The Washington times., 1918-04-18
KEATING WAGE BILL
IS WARTIME NEED,
FILENE DECLARES

Supported by labor leaders, mer-
chants and manufactures, the Keat-
ing minimum wage bill for women
and children in the District probably
win be passed at this session OF Con-
Eress, In the opinion OF its author.
Congressman Keating. q Colorado.
Hearings before subeommittess Of
the Senate and House closed today
with indlcations OF favorable report
on the bill.
The Measure Is OF worldwide i'm
portance and must be passed to JUS
ttfy Americas war ideals according
to Edward A. Filene, OF William Fl
lone Sons, Boston, director and chair
man Of the war shipping COMMITTEES
of the United States Chamber Of Com
meree. who testified before the COM
mittee yesterday. Low wages create
a vicious circle a7d are not pront-
able to the employer. Mr. filene says
wartine Necessity.
In adyocating passage OF the bill as
national wartime necessity, Mr..
Filehe said;
This decision OF Congress a. to
the minimum wage in washington
has become a war measure which has
international signihcsnce II one Of
the states decided at this time that
It was not prepared to guarantee liv-
ing wages, that would be Significant
and deplored BY all thoughtfui peo-
pie. The matter becomes immensely
more Important because the DECISION
Is given by Congress.
- - nhaffIA
decide not to grant q living minimum
wage that news would be OF interna-
tional Importance 20 be used by our
enemies. II cabled 70. Russia. for In
stance, Il would be used by the
Bolsheviki to prove their claims that
this Il q burgeoise war-a caDitalists'
war, and that in the United States In
making the world safe for demOc-
racy,' Il did not mean that when the
practical test came in the supreme
law-makfnE body OF the land the
guarantee Of a living wage to the
lowest paid working people.
Needed ~ EmDloyern-
zone OF the things that always sur
prises me in reading about minimum
wage hearings is that only the need
Of the employees for such laws are
emphasized. We, the employers. need
this minimum wage legislation even
more. And, for this reason-a s. a
week employe makes a cheap boss;
cheap wages make cheap standardsi
with which even the employer will be
satisfied, and for the reason that he
has to be
"An underpaid employe has hard
time to pay for food, clothing and
- - u
supplied with any OF these things
does not have the strength or ambl-
tion. to study or strive for higher
standards.
''It Is only when working people
are reasonably relieved OF these cares
Is there a chance for ambition TO es-
tablish higher and better standards.
Most business men see this point: q
minority OF short-sighted men often
force others to keep the wages too
low. II q minimum wage legislation
comes 1t provides the machinery
which enforces joint action by the
trade. as whole, and forces all to
pay a decent wage.
Help 70 Bd1ineas.
TFor example. in our own store in
Bosttn, we established a minimum Wase
for girls and women at S per week.
This was effective March 1, 1917. we
have always been convinced that II
Is of great help to our business. and
Il did not increase the cost OF selling
our goods. Since then the Massachu-
setts minimum wage law has made
the minimum wage scale general
throughout the State.
"On Ap=n 1. 1913, we established a
minimum wage of $40 a week, with
an increase OF 80 cents q week for
each month until 312 was reached.
There Is but one exception in that
we pay apprentices fresh from school
at the rate OF 50 instead Of sic.