The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-03-13
The HIGHER WAGE
Day of FOO Small Pay Seems to
Be Passing.
PUBLIC FEELING AROUSED.
Church Dignitary Believes the States
Will Soon Adopt Laws Controlling
Remuneration of Workers-Sooiety
Demands Protection For Women.

Remuneration of Workers-Sooiety
Demands Protection For Women.
An interesting contribution to the
bulletin on vocational training just
sent out by the National Retail Dry
Goods association came from the pen
of the Right Rev. John N. Mccormick.
Protestant Episcopal bishop of western
Michigan. At the recent gathering Of
bishops in New York city DR.. McCor-
mick made reference to the need of vo.
cational training and minimum wage
laws for young Americans, and his re-
marks at that time attracted consider
able attention. At the invitation of
Secretary Pinkham of the association
Dr. Mccormick prepared the following
resume Of his Ideas on the subject:
There Is every reason to forecast
than many of the states of the Union
will soon adopt some sort of a mini
mum wage law. The drift of public
opinion seems to be In the direction of
state control. both as to hours of work
and as to wages. especially In regard
to the employment of women and chill
dren. The Oregon state law creating
an industrial welfare commission EN-.
powered to regulate the wages and the
hours of labor for women and children
has just been declared constitutional
by judge of the circuit court, appeal
having been taken to the supreme
court of the state. Judge CleetOn, who
made the decision, declared that the
laws fixing maximum hours of labor
and minimum wage are compliments,
the minimum wage law being neces-
sary in some instances to make the
maximum wage law effective. There
is every reason for believing that leg
islation Of this sort, along lines SINH
lar to those adopted In Australia, New
Zealand, England and now in Oregon
and Massachusetts, will be adopted at
an early date in many states.
Professor John Bates Clark of Co
lumbia university said in the Septem
Der Atlantic Monthly, "Of pending
measures Of economic reform few ap
peal so strongly to public feeling as
does the minimum wage act" In the
article referred to he reminds us of the
intricacies and the practical difficulties
Of such experiments and of the abso-
lutte necessity for approaching them
only in a conservative way and only
after the most careful and thorough
study of conditions 1t seems quite
evident to him that If radical laws are
passed the state itself would have to
provide emergency employment. He
states the possibilities as follows:
Between the conservative policy,
which estimates as best it can the pro
ductive power Of labor In Ill paid occu-
pations and prescribes a corresponding
amount as the minimum of pay, and
the radical policy. which boldly de-
mands whatever labor needs for a life
Of modest comfort, there are various
gradations of policy, and the guiding
principles in choosing between them
are, first, that any legal rate above the
value of labor to it's employer will
cause idleness; second, that the amount
of the idleness will be greater the
higher the rate established, and third,
that any idleness created in this way
and not relieved by natural causes will
give to the workers an unanswerable
claim on the state for emergency en-
ployment"
Other factors than that of the mini
mum wage are also entering into the
problem. For example the state of
Ohio has raised the age limit for en-
ployment to sixteen years, and other
states are likely to follow.
On the employers side is the bust
ness efficiency campaign, which de-
mands as one Of its essentials employ
ees who are more intelligent, more
capable and more interested In their
work. 1t appears. therefore. that there
is good reason for the emphasis now
being placed on vocational guidance
and Industrial training. especially in
connection with the public schools
The campaign conducted by such lead
ers as Mrs Prince of Boston will be-
come more widespread and effective
The publ. schools will take more Sc
riouSly into consideration kind of
training whereby girls especially who
are likely to be compelled to earn their
own living can be raised above the
ranks OF unskilled labor and can be
prepared to make good under the new
conditions. In Grand Rapids. for ex-
ample, there is a department of voca-
tionAl direction under the board of ed
ucatiOn. and there are courses of
craftsmanship In both the day and night
schools At the present time pa girls
Hre taking ii commercial course which
will include craftsmanship The heads
Of most of the department stores have
expressed willingness that their clerks
shall attend part time classes for at
least one bali day in the week without
loss of pay. Boston has done advance
work on these lines and courses are In
contemplation in Cleveland. Philadel
phia Detroit and other cities.
Society is demanding more efficient