UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 43 
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and are off of their jobs. Now we do not consider those who have 
jobs as idle and I presume in the 9 per cent would be included thg 
number that are floating in that sort of mystical situation. 
The CrairmMaN. Mr. Green, I thought I understood Mr. Michener 
clearly, What he meant to inquire was what was the state of unem- 
ployment during ordinary times. 
Mr. Green. I have made that as clear as I can. 
. The Cuairman. About 9 per cent of all that are employed in good 
times. 
Mr. Green. You will understand, Mr. Chairman, included in 
that 9 per cent are a large number of workers who have been disolaced. 
The CuairmaN. I understand that. } 
Mr. Green. Through the introduction of mechanical devices. } 
. The CuairMAN. The question only involved a picture of the condi- 
tion in prosperous times. 
Mr. GreeN. Yes. Now I want to make this observation: Indus- 
tries are beginning to realize that sales policies condition profits 
equally with production economics. Salesmanship and markets are 
essential to satisfactory disposal of articles on the market. Wage 
earners have been stating in emphatic terms that they would like to 
live better and if they had the money there would be no surplus of bath- 
tubs, shoes, dentists’ services, books, automobiles, good clothing. 
Higher wage rates and more stable employment would increase wage 
earners’ incomes so that they might buy those things they want and 
need. There is at our very doors a huge potential market for Ameri- 
can products which should be used to turn the tide of business up- 
ward toward prosperty. Over 7,000,000 families in the United States 
have no automobile; about 20,000,000 have no adequate radio set. 
In our cities alone, without counting farm population, there were in 
1928 over 4,000,000 families who had no bathtubs in their homes, and 
over 3,000,000 who had not even a kitchen sink with running water, 
and probably no plumbing of any kind in their houses. Over 13,000,- 
000 families in our cities have no telephones; over 4,000,000 live in 
homes not wired with electricity. About 5,000,000 families in Amer- 
ica to-day are living below the minimum of health and efficiency level; 
they need furniture, clothing, food, better housing. And the four 
and one-half million who have barely enough to support themselves 
at a minimum of health level are only too eager to raise their standard 
of living by buying industrial products. All these are eager to be cus- 
tomers of our industries. 
Take the hosiery industry, for instance, which is now suffering 
from overproduction. It would not have the least difficulty in 
selling its product if the thousands of women who want silk stock- 
ings could buy enough to satisfy their needs. the cotton industry 
would not be calling for drastic curtailment if wage earners could 
buy all the cotton goods they need for clothes and household sup- 
plies. Automobile manufacturers could keep on expanding produec- 
tion instead of reducing if the 7,000,000 families who have no cars 
were able to buy. And so with other industries. Here is an immense 
potential market for our goods. Developing this market will mean 
higher living standards for thousands who have not yet shared in 
American prosperity. It will mean human progress along with 
industrial progress; the creation of better homes, happier families, a 
higher quality of citizenship, greater opportunity to develop the