The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-03-23
WAGE WON'T KEEP PACE
WITH COST OF LIVING
New York Society of Charities
and Corrections Discusses
Vital Problem.
What Constitutes the Normal
Standard Of Wages Is
Strong Contention.

That the increase of wages has not
kept pace with the increase in the cost
of living was the consensus of opinion
Of all the speakers at the recent New
York state conference of charities and
corrections held at Rochester Many
prominent philanthropists, as we'll as
others connected with charitable and
correctional institutions, attended the
conference, and the demand was made
that in order to treat intelligently the
broad question of charity statistics
should be gathered in regard to what
constitute the essentials of a normal
standard Of living under present con-
ditions and the actual cost of essen
tials as purchased in various communi-
ties. It was contended that only with
such information at hand will it be
possible to know what should con-
etitute the normal standard of pay.
Pay Living Wage.
The principal address was made by
Frank Tucker, vice president of the
Provident Loan society of New York.
He said 1t was necessary to educate
the employers up to paying fair
standard Of wages, and he asserted
also that many Of the offenders against
the principle Of paying their employees
sufficient to enable them to live de-
Gently were directors of charitable in
stitutions.
To-day the wages Of hundreds Of
thousands Of porters, cleaners, drivers,
deliverymen, clerks and others ara
fixed by employeds on the basis of
what they have been in the habit of
paying" Mr.. Tucker said, regardless
of the cost Of living or any other in
terest of the employee, and today the
working conditions. of hundreds Of
thousands are fixed by thoughtless en-
ployers without regard to the happi-
ness or well being 5of the employees
And regret to say that among this
group of offending employers may be
found the managers of some of our
charitable institutions and activities,
although in the last few years there
has been great Improvement in this
direction. e.
Education fors Employers.
Individual casesf illustrating the
above situation have hultiplied in my
own experience Ih might be cited
here, but: time forhl ;s.s j,
- "F'ofs The thougl sempioysf 1llarss
must be an educational campaign
based on knowledge. Public opinion
can only be formed when facts are
produced. All our life Of today is too
much affected by attitude of mind
which originates in precedents and
automatic sayings based on facts Of
years ago.
For the selfish exploiter of the dire
ne eds of men and women there is moth
1ng but the stern arm Of the law. But
n Wcannot be intelligently enacted un-
less there is knowledge Of the condi-
ttons that demand it. Law fixing d
minimum daily wage must be based
Oil knowledge of the requisites of
normal standard of living and their
cost in definite localities. We have de-
creed the conditions under which work
OF many kinds may be performed, and
we have decreed those conditions in
order that the lives of men and women
may be prolonged. And why stop short
and not say that in that mutual rela-
ton Of men and women we call labor
there shall be paid by the one to the
ether at least sufficient to maintain a
family according to an established nor
NAL standard ?"