and maintain armies...
...Personnel men have reduced turnover ta many plants...
...125,009 Electric refrigeration...
...The displacement of...
...That conference Is now a fact Since then there have been continuous conversations between the Labor Premier and General Dawes, the American Ambassador...
...And so it goes...
...5,000 Dentists...
...Flour or leather, chemicals er copper, eloth or meat, and raw material of every description, one might even say diamonds used tor cutting glass, eould easily be traced as being used for war purposes and thus denominated contrabaad...
...The leader of British Labor thus commits Britain to renouncement of the right to seizure and search, and thus frankly promises that the Labor government will use its power in the Interest of the freedom of the seas...
...8.000 Motion pictures...
...Equally Is that true of the Brttfth...
...OkJeeUves of War The world war was fought for economic reasons regardless of what the propaganda before our entry into the war was...
...Pressure is being put on federal authorities to obtain the facts...
...It was a ease of might making right It was never justifiable tnaafar as neutrals were concerned...
...There have been gains in employment ta wholesale and retail trade...
...The two outstanding countries in the race for naval supremacy in modern history are the United States and Great Britain...
...War dssifijs vitality, rHmmtohos the nissshsr...
...It may have been wise in the past...
...240 400 350 300 375 360 370 374 Nature and Causes The most important and most obvious sause of unemployment in the United States is the recurrent business depression...
...The Hearings on Unemployment before the Committee on Education and Labor of the United States Senate, held In December, 1928—February, 1928 (Report No...
...and 173 days respectively...
...MacDonald, was used to urge the electorate to return Labor to Parliament...
...Again, ta another line, "a brick-making machine in Chicago makes 40,000 bricks per hour...
...Every three years or so the so-called efficient American system throws several millions out of work...
...The number of Industrial nations has and is Increasing and aow the victor in a war for economic reasons merely clears the reads either for the neutral er the predominatingly powerful nation...
...For the maintenance of an army, governments must draw upon the economic power of the nation...
...It cannot now be Justified on any theory of law or equity...
...The decay of the textile Industry In the New England States and its rapid growth ta the South have caused unemployment ta an overdeveloped Industry...
...But only one-ninth of the industrial, agricultural and public service employees are unionized...
...It should in all fairness be stated that the problem of unemployment to receiving some attention ta the United States...
...The latter question has already been answered to some extent...
...We saw dsrftVf dly an economse power, the mightiest In the world.' American commerce spans every ocean...
...and every ten or twelve as many as from four to six millions...
...A proposal to allocate for bad years a amsn percentage of public construction by the federal, state aad municipal governments has been receiving some attention, although nothing has practically been done...
...Maries are maintained as much for the interference with and the prevention of commercial Intercourse by the antagonist with neutral countries ss for attack upon the enemy...
...Wolman's figures are minima only...
...therefore, all and sundry activities of neutrals may be included...
...That is true even of such nations as are wholly without any commerce outside of their boundaries...
...7,006 Distributive Industries: Automotive industries, including chauffeurs ......1,ltd,009 Radio...
...I^swrwftfajt good its pledge to further the ssaaJ peace for tbe world ^. unemployment in the united states No Statistics Available on Greatest Social Problem of the Day By Nathan Fine "js^O one knows how much unemployment ' there is st sny time In the United States...
...It now only helps some lew commercial magnates to obtain a preferential status in the struggle between capitalists of every nation for natural resources and markets...
...The Alabama, what to do or where to turn when he Is displaced...
...To a larger extent It is true of the nations above mentioned and the rest of the world...
...j...
...Finally, it should always .be remembered that even in the most prosperous years there are from one to one and onehalf millions out of work In the United States...
...Her expenses Insofar as soma of the colonies are aonoerned exceed the income...
...A war between two nations, say of the also and strength of the United States and Britain, with their navies even limited as they now are, could paralyse the economic life of the rest of the world by declaring articles of commerce contraband, providing, of course, the right to search and seizure is retained by them pursuant to present interpretation of international law...
...Apart from cyclical and seasonal fluctuations certain major industries have been chronically depressed, as In Great Britain...
...Much British wealth ft tav toted overseas, much stagbsh produce ft used tn foreign chases...
...It could not be removed from the field of dispute until tbe right to use war and "blockade" as an Instrument of national policy had been renounced...
