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In January, 1914, I was in the editorial department of a national
magazine--the nation's largest trade journal. I was assigned to cover the story
of
the very beginning of the conveyer-belt assembly-line mass-production system at
the Ford Motor Company plant in Detroit. Ford initiated this system of mass
machine production. At that time only the U.S. provided a mass market for such
mass production.
Soon other auto companies followed suit, and then virtually all American
production in other lines. This swelled profits enormously for capital and
management. But labor unionism immediately engaged in a crusade of strikes to
raise wages. Also labor leaders adopted the false philosophy of "GET" instead of
cooperation and sharing. Labor union wars ensued, like the Herrin, Illinois,
coal
mine massacre, in which more than 20 were murdered and many injured. Labor
turned to the attitude that the employer was the enemy--slow down your work,
give as little as you can get away with, then fight with the weapon of the
strike to
increase wages and lower hours of work.
Result? The quality of industrial production diminished.
Meanwhile a burgeoning affluent middle class--also motivated by the way
of "get"--developed in the United States. Before World War II the United States
had mounted to a position of wealth and power such as no nation ever possessed.
God had blessed us with the natural resources. Selfishness and greed on
the part of both management and labor temporarily increased our prosperity. But
those very evils are now bringing this country DOWN!
As late as 1969, the American wage was three times that of England and
four times that of Japan.
Meanwhile, the Common Market (EEC) in Europe gave that continent a mass
market for mass machine production--AT LOW-COST LABOR. Even with
machine production, labor had to direct the machines and remained the largest
item of cost in production. Development of modern transportation gave Japan a
mass market--in fact, a world market. Now Europe and Japan compete with mass
production and LOW-cost labor against the U.S. with its high-cost labor. Not
only
that, but both in Japan and West Germany, labor is patriotic, regarding
conscientious work as a duty to their country. Result, Japan and West Germany
export to the U.S., underselling U.S. competition with better quality
merchandise.
In 1970 Prime Minister Sato of Japan told me he foresaw and feared a real
trade war with the U.S., and hoped it would not happen. It is HERE! Japan has
figuratively bombed and almost destroyed Detroit. I am leaving Monday on a Far
East trip, and expect to discuss this situation with Prime Minister Nakasone in
Tokyo. He just departed from talks with President Reagan in Washington
yesterday--apparently with no good results for the U.S.
Again, was Roger Babson right?
What does your BIBLE say? What does GOD say?