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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



May 25. 1921 



thiit employment should be denied to men not parties to the con- 

 tract is an invaHion of the constitutional rights of the American 

 workman, is against public policy, and is in violation of the con- 

 spiracy laws. This association declares its unalterable antagonism 

 to the closed shop and insists that the doors of no industry be 

 closed against American workmen because of their membership 

 or non-membership in any labor organization. 



"10. The National Association of Manufacturers pledges itself 

 to oppose any and all legislation not in accord with the foregoing 

 declaration." 



"The conservation of labor by the increased use of templates 

 and forms," was one or the most important recommendations 

 contained in the report of the committee of Conservation of 

 Natural Resources, made to the National Piano Manufacturers* 

 Association of America, in annual session at the Drake Hotel, 

 Chicago. May 10. 



The report was made by Mark P. Campbell, chairman of a 

 committee comprising G. A. Anderson, A. J. Brooks and Charles 

 E. Byrne. It was referred by the convention to the executive com- 

 mittee of the association with power to act. 



The remarks of the committee relative to the labor question 

 were especially interesting. "It has been stated, with more or 

 less accuracy," the committee said, "that on reducing the piano 

 to its basic terms it is about 1 5 per cent material and 85 per cent 

 labor. Labor is truly one of America's natural resources, and it is 

 within the power of every manufacturer in the United Spates 

 to exert some influence towards the conservation of this particu- 

 lar resource — not only as a manufacturing expediency, but as a 

 patriotic duty. 



"Material is limited in its function; labor, as history shov/s, is 

 unlimited in the efficiency to which it can go. By the employ- 

 ment of more templets and patterns and the addition of machinery, 

 it will be possible to develop this resource. The improvement in 

 dexterity will eliminate the necessity of high skill w^ithout affect- 

 ing in the slightest degree the intrinsic value of the finished 

 product." 



The report further developed this thought into the suggestion 

 "that immigration be not restricted as at present proposed, but 

 on the contrary encouraged — of course, barring the physically 

 incapacitated and those of bolshevistic turn of mind — bringing 

 into America those who can be Americanized without the hyphen, 

 and educating these people to work. If we were to make a doctor, 

 we would educate him to that profession in order that he might 

 produce the best results. Business colleges and schools specializ- 



ing in economics have increased in number and matriculates since 

 1880 to a very surprising degree, because it was found necessary 

 to educate people to do business. So with out immigrants, who 

 will to a very large percentage be destined to work with their 

 hands. They should be educated to work. The small minority of 

 immigrants who possess greater ability than the ordinary will 

 work out their own salvation without any assistance from others, 

 and we need not, therefore, treat of this small minority here. 

 Takes Lead In 30 Years. 



"America today is classed as one of the leading powers, and in 

 another generation, if the immigration continues to flow in and 

 those immigrants are properly handled, America will be. in our 

 opinion, the leading nation without any competition. We have the 

 resources, we will have the people, and we will have the producers. 

 If America is to be robbed of this first position, the act w^ill have 

 to be accomplished inside of twenty-five years." 



At this point in its report the committee delivered an opin- 

 ion that unionism is not only of no benefit to employers, but 

 that it actually militates against the welfare of the union w^orker. 

 because, after all, the law^ of supply and demand controls the 

 wages and other matters pertaining to labor regardless of union- 

 ization. The committee said: "The war just passed has given 

 us some interesting figures on the wages of labor and unionism 

 as a medium to better results. Unskilled, unorganized labor in- 

 creased its wages 142 per cent over the pre-war level. Skilled 

 labor, which had organized through the medium of its leaders, 

 succeeded in raising the rate of its wages only I 1 7 per cent, and 

 practically every trade suffered the expense of a costly strike, which 

 reduced their annual earning power. These figures in them- 

 selves are very significant, and to your committee is proof posi- 

 tive that wages are subject to the law of supply and demand. 

 Labor is a commodity; the laborer is never a commodity. Admit- 

 ting that unions do not in any way assist in the betterment, they 

 should be very carefully watched so that they do not gain political 

 power. We have only to look today to England, who was the 

 leading nation of the world, and see her plight, due entirely to 

 labor unionism. Australian laws, directed by the unions, have 

 made it a very difficult country in which to manufacture, and in 

 our own country the far west is coming somewhat under the 

 control of the unions and is suffering from the manufacturers' 

 standpoint. 



Conservation of Materials 



Relative to the conservation of materials the committee recom- 

 mended first that the piano box or shook be re-used and in gen- 

 'Conthiui'l (in {iQfte 4S) 



Reading from left to right — C. C. Chickering, First Vice-President; James T. Bristol, Secretary; Charles Jacob, Treasurer, 



and Mark P. Campbell, Second Vice-President 