...Agriculture has been hard hit since the deflation of 1830...
...The question of the freedom of the •ess, therefore, Is one that concerns the whole world...
...A large section of the British public feels that the freedom of the seas cannot and must not be Interfered with by Britain...
...A powerful propaganda by tbe Socialist Party and the trade unions to Imperative to compel action on the greatest social problem of the day...
...Nations without any overseas trade or markets are as deeply affected by the denial of free intercourse over the seas as those actually holding foreign markets and controlling, ao to speak, spheres of Influence in foreign climes...
...There Is a taw of compensation...
...2072, a useful document) emphasised the necessity for accurate data...
...It would be the most inhuman of any of the wars In history...
...17,000 Physicians and surgeons...
...The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Interstate Commerce Commission supply figures only on employment...
...For It ft preeminently an Anglo-American problem and, until it ft removed from the field of dispute, Anglo-American cooperation in world affairs cannot be securely founded...
...RECENT ECONOMIC CHANGES, Mr...
...But we know practically nothing of tbe actual extent of unemployment...
...But It has turned stoutly protectionist ta the mistaken belief that the workers will benefit...
...it is dependent for Its food bo s greater extent upon other nations...
...Britain is ss much in need of continued peace as are the small powers...
...It to the writer's belief that they will be more and more compelled to provide remedies, as tbe sosailed prosperity wanes, again, as wane it will ta the near future...
...An acceptance of the principle of the right to search and seisure ft the obstacle ta the way of naval disarmament...
...Lowered taxes, tariffs, cheap money and concentrated banking, have all ta varying degrees assisted bankers and Industrialists, and Indirectly provided work ta certain lines...
...Here It must be said that wars, at least In modem times, found their cause in economic rivalries...
...This is a source of considerable unemployment in some parts of the country, due to the weather, and In other Industries, due to the fluctuations in demand...
...In the past few years the technological cause of unemployment has created s great stir in labor and academic circles...
...Merger has followed merger without hindrance from government or conservatives In banking or Industry...
...aeaZtl high seas should only be oaaJaaX International mnr hob far ta«T" strain t of a breaker of tk» easS peace...
...It is detrimental to British Interests...
...This illustrates the situation In...
...Two men now do the work which formerly required 138 to perform in loading pig Iron...
...MaeDohald has announced to the world that a conference of roepomdbsi lemaseatatives of tbe United States and smetaad should beheld at the ear beat moment with a view of frankly dm i mm me the problems Involved aad open minffenTy consider a solution...
...It ig unthinkable because of the natural background...
...Under the term "contraband...
...Thousands of telegraphers, musicians, printers, and skilled tradesmen face displacement ss the result of new devices...
...22,000 Clergymen...
...it has refused to face up to the effects of technological unemployment, and it has talked vaguely of making provisions lay the Inevitable unemployment catual by cyclical depression every three er nmae years...
...There are no illusions about that: they know full well that they cannot hope to meet and fight successfully any of the large powers- If unfortunately a war should break out between one of them and a major power...
...Meaning of Contraband Modern methods of war have changed our Ideas as to what constitutes contraband...
...96,000 Mail order houses...
...All this to logically s part sf ft* boar's policy of all-In ArMtrattor, p» ed aecurtts...
...Reference to the table above will show the slumps of 1921-1922, 1924, and 1927...
...American Interests are hi every clime, our continued materials security depends upon the maintenance of our economic position...
...Export trade plays a very much smaller role ta the United States than in Great Britain, but the federal government aad the large trusts have excellent facilities for promoting It...
...The League, British Labor and World Peace socialist regime in Britain Makes league of Nations Begin to be a Factor in World Affairs By Jacob Panken THE Labor victory in Great Britain has brought before the world for immediate cooii deration the question of disaxrrauneot and also another <wjrttiori which has agitated the minds of American diplomats add now and then caused strained relations berwecn the United States ahd Englsstd, That qustion deals with "Freedom of the Seas...
...A few of the industrial states and the American Federation of Labor report monthly the percentage of a limited number of trade unionists out of work...
...53,000 Telephone...
...So that as MacDonald arrives in America, many of the points at issue and the isifilmi i have already been solved...
