The Story of Automation-Part IV
Automation Offers More Leisure Tim
By HARRY FERGUSON' !
WASHINGTON (UPI) - The'
average working man today en-1
joys 22 years more leisure than
his grandfather did. He has a
longer lite span, a shorter work
week and more vacation time. :
Automation offers him even
more leisure because the short-;
ening of the work week has I
been relentless and inevitable. !
In 1800 the work week was 84
hours, in 1!)09 it was 52 hours:
and today it is slightly under
40 hours. Labor unions are !
pressing now for a 35-hour 1
week. Joseph Prendcrgast of
the National Recreation Asso
ciation has predicted that with
in a century the work week will
consist of seven hours.
On the surface it would ap
peal' we are on the march to
ward an industrial Utopia. But
many psychiatrists are coming
around to the opinion we are
headed for disaster unless I
Americans can be shaken out
of their mental and emotional
patterns.
"This civilization is not going
to depend on what we do while
we work but on what we do in
our lime off," Herbert Hoover
said many years ago. Sub
sequent events give him top
grade for prophecy.
liored With Leisure
The fact seems to be that
millions of Americans do not
want more leisure time and are
bored when it is forced upon
them. The files of psychiatrists
are crammed with thousands
of cases of executives com
pelled to retire at l3. In about
six months it dawns on these
men that fishing and golf are
not so attractive as they looked
from the office window. The re
sults are mental disturbances
SCHOOL NEWS
Mcdfoid High School
l-jlilrd by Khiinc Davenport.
Slidf: Craig Savage. Laura
!.- per. A n n a Richardson,
Dale llockersniilli. Lynn Ben
Ion. Roxanne (iotu-her, Mike
Vaiihan, Nancy Edwards,
Tom Kerr, Put itelzer. Caro
lyn Bailey, Dave Sinilh and
Kay Sneed.
and deterioration in health
sometimes to the point of death.
A more dramatic example is
available on the streets of all
large cities. In the age group
between 14 and 24 there is a
hard core of youths who are
unemployed with no hope of
finding a job.
The National Urban League
says 10 per cent of the white
boys and 17' i per cent of Ne
gro boys seeking work are in
that category. Here you have
enforced leisure 24 hours a day,
52 weeks a year. You also have
an available pool of manpower
from which juvenile delinquent
gangs can recruit members. In
i fact, many government ccono
! mists view this as the most se
1 l ious aspect of automation the
i boys who drop out of school.
I They are unemployable because
I they lack educational skills,
they have nothing to do but
roam the streets and too many
! of them become adept in the
! manipulation of switch-blade
i knives.
e by Shortening Week
Many Arc Contented to say that millions of Ameri- telling point: Sure, there are
Before leaving the imprcs- " are idle and coiUented. more retired workers riding the
.. . , 7 , ... Travel inside the United States highways and the result has
sion that mental hospitals are has boomed in rcccnt vcars bcen a mushroom s,.owth of
crammed with persons who can- and here the defenders of au- motels. In other words, when
not endure leisure, let us hurry i tomation arc able to score a more people are not working.
SECTION C
PAGES 1 to 12
Medford&Tribune
MEDFORD. OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1!), 1083
the economy automatically ad
justs itself by creating new
businesses and industries.
How do Americans kill lime
when not working? In the inac
tive field (reading, listening or
watching somebody else do
something) the rating is in this
order: watching television, lis
tening to radio, reading news
papers, reading magazines,
watching motion pictures.
In the field of hobbies: Col
lecting tilings (stamps, coins,
books, etc.), traveling, card
playing, gardening, fishing,
bowling, sewing, hunting, swim
ming. Photography, boating,
handicrafts, outdoor cooking,
golf, tennis and painting. Spec
tator sports doubtless would be
listed except for the fact that
so much of it is classified un
der television watching and ra
dio listening. Such things as do-it-yourself
carpentry are listed
under handicrafts.
Most psychiatrists put much
hope for the future in self edu
cation. They want people to buy
phonograph records and acquire
a taste for good music. They
want them to read history and
biography or even study for
eign languages at home.
But the prospects for self ed
ucation are dim in this country.
A recent poll showed that only
17 per cent of Americans were
currently reading a book. For
Great Britain the figure was 55
per cent.
Next: Automation and the future.
1 "OPENTIL 9:00 P.M. THURS. FRI. SATURDAY, MON."
II I rTTrTX.YT7 . . II i r f
i BF"ja-1"'1' -'--
Thespian troupe 358 of MHS
has been awarded second prize
in the mimeographer program
compel it ion by the National
Thespian Society for last year's
fall production of "Bernardine."
The program was designed by
Andrea Smith, senior, in the 1
annual program design competition.
Sandra Irving was selected
December girl of the month by
Girls League. Sandra's sched
ule includes membership in
Pep Club, Snomads, History
Economics and Civic Associa
tion. Future Teachers of Ameri
ca, and the tennis team. She is
also president of 1HL. Sandra
hopes to make a career ol :
teaching. j
Because the Medford High j
School choir has become rccog-
nized as one of the outstanding
musical groups in Southern Ore
gon, it is requested to sing at
many functions, especially at
Christmas time.
The Christmas schedule for
this year includes performances
Dec. 8 at First Prcsbvterian
church; Dec. 10 at KBES-TV;
Dec. 12 at Hogue Valley Manor;
Dec. 17 at Rogue Volley Coun
try Club and Medford High;
December 18 at Rogue Valley
Country Club; Dee. 19, a con
cert at MILS; and Dec. 20 at
assemblies at MHS and carol
ing through the halls.
Madrigal choir, a select group
from within the chair, per
formed Dec. 7 at Rogue Valley
Country Club: Dec. 18 at KBES
TV; and will carol at valley
nursing homes.
A white shirt section will be
formed again this year at Med
ford High, according to Dave
Collins, yell king. The section
will be "characterized by the
wearing of white shirts, and the
group of boys will have their
place beside the Pep club at
basketball games.
Christy Finch, senior, was
named Snow Queen of the 1983
84 season by the Rogue Snow
men during intermission of the
ski film the group presented in
the MHS auditorium recently.
Christv will rcipi over the open
ing of the Mt. Ashland Ski
Bowl and special (unctions of
the Snowmen.
Christy was chosen from a
group of girls consisting of
Chris Bartels. Mary Cheney,
and Sue Elmgren, seniors; and
Nancy Elmgren. junior.
Earlv this month, new seats
were installed in the auditor
ium. Thev are of light colored
wood and have flip-up" desk
tops. Also installed was a cabi
net centrally located in the back
of the auditorium which con
t'oirctors. This
was installed mainly for the
purpose of showing educational
films to the homerooms.
Vultures ar" health protectors
; .....rm -mtU uhere thev eat
carrion, being guided to their
food not bv smell, but by sight.
Its amazing vision is an impor
tant factor in the vultures
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