Fireside Chats

By F.D.Roosevelt.

“Last autumn, on several occasions, I expressed my faith that we can make possible by democratic self-discipline in industry general increases in wages and shortening of hours sufficient to enable industry to pay its own workers enough to let those workers buy and use the things that their labor produces. This can be done only if we permit and encourage cooperative action in industry because it is obvius that without united action a few selfish men in each competitive group will pay starvation wages and insist on long hours of work. Others in that group must either follow suit or close up shop. We have seen the result of action of that kind in the continuing descent into the economic hell of the past four years.

There is a clear way to reverse the process: If all employers in each competitive group agree to pay their workers the same wages—reasonable wages—and require the same hours-- reasonable hours—then higher wages and shorter hours will hurt no employer. Moreover, such action is better for the employer than unemployment and low wages, because it makes more buyers for his product. That is the simple idea which is the very heart of the Industrial Recovery Act.

On the basis of this simple principle of everybody doing things together, we are starting out on this nation wide attack on unemployment…It goes back to the basic idea of society and of the nation itself that people acting in a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about”.

“The New Deal”

By F.D.Roosevelt

Various and effective measures were undertaken by WRA (Works Progress Administration) to give work to the unemployed in the USA at the time of the Great Depression. During the eight years (1935-1943) there were built 651, 000 miles of highways, over 125,000 public buildings, over 124,000 bringes, 853 airports, there were laid out over 8,000 parks, among other things. Under the FWP (Federal Writers Project) and projects similar to that (aimed to aid unemployed writers, musicians, actors, artists, designers) more than 8.5 million people got jobs.

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The first industrial revolution is now a thing of the past and it is idle to ask whether men would have refrained from starting it, or would have directed its course more wisely, had they been able to forеsee the distant consequences of their acts.

But it is urgent that we should have these questions in mind as we enter the second industrial revolution. One of the reassuring aspects of the modern world is that much thought is now being given to the possible effects of the future applications of science.

The ethical problem posed by the utilization of knowledge are as old as mankind. But it is only during modern times that the question has become practically important as a result of increasing effectiveness of scientific methods. It is, of course, for society to decide what goals it wishes to reach and what risks it is willing to talk. But it is the task of science to formulate as clearly as possible and to make public the probable consequences of any step it takes and any action it advocates.

Three hundred years ago Bacon and his followers were justified in claiming that the important problem was to learn how to do things. There was so little that could be done! Now the main issue for scientists and for society as a whole is to decide what to do among that could be done. Unless scientists are willing to give hard thought to this latter aspect of their social responsibilities, they may find themselves unable to control the forces they have unleashed.

WORLD AROUND US

Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British isles.The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometers.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech “Great Britain” is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

The surface of the British Isles varies very much. The north of Scotland is mountainous and is called the Highland, while the south, which has beautiful valleys and plains, is called the Lowlands. The north and west of England are mountainous, but all the rest – east, centre and south-east – is a vast plain. Mountains are not very high. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain (1343).

There are a lot of river in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is one of the world’s smaller countries. Its population is over 57 million. About 80% of the population lives in cities and towns.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of the machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen. In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consist of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labor, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.