...True, we have good indices of the shrinkage of employment In manufacturing, transportation, mining, and In a few other pursuits...
...We shall not know what has actually occurred until the results of the 1936 census are published...
...Employment on Clam I steam railroads— the overwhelming number—dropped from an lnder of 104.1 In 1923 to 92.9 in 1938, with an equivalent Increase in tonnage carried...
...Real wages have risen in part ss a result of stabilised prices...
...The American Federation of Labor has emphasised the prime need for shortening hours, it has stressed the necessity for providing for those skilled men displaced by machinery, although it has not definitely and vigorously pushed unemployment Insurance by the state...
...Practically no industry to free from seasonal ups and downs...
...neap, m'the" raee lop naval ¦Iftmhaeaft ft is bet as aH certain that the United Is sought to take abstain sad rhe world eat of the eWemsaa...
...one man replaces 42 in operating open-hearth furnaces...
...e« There Is no unanimity of ofsaht't Britain on the freedom of tbe aa| Conservatives refuse to learn...
...Leo Wolman gives one of the few and beat compilations for the years 1920-1927 inclusive: West Virginia and Kentucky coal fields, operated with non- union labor, worked 2S6, 247 and 230 days each ta 182«, while those In Ohio, Illinois and Indiana only 158, 172...
...and dlarmament fttb level strleOy required for the sttftp neace of order...
...Every esssaktaratkm requires an undststaiwtrng between us and England ta tbe direction of amicable adJaslsriiinss of rtlfferenoea Britain, though the sua never sets an her empire, does not profit from her possessions as much as It Is assumed...
...An army in the field requires clothing, food, shelter and constant replacement of war instruments...
...That being so, the objective of war Is to ciipple the economic power of the opponent, net only for the daiaeleai of the war bat rather for the fstare...
...The depressions last for months and even years...
...A city like Columbus, Ohio, makes an annual survey of unemployment...
...Aside from the race in which these two countries are engaged, their influence in International affairs is so great that any understanding arrived at between them will determine the attitude and conduct of all other countries...
...The workers have been speeded up to a feverish pace...
...78,008 Telegraph and cable...
...169,000 There has been an Increase In the number of persons employed ta extracting petroleum, thus offsetting unemployment ta coal snd metaj fields...
...The smaller powers should be peaceful, their Interests lie in .the maintenance of peace, their concern m due to the restrictions and rights under present International law as to the freedom of the seas...
...The Census Bureau declares that there was a decrease of about 800,000 ta the number of workers on the farms between 1920 and 1925 alone...
...labor by machinery has taken on unheard of proportions...
...MacPonaM far that to be dona, but ft ft a policy upon which (he Labor Party as a whole has embarked...
...Already, by our ~«~r4fiMa si bS League of Nations Covenant w* ft* gone a very long way aswsros asm...
...Conditions have changed...
...Practically Nothing Done America has not prevented unemployment, nor has It solved tbe problem along Individualistic lines...
...goes far beyond the rights of the United States and Britain and their Interest in their solution...
...Almost Immediately after Ramsay Mac Donald was asked to form the British Government, he made It known to the world that It was his intention to visit the United States to have a conference with President Hoover, the purpose of the conference to be the limitation of armament...
...There was up to a year ago a tremendous building boom...
...30,000 Oil heating apparatus...
...In the recent campaign a very widely circulated pamphlet entitled "Freedom of the Seas, Old tad New" with a foreword by Mr...
...Lawrence B. Mann, of the United States Department of Commerce, estimates that between 1990 and 1937 there have been Increases ta the number of worker* ta tbe following lines: Production, Transportation and Communication: Construction...
...Even in the highly unionised Pennsylvania anthracite area unemployment has been rife because of the use of substitutes...
...That has aho been the pasha) « American Borlallsm...
...Rst Xaabor Party has definitely ossaup to tbe proposition of the freedom of the seas...
...It was betteved, the foreign markets held by the defeated victim...
...Besides the widespread adoption of labor-saving devices, the use of the conveyor or belt—exemplified best In the Ford plants—rearrangement of plant layouts, simplified routing of materials, and especially the greater use of electric power, have steadily reduced the need for labor in such industries ss have not made rapid gains...
Vol. 9 • October 1929 • No. 9
