THE FIVE-DAY WEEK

These more direct questions involved in considering the
practicability of a five-day working schedule are likely to lead
far afield into more conjectural problems of economics.
Would a general adoption of the five-day week without
maintenance of the full working time result in a reduction in
our national manufacturing output, because of inability of
improved Processing to compensate for the productive time
lost? If such a loss in volume of production were in prospect,
would such a condition be desirable? It is generally conceded
 that, except for brief periods, the productive capacity
of the country’s manufacturing facilities is seldom approached,
 and is even more rarely taxed, and yet the capacity
of domestic and foreign markets to absorb industry’s present
output is, in general, all too easily satisfied. Therefore,
would such a natural curtailment of output be advantageous?
In case such a curtailment became general, would the price
structure be disturbed? In other words, could industry produce
 as economically on the shorter schedule as on the longer,
or would commodity prices rise because of higher unit production
 costs? In the event that higher prices and lower
earnings followed the reduction jn working hours, would de.
mand for manufactured products be maintained? Or would
the extra day of leisure tend to stimulate the purchase and
consumption of manufactured commodities?
Whatever the direct result of 2 widespread adoption of the
five-day working schedule might be upon the manufacturing
industries immediately affected, the more indirect, but not
less important, effects upon collateral industries should not
be lost sight of. Economic activities in modern society are
inseparably interrelated and the reduction or rearrangement
of working schedules to a five-day basis in certain industries
might be expected to affect in some measure other industries
which for one reason or another find such a change impracticable.
 Questions of special interest arise in connection with
the effect of the application of the five-day week in manufac.
turing industries upon other industries that supply them cer.
tain services, such as light, power and transportation,
The electric light and power industry is under the neces.
sity of maintaining Producing facilities capable of meeting
the peak demand for current no matter how small a portion