Our state is steadily progressing along all lines of
industrial endeavor and the people some time ago set themselves to the task of
keeping abreast of the times. Capital and labor in North Carolina are on
distinctively friendly terms and labor disturbances are rare occurrences in our
commonwealth. There is a hopeful tendency towards even more favorable
conditions for the wage-earner as the demand for his services increase with the
great industrial awakening now existent.
Employers realize that “the laborer is worthy of his hire”
and voluntary advances in the wage scale have been frequent occurrences in
North Carolina the past year. This has not been confined to any particular
class of workers. It applies to factory, farm—to every trade and profession.
Wages were never higher in this State than they are today, nor has the demand
for labor ever been greater. Skilled workers of every trade have enlisted with
those who are engaged in perfecting government plans for the successful
prosecution of the war and their absence is felt in every industry and business
activity. But labor has determined to do its best in helping win the war and
the average North Carolina worker feels deeply the obligation laid upon him in
this great crisis. While necessity requires, the home field must be neglected,
for what will home profit us if we do not win the war? So far, no industry in
the State has apparently been seriously impaired for lack of labor, although
the scarcity of efficient help is being keenly felt in some sections.
The wage-earners, with all other patriotic North
Carolinians, are assisting, to the utmost extent of their ability, in the
prosecution of the part the United States has taken in the world struggle for
democracy. They realize that victory for civilization upon the battlefields of
France can be won only by the full exertion of the man-power of the entire
country; that full mobilization of that power means not only the placing of a
sufficient number of soldiers in Europe, but the unstinted exertion of every
able-bodied person in the United States in some field of adequate and useful
employment; that the war must be fought by the nation at home as well as by the
soldiers upon the field of conquest. Therefore, a large percentage of the
toilers of this state have this year been devoting their energies to the
execution of co-operative plans, with the Government, in endeavoring to secure
the maximum effort on the part of all the people in producing record crop
yields and utilizing every resource in making our full man-power effective both
at home and in government war activities everywhere. There is no room for the
labor slacker in North Carolina. “Work or fight” is the slogan which has been
and is still being used with telling effect from one end of the state to the
other. Barring a few trifling experiences with professional exploiters of
labor, the State has found little difficulty in adjusting the labor situation to
new and changed conditions.
Through all the exciting scenes and activities of the past
year our people have been able to maintain existing laws and standards relative
to the employment of women and children reasonably well. They have tried to
avoid the experience England had in the early part of the war, when the health
and efficiency of her female workers became seriously impaired through long and
continued hours of labor, because more workers were not available. Vigorous
action has been taken to enlist the co-operation of every citizen of earning
capacity and efforts in this direction have been worth while. Labor is loyal in
North Carolina.
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