The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-11-29


ton program of the California State
! ederation of Labor as drafted by
the Special Reconstruction Commit
tee appointed for the purpose by the
recent convention of the federation
TO the Trade Unionists of Cali
fornia:
The great world war has sud-
denly terminated as we all hoped it
would. The enemy has surrendered
unconditionally and with it has come
the long delayed revolt of the work
ers in enemy countries against the
royal autocrats who were response
bic for the war.
From our very entry in the war
the workers Of California have free
Is and fully responded to duty's call.
Whether enlisted in the ranks of
our valiant fighting forces or in the
industrial armies at home, in Liberty
Loan campaigns or in Red Cross
dives, everywhere the sons and
daughters of toll have met the acid
test of loyalty.
But our real test is just now be-
ginning, and it will be the most diff
ficult and the most momentous that
our state and nation has ever faced.
The coming of peace at this time
gives us a preponderant share of the
power and prestige of victory while
it saves us from paying anything
like the frightful costs that have
been borne by other belligerents. All
of our industries have been speeded
up and greatly strengthened; wastes
and inefficiencies have been elm
mated; our productive capacity has
been enormously increased. Califor-
MIA and the other Pacific Coast
states now lead the world in the pro-
duction of tonnage. Our resources
of labor and utilized resources have
been increased while those of other
countries have been diminished. We
have practically everything that the
world needs, and we alone among all
the industrial nations seem to be in
a position to export in vast quanti-
ties the materials needed for recon-
struction.
No Change Seen
For this reason the California
State Federation of Labor can see
no possible excuse for the cry