The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-04-14

Already there is a strong demand in
the house for CONSUMPTION Of all in
dividual incomes above 100000, and
some members say that nobody
should be permitted to have an in
come of over $4,000 a year during the
war. Then excess profits and all es-
tates of more than $4,000 will be
made to pay heavily. The American
Federation Of Labor will resist any at
te mpt which may be made to place a
tax on incomes of less than $3,000,.
and will urge that the rate on incomes
above $4,000 be sharply increased.
If the war lasts year, these, taxes
will have checked to some extent the
growth Of the swollen fortunes in the
United States, and the wealthy will
have a hard time in getting congress
to take the taxes off again. The rich
will be obliged to pay, at least tenn
porarily, that part of the cost Of the
war that is not borne by issuing bonds
They will have to pay the interest on
the bonds.
Women Wage Earners.
: Who is going to man the munitio1
plants, the shipyards, the endless va
riety of supply factories? The wage
earners, naturally. AS fast as the
young men are taken out of the fac
tories to serve in the army and navy,
women and older men will be brought
in to replace them. A year of war
will bring hundreds of thousands Of
women into the wage-earning class.
Once in, they will be slow to retire.
The manifesto of March ~, adopted
by the heads Of all the national and
international unions in the A. F. of L.,
says: I'm any eventuality when women
may be employed, we insist that equal
pav for equal work shall prevail with
out regard to sex" Possibly this rule
will prevail; probably it will not.
Women are going to form a very much
greater factor in the industrial world
henceforth than in the past. The
labor movement is going to have to
meet that fact.
To Safeguard Rights.
Samuel Gompers is getting into
shape his committee on the safeguard
Ing Of lab0r's. rights, which will be
advisory to the Council of National
Defense. Its executive sub-commit-
tee has chosen the sub committees
that will report on every subject from
the sanitary improvement of shops and
housing to higher wages and the re-
duction of food prices. Also there will
be some discussion of democratic con-
tr~l Of industry, though the employ
ers who form part of the committee
are dead-set against anything Of that
sort.
They are going to try to reach an
agreement with the war and navy de-
partments, through the Council Of Ma
tlonal Defense, whereby trade Union
whole Industrial organization that will
be behind the army and navy: In
addition they will try to create new
conditions that will improve the
health Of the workers, thereby in
creasing their ability to turn out work.
New Labor Chairman.
Now that the house is organized it
is interesting to the trade unionists Of
the country to observe that the labor
committee has as it's chairman one
James p. Maher, a Tammany politi-
clan, who is to be found in Washing
ton during less than half of the time
that congress is in session. Maher
gets the craftsmanship, and the con-
troll of the fate Of labor legislation for
a hundred million people, because
he happens to have been named to
this committee at an earlier date than
any other Democrat now belonging to
it. He has never shown any interest
in labor legislation or the labor move
ment. He has never done anything
for any legislation Of interest to the
wage-earners anywhere. But because
he has had his name on the list Of
r. mbers of the committee for a GER
tain number Of years, and longer than
any other member of his party, he in
herits a tremendous power for good or
evil over the lives Of the American
working class.
Heating of Colorado had earned this
chairmanskip, and would have made
the best record in it. from the stand
point Of promoting labor measures, of
anyone since the committee was
c''eated. But he was showed aside be-
cause the rule Of seniority must he
saved.
The only hopeful element in the sit
uation is that Maher will find him.
self badly suited in the job, and will
resign. II he does not, there will be
no labor legislation in the present con-
gress worthy of mention, except such