Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1911-05-11
GUARANTEEING A
LIVING.
" age tcpi-ia,ion---it- HISTORY \broad
Pending Measures IN the United

lHNfNf 'llNNM'ffu 10 TN Hliitn ltl /
rates Of wages were first established |
in Australia Ia 1896 the state OF |
victoria enacted a. statut, providing |
Tot special wage Boards. composed of \
an opnal number uf employers aud |
employees, ana a chairman appointed !
10y the government Eacn represent. |
e efficient industry and likes schod- !
ul,S of pay which are tn" lowest thut |
any employer IN IA, trade iS permit |
ted Z" give SLOW workers may
however. be hircd ~ tower rates.
Although the law was intended 90 /
hr an experiment Tor onlv three years .
II was continued from lsaa go 1909 !
was rc.onactod ia the latter wear at % !
special session of the Legislature |
called for that purpose. ana has re-
nlnincd IA operation ever sinf' N'-
Curding Z" present indications 20 Will |
be- continued and extended Indefinite
Ily
White not entirely aboiishing the
law has diminished sWcatiug, has
maintained wages above me amounts
/ paid W. th. uur,gulHt,d trades pro
NOTED organization Imong The work
rrs. br,uRht employers aud employees
closer Together aud elevated thr plano
Of competition TIA, great majority
OF thu people ur Victoria. including
mos, of IN, employers IN III. r,silat-
I'd trades. seem to bc satisfied. Tho
chicf detects uf the scheme are the
lack Of general definition al 81
| standard living wage to bc followed
| by all boards, and the TACT that IL has
not hccu extended 10 every Industry
In
Wales Queensland and south AUS
tialin adopted the wage board sAs-
tom. \ few wears ago "A select com
miitcc appointed by the British house
of commons 90 Investigate" the c"ndi-
ton ot the home workers ia Englrnd.
Recommended wage boards a. the one
measure witch promised relief 10 this
most opprcssrd class Legislation iu
accordanc, with TIM. report Was "a
acted by parliament bat, a. oni> e.
Tow months hav, passed since the
boards VET, established there are no
facts 10y which To- estimate IL .ol-
f,cts.
The National Consumers i,ngu' o.
ursing similar legislation IN the INIT
Cd states. particularly Ia trades cm-
Iploying Vomrn ana children. More
than 9nc-haii ana POSSIBLY tVo-thirds
of the adug mnlc Wng, earnois in
this country rrc"i,, less than $500
pr Ncnr. which is ussurcib tn" mini
mann anon which man lud VII" and
three or four children can liN, dc
Gently. More than half and pnsslni
tWo-thiids of thr girl ANA women
workers get less than s. por W",h.
: which is certainty the minimum ht-
ing wage ~ an, Of tn, larger ritiD.
TN, proportion ut persons WFn are
thus undorpaid has not apFr,ViabiA
decreased in thc last - Ncuts nor
have their wages risen notir.uhlN in
. that time. Noithor competition nor
organization. nor the tree action ut
omplu, ,rs. mon Industrial education
has helped NOR, than small prorur-
ton 81 This great MAS, of mon and
/. women. There is apIJr. niN o." r,m-
, ody that promises adequate Improve
m-nt In IN, near iutur, oEccpt iegis
latiou
IN objection to ana, attempt g. raise
wages by aU iS that on, price 90
products would %" raised corr Spoud-
mgly. pnd that som, o.. those now
tcmpluNcd would Dee compelled Go q"
, iidlo owing tn IA. smaller dtmJnd fu'
goods at the higher prices. Ever,
,uyasur, that raises vases. short, us
hours "r increase the PROV .iuus i"f
isaf,tt ana sanitation iu 60" WORT %
, shop, whcthor o., trad, union action
or n, legal enactment H oprr to this
objection Suc. ih,s, have not pro-
, di1cd tho dir, result predicted. thcr,
is fair presumption laat minimum
wage Legislation would UkrWi~o oscap,
IN. c.utiugcnc> Of higher prices and
Increased mcmpi, >Wcui rhc great
or part of rhc enhanced wage pay-
nl.nts would probably come out co.
the increased efficiency OF thr work
: ora themselves BETTER conditions OF
, living would enable employees to pro-
ducc more. higher wages would com
pcl employers 20 introduc, lmproS c''
proocssc ANY increase ia the pric,
of tn. products of thu WORKERS who's
Wngcs were raised would probably ice
NOR. than Offset hy tuoir greater par
chasing power ana hy the larger rA-
p.nditurc of those WILLING lud able Il
= amend more. II - quite prohabi" tlni
I,mploym.nt would he increased rtth.
l,r than decreased M c"ns"phcur" 90
10 raise of wages 10y legislation
, tui would NNth l'EINlaAl'h '' w
- ,lurrd unc,nstituticnal" Daring tn
last few years there has occurred d
change in the attitud" of The c"uri'
! toward laws which restrict freedom "I
= contract IN industrial relations Vol
T, example the decisions az the United
states supreme court in Tho l'al
eight -hours ease AMI in thu oregon
itrn.hours case indicate that measure
~ this uaturc viii hr sustained u
1.-TWO conditions are fulfilled; first
lthnt tho statue aims to protect th'
I, he lth. safety ANA welfare "t tn
workers: and second that the lattoi
are unabi. to attain this and without
Inssistanco. Depressed wages are al
least as injurious ~ long hours an,
4 iar. .uually incapable ~ remedy b'
. rho efforts ~ the workers
\ hin providing for III" establish
tncnt of minimum wage boards WIZ
/. Authority over The wages of womri
d and children, was introduced IN TN
. Minnesota legislature ia March WINE
T. n has attracted considerable attention
at