[T1148 Foe COT TO 17 TO oF TT !

New books discuss effects of
automation in three countries

— the evidence of two re-
cently published books, the
Americans would appear to
have installed the most auto-
mation, the Russians would
-seem to have planned the
most far-reachingly on auto-
mation, ‘while the British,
though not as far advanced
have at least provided the best
generalized studies.

Allowing for the necessary
pinches of salt with which to
take such a statement, there
is a respectable amount of
fact with which to back it up.

In the U.S., automation has
made its presence felt in the
auto industry, steel, metal
working, radio, electrical, oil
and chemical processing, rail-
road, printing, baking, brew-
ing, hotel work, warehouse
and office work—to mention
some, but not all, areas.

In the Soviet Union, supreme
and successful efforts culmin-
ated in the creation of notable
examples of “door to door’’ in-
dustrial automation, complete
and fully integrated automatic
manufacturing establishments.
Such are the Az piston man-
ufacturing plant and the Kag-
anovich ball-bearing plant.

The Soviet engineers decid-
ed to meet and lick every
technical problem of automa-
tion in a giant step. (The pis-
ton plant dates back to 1950).

In Britain, progress has been
notable mainly in the auto in-
dustry and in the field of el-
ectronic office (“data process-
ing”) machines.

From Britain have come two
full-length studies of automa-
tion. They are Automation
and Social Progress (Interna-
tional) by Dr. S.Lilley and
The Economic ConSequences
of Automation: (Norton) -by
Dr. Paul Einzig.

Dr. Lilley’s book is the work
of a scientist and scholar who
is a convinced advocate of so-
cialism. It is the first compre-
hensive -study, from this point
of view, of the technological
background of automation,
the limitations and contradic-

tions that it involves under
capitalism, the reasons why
automation’s great promise ean
only be fully realized under
socialism.

Dr. Einzig’s book is the work
of a convinced advocate of
capitalism. He is political cor-
respondent of the Financial
Times and London correspon-

dent of the Commercial and

Financial Chronicle.

The book is-wryly recom-
mended by Lilley in his own
bibliography “to all those. who
wish to know the arguments
against the case I have pre-
sented in the present book.”

x % es

Einzig conducts what may
be termed an “aggressive de-
fence” at every single point
where the advent of automa-
tion obviously creates or in-
tensifies economic problems.
The task is not easy.

The sum of Einzig’s thesis,
as an orthodox economist, is
that automation, especially for
Britain, will relieve the un-
natural situation of what he
ealls “overfull employment.”
Wise, regulatory government
measures (utilized to a mini-
mum) will ensure progress
with automation under capi-
talism.

An uneasy recognition that
the danger of an economic
slump exists, and that automa-
tion might intensify such a
slump by its effects, prompts
Einzig to assert that there is
no way to avoid a slump but
by hastening the introduction
of automation. Thus there will
be the sustaining effect of
capital investment, maybe
even lower prices, while “self
restraint” by labor will avoid
inflationary dangers.

Dr. Einzig admits that there
may be regrettable casualties
among the workers, but he
considers these a necéssary
unavoidable, and possibly use-
ful evil.

‘ x xt x

Dr. Lilley, in his book, deals
much more with~facts, those
facts which are so unpleasant-

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lyy harsh and upsetting for
Einzig’s theories.

Automation, Dr. Lilley
points out, differs from the
technological advances of the
past in that it makes possible
tremendous leaps in produc-
tivity. Jumps in productivity
of two times, five times and
ten times are “quite typical’;
increases by 20 times, 30, and
50 are “by no means rare”;
multiplying productivity by
100 to 1 is certainly possible.”

Furthermore, using the fig-
ures of the single known case
in which cost factors about
automation, such as the price
of machinery, repairs, interest
space, power-use were made
public (Austin Motor Com-
pany), Lilley shows that in
this case at least, capital costs
were greatly reduced. Between
this. and labor-saving, the cost
of production per unit was
lowered by more than one-
half.

Lilley then deals with the
experiences of the workers in
the British and American auto
industries, summarizing them
in a statement with which no
auto worker coulud disagree.

« _ , automation in this case
has not contributed a mite to-
wards the increased abundance
that it is supposed to create.”

From the facts brought to
bear in this instance and oth-
ers, Lilley develops the con-
tradiction between the growth
of productive capacity stim-
ulated by automation, and the
limitation of the market under
capitalism.

In similar practical-theor-
etical fashion, he deals with
the baneful influence of the
monopolies, the limitations
imposed on technological pro-
gress, the anarchic waste of
human and material resources
With each in turn, he dem-
onstrates that automation
serves to pull the knots tight-
er in every problem.

He does not conclude, how-
ever, that nothing can be done
short of socialism.

He lends a supporting analy-
sis to the various measures
proposed in both the Ameri-

can and British labor move- |

ments, particularly the short-
ening of hours, which can win
some of automation’s benefits
for the people.

Lilley serves notice, how-
ever, that he does not conceive
it to be labor’s jok to try to
solve the technical and econ-
omic contradictions besetting
capitalism. The unions’. first
job, he insists, is to protect
and advance their members‘
interests — and time’s been
a-wastin’.

JACOB SAMUELSON

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