New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-08-12
Standard Shipyard Wage
Sought as National Need
EMPLOYERS and Labor Leaders From Pacific Coast End Con
ferences in Philadelphia and Leave for Washington
to Continue Discussion of Problem
By Theodore M. Knappen

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. II. After
conferences lasting many days with
General Manager Piez Of the Emer-
rsncy Fleet Corporation and other Off
cisls. the Pacific Coast delegation of
shipbulders and labor leaders, who
were invited here by the corporation
10 deal with the critical question of
nroviding for strict adherence to the
shipyards wage scales, left for Wash
ington to-day to take up the question
with the Shipping Boards labor ad-
justment board.
The bringing to headquarters Of this
body of employers and labor repre-
sentatives as guests of the Shipping
Board is direct result of the recent
Western trip of Charles M. Schwab,
director general of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, and Mr.. Piez, in the
course of which they realized, even
more than before, that some heroic ac-
ton must be taken to stop the merry
go-round on the vicious circle of in
creasing wages in the shipyards.
Shipbuilding has now grown to be
such an enormous industry that, direct
" or indirectly, every ch.nge of wages
in its field tends to affect the whole
country and drive up wages in SYM
chanical trades. A marked advance in
wages on the Pacific Coast is sure to
be followed by demand for more
wages in shipyards on the Atlantic and
Great Lakes coasts. Then when crafts
men in the yards get an advance the
balance between them and other in
dustries is disturbed and men in cor
responding work in those industries in
sst on a higher scale.
Other Industries
Affected Similarly
And shipbuilding is only one of the
tendency is the same. The cost of liv-
ing goes up with increased wages, and
then more wages are demanded, and so
in the end the cost of living to every
one in the country advances, and the
cost of carrying on the war is vastly
increased. Imitation is the result.
Seattle is the centre of this trouble
in shpbuilding. The yards there re-
quire $4,000 more men than they have.
The local yards compete with each
other Coz men and also strive to lift
them from distant yards. In greater
or less degree this process is manifest
all up and down the Coast and in
every shipbuilding centre, but in Sc
attic it has run riot
The Seattle yards early got into the
swing of rapid production of ships.
They lead the Pacific Coast, and the
Coast leads all other regions. The
yards were getting big prices for ships,
and the employers cut up the profits
with the men in the shape of big wages
and liberal bonuses. The more the
men got the more they wanted, and the
more they jumped from job to job and
place to place. In the rivalry to pro-
duce ships in hurry employers were
inclined to concede and even initiate
higher wages.
Finally, the Macy adjustment board
established a minimum scale. But it
turned out to be just what it was
named. The sky remained the upward
limit IN practice. Employers paid al
most any wages to get and retain men.
The local cost OF living has advanced
IN proportion to the sweeping advances
In earnings, and Seattle, which used
10 be phenomenally cheap place in
which to live, has become one of the
most costly. Of course, the men are
not complaining of the condition that
poosts their pay rapidly and literally,
'noagn they do complain of the per-
sistent manner in which costs pursue
wages up the scale.
s3oo,0oo,0oo Added
In Last Advance
Inc last general advance in ship
building wage scales the country over
ADDED just $500, 100000 to the cost of
'ne Emergency Fleet programme. The
INDUSTRY, the Shipping Board, the coun-
Try and the taxpayers can not stand
many more such advances.
% the Emergency Fleet Corporation
mas decided to try to begin to check
rue endless round at Seattle and on the
acme coast as whole The problem
ID 10 persuade employers to cease to
pay more than the fixed scale and
- persuade employees to be content
Win IT, Neither part of this task is
easy but it is naturally harder to per-
eo 'he men to turn their faces
against an order of things that has
SiS'as OF free field and more and