Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-04-09

know of one who has been long in the gran.
lite business who has been so impressed with
the benefits of eight-hour day that ha
mas been experimenting with seven hours
Eight Dollars Week
More than half the people employed in
the factories and stores investigated in New
York city get less than $S a week." This q
the statement of Dr. Howard Woolston di.
rector of investigation for the New York
State Factory Commission, and the text Of
an article by Walter Lippmann in the New
Republic 49,
Every one knows what to think of get
rich-quick concern which asks people to sub
scribe to it's capital stock and then uses the
money invested to pay profits. We call II
a fraud. When mercantile establishment
pays its labor less than labor can live on
1t is showing a profit it has not honorably
earned it is paying dividend out of its vital
assets, that is, out of the lives, the health
and the happiness of it's employees. bust
ness that exists on labor paid less than
living wage is not business at ALL for it is
not paying it's fixed charges. They are being
paid either by the family of the woman
worker, or by her friends, or by private
charities or by the girl herself in slow star
walton.
Let us assume that the minimum wage act
is passed in New York. The commission Is
created and establishes wage boards These
boards, after investigating the cost of living
eral raise of wages from a median of S6 to
So. 1t is estimated that to raise the wages
or 1000 young women in New York candy
factories from $5.75 to IS, confectoners. in
order to cover the cost would have to charge
1S cents more per hundred pounds of candy
The profits in department stores average over
b per cent. on years business. But as
the stock is turned five or six times annually
the yield on the investment Is % to 30 per
cent. BY raising the wages of girls under
lS to So and of women over is to &c. the
cost might be increased IL per cent, II
this were taken from the profits instead OF
being added to the price, it would reduce the
return to about 10 per cent. If we had not
witnessed whole nations gowering at each
other all winter from holes in the mud, Il
would be hard to believe that America, with
all its riches, could still be primitive enough
to grunt and protest at a living wage-a Nv
ing wage, mind you; not wage so its women
can live well, not enough to make life rich
and welcome experience, but just enough to
secure existence amid drudgery in gray
boarding houses and cheap restaurants.
Worlds Work gives editorial Endorsement
to protest from the railroads against the
full-crew law, measure recently passed
with the backing of the labor unions (D:
The Pennsylvania. the Philadelphia and
Reading and the Baltimore and Ohio have
issued Joint appeal to the public, asking
them to repeal the full-crew laws which
compel the use of Unnecessary men in certain
instances, where the addition of these men
not only fails to increase the safety or travel
but actually demoralizes the service. The ap-
peal states:
This campaign of public enlightenment
will be waged by the railroads in a manner
that cannot possibly be egitimately assailed
There will be no lobbying, no star champef
conferences or private deals to influence pub
lie opinion or legislative action. The cam
paign will be fought In the open purely on
its merits. Definitely and finally to give pup
lie notice that the railroads ask only squaIe
s nal all around in this Iuatter the presidents
of these roads announced on February thas
the railroads intended to work for repeal OF
the full-crew laws.
This is a matter of public morals and far
dealing. 1t is a public opportunity to meet
the roads half way. Unless some one shows
that their appeal is less sound than 1t seems
the full laws should be repealed. NOT
should there be any hesitancy because there
may be other matters in which the railroads
are still at fault.
Leslle's Weekly voices another protest
against too many laws in this case, the pure
food legislation (5):
Fads! We live in an age of fads. The
gullible public is made the tool Of a lot o.
tricky schemers who make a living out OF
human credulity. But the worm will turn
The city of Baltimore has just refused %
pass an ordinance compelling dealers In per
ishable foodstuffs to indicate upon them ths
date when they wero placed In cold storass
and when taken out. The Common Counen
OF Baltimore believes that "the public is uFsu
Of these perpetual efforts TO protect every
body from everything'-and it is