INDUSTRIAL UNREST.
[To THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR."3 SLR,—I find myself in full agreement with what you say as to the need of educating Labour to the truth that increase of output is the only remedy for our present difficulties. At the same time I would suggest that more scientific methods on the part of employers would go a long way towards removing the causes of objection to any system of payment by results. A thorough and accurate system of costing is necessary to make anything of the nature of piece-work possible, by enabling rates to be fairly fixed and by minimising the danger of their being unreasonably cut down. I am Chairman of a large industrial company which some while ago introduced a system of payment by schedule, which in all but name is piecework. The article produced is one involving many processes, each of which separately is accu- rately coated. The new system was introduced into one department first, and it was soon found that while the wages of the operatives increased by some 30 to 40 per cent, the oust of the process to ourselves was diminished in consequence of
the increased output. Applications from other departments to he put upon the same system soon followed, and were duly- granted with similar results. The wages per head are con- siderably higher, but the cost to the company of the finished article is less than it wits previously.
The same company before the present pressure arose reduced the hours of work to under forty-seven per week, abolishing the before-breakfast period. The result has been that production has not been diminished, while oncost 'expenses have been considerably reduced and every one appears to
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