The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-04-25
MINIMUM WAGE


THE TREND OF LEGISLATION is
TOWARDS ITS ESTABLISHMENT
EVERYWHERE FOR WOMEN AND
GIRLs-IMMoRALITY OF GIRLS
NOT LARGELY DUE TO LOW
WAGES.
John Mitchell, the former labor
| leader, said in a recent address:
The movement for the establishment
| of minimum wage for women and
girls is a matter of intense interest to
every retailer throughout the country
The dry goods and department stores
are among the largest employers of
such labor. Moreover, this class of
labor being wholly unorganized, the
initiative towards change must come
either from the employers themselves
or through legislation. Toward legis-
lation in one form or another the cur
rent is now setting, and very strongly.
! DuSAAS00 ACA al
averse to government dictation of
their affairs in any particular. It is
essential, however, to recognize the
fact that government Interference"
as some term it, is real development
of the present day and one that can
not be averted. The best course for
every retailer, as for every other bust
ness man, is to realize the new ten
denotes and to gracefully accept-and,
better still, anticipate-the inevitable.
Los Angeles Dry Goods Men Right.
Nearly eight months ago the Retail
Dry Goods Merchants Association of
Los Angeles went on record as being
in favor of the minimum wage legis1a-
istration.
Personally l cannot for the life of
me see how the enactment of mini
mum wage legislation will have any
serious effect on the retailers inter
ests. Any increase in selling expense
will be borne by the consumer. More
over, if all merchants in center are
compelled to pay the same minimum
wage they are all placed OF an equal
footing.
There are many merchants who
say they would be glad to pay their
girls higher wages if they were not
prevented by competition. The estab-
lishment of minimum wage, COM
pulsory on all concerns in the same
industry, will at once remove that OBJ
stacle.
Women's Wages insufficient.
That the wages of women in many
branches of industry department.
stores, Offices or factories-are mad
equate is an opinion held by many
if not most of those who have given
the greatest study to this question.
Herein lies problem at least a
quarter of a century old, but which
has become increasingly acute within
the past decade. This we must face
when considering the wage phase of
the department store problem.
Conservation of Mothers Needed.
To this end what more sweeping
and more effective step could be taken
than due care for the mothers of new
generations? Such a movement, view
ed either in the narrowest or in the
broadcast light, is both philanthropic
and patriotic. 1t is conservation on
the highest plane.
Fair treatment in the store, cheap
lunches, comfortable rest rooms and
other forms of welfare work are
praiseworthy. They do honor to the
merchants who provide them. But
what are they in comparison with a
fair, living wage?
Girls Should Be Trained for Work.
Girls who are graduated from the
public schools are, many of them, not
worth one cent more than SIS week
in industry. There is little use trying
to legislate that these girls who are
worth only SIS should be paid $40. The
thing to do is to make them worth
$40. Educate these girls; have voca-
tional guidance; find out what they
are fitted to do, and then train them
to do it efficiently!
Every young, capable, vigorous
woman in good health is worth $40
a week if she is properly educated.
Merchants of every city have it in
their power to Offset the higher wages
they would have to pay inexpe-
rienced help by compelling or Undue
ing their local school board to pro-
vide classes for instruction in sales
manship.
Relation of Morals and Wages.
One more thing wish to dwell on !:
the relation of morals and wages.
Sometimes it is difficult to refute a
SANDER without at the same time
giving it wide circulation and, unfor-
tunately, there are a great many
minds of the type which prefer to
believe an evil insinuation rather
than an authoritative refutation of it.
And yet there are times when an evil
insinuation can do much harm to in
nocent persons because they are EN-.
ployed in certain class of work.
/ 1t now becomes a matter of duty
to meet an evil influence that per.
vades the trade squarely and deci
sively, even at the risk of calling at.
tention to it.
Department Stores Least of Evils