The labor world., 1899-05-13
1.-THE WAGE QUESTION;
Shorter Workday Must
Come to AXE Care Of Un=
employed.
BY D. A. Petre.

.
4 WRITER in one of the local
~ papers. recently remarked that
when good times and prosperity
were prevalent in the land that strikes
were more plentiful; and drew the
deduction that the working classes
sought to reap advantage over their
prosperous employers by demanding
higher wages. TO most minds train
ed 10 ordinary logic, this writer never
stated greater truism. No one with
an ounce of brains and a disposition
to do what is right, will question the
right of employees to expect corre-
the natural condition of increased de-
mand for labor the products of fac
tories have advanced in value due to
their effort Under the law of supply
and demand the average employer
would increase or diminish his labor
ers or else reduce the pay roll and it
is reasonable to believe on the other
hand that. when better opportn-
mites are Offered to the employer that
the worker should enjoy proper.
tional increase in his wages; and
when he is refused natural right,
discomfort is sure to follow. But the
average working man does not grasp
the situation at all; he has got to bear
in mind that competition regulates
not only prices of commodities, but
also the value of a days work. We
will now see how this is brought
about, Notwithstanding the fact that
times may be better, and that the
working man considers himself en-
titled to higher wages. 1t must be
borne in mind that under the present
system of labor-saving machinery ,and
the condensation of business enter
prises. which we call trusts, that hun
dreds of thousands of men and wo-
men are being driven off the farm,
out of the workshop, and from the
various business concerns of the coun-
try. 1t is easy. therefore, to UNDER
stand that with vast army of peo- !
pie unemployed, looking for the other
fellows job, that the problem of rails
ing wages is one of difficult solution.
Even if all the men employed and UNI .
employed were to belong to a union
and agree to work for only one wage
rate, it is easy to see that not all OF
them could obtain employment, when
there are not positions to fill; the idle
men would soon quit the union, and
again become competitors, because
they would have to live somehow, SO /
think it will become plain to most men
that competition will never raise wag-
es. or anything else. What working
men need to do in order to raise wages
Or even keep them where they are,
and give employment to all, would be
to advocate shorter working hours.
We cannot think of curtailing produc-
tio1 so long as the demand remains,
neither can we destroy or cease to
manufacture machinery, but we can
10y shortening a days work turn out
just as many wares, affording an OPP
portunity for a larger number of ell
forced idlers to gain an honest 1iveli.
hood No man working for himself is
going to be fool enough to spend tell
hours at job when by little thought
and better facilities he can do it in
eight hours: neither will manufac-
turer employ ten men to complete
certain work when he can buy a ma
chine and accomplish the same result
with just two men. When people will
learn to distinguish the difference be-
tween demand and competition
they will look at the wage question
from a different standpoint. But un-
der system of shorter hours and
constant employment we would do
away largely with the idea of compe-
1ition, and arrive closer to plan of
cooperation which would tend to do
away with strikes and loc]l-outs. To
further extend this line of argument
however, would be launching out into
the heresy Of sociaIistic thought $50
much TO be dreaded) which is SEEM
ingly getting Il grip in our own coun-
try. 50 for the present we will medi
tate.