The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1912-05-27
MINIMUM WAGE IS
MAKING HEADWAY
BY Ed L. Keen.
Hondon Correspondent Of The United
Press)

HTeSS.
LONDON, May 27.-Thc minimum
wage habit in England is spreading
Encouraged by the recent success of
the coal miners in getting pe lament
to apply the principle to their par
ticular trade, workingmen of various
industries throughout the country are
busily organizing and agitatins for
similar recognition However, they
will demand, when the time comes,
that the lawmakers go further than
they did in the case of the miners.
While it is not hoped that parlia-
ment will, for the present a. least
recede from its position in refusing to
fix definite scale, leaving the adjust
ment of prices to trade boards, labor
leaders generally feel that it is only
reasonable to demand penal clause
in any future legislation on the sub
ject, such as was included in the law
of two years ago, whereby a heavg
penalty is provided for employers who
fail to pay the minimum fixed By the
boards acting under the measure.
This law, which went into effect on
Jan. 1, 1910, applies only to the So
called sweat trades-tailoring card
bON-makins. lace-maKng, etc. where
in the wages were notoriously in
adequate, even among the better paid
employees The coal mines minimum
wage law is not nearly so comrre
hepsive or drastic, but according to re-
ports from the various districts where
joint boards are adjusting wage
prices, the miners are getting in many
instances approximately the tigdres
which they tried to induce parliament
to incorporate in the bill.
These reports are having their effect
not only on the men who work with
their hands, but those who use their
brains to earn their daily bread rhe
various professions have become in
tercsted in the general movement, !
whose cardinal principle is combina-
tion of the strong for the betterment
of the conditions of the weak The |
doctors, some $4,000 of them, had al
of the fees to be paid for medical serv
cises under the Lloyd George Work
ingmens Insurance Act Since then
the minimum wage agitation has eX
tended literally from the stage 20 the
pulpit
Shortly after the vocal section of
put forward it's demand upon the
theatrical and music hall managers
for the establishment of minimum of
SO week for chorus girls, the Baptist
Union held a big convention in Lon
don, at which a resolution was adopt
ed providing for a minimum scale of
pay for preachers of that denomina'
ion, and raised the nucleus of fund
ior carrying out the scheme. Intro
1ucing the resolution, Rev. J. H.
secretary of the union.
n justification of this departure from
)ure independency, said: For 300
years independency has pursued its
great way, but it has been an iron
way, and there can be no doubt that
beneath it's merciless, though aftLn
car, the average and OBJ
cure have been crushed and bruised
Is they have not been under any 9th
II ecclesiastical system in the
world" Dr. George Clifford, advoca-
iIg the minimum scale, declared
hat one reason so many downtown I
hurches were being converted iEtc f
moving picture theatres was that the n
minister's simply could not be sustain n
d by the congregations there. I'VE f.
must see to it that remuneration for h
he pastors work." he said, is based
n quality and quantity, rather than
pon accidental conditions "
Since the convention adjourned, the
ndowment fund under Which the
,aptist church in England is to pay ,
he new scale, has been Increased tc
275, 900. A million and a ',uarter II
ollars will be necessary to insure =
sufficient income to raise the pres y
mt salaries of lily paid preachers Il
0 the proposed minimum of $500
year in the case of unmarried men,
nd $3.50 for married men
Ita
The example set by the Baptists is IL
ound to have it's effect in other de- t!
and in some of t n A
milar movements are under way. g
ErOmatheum Elects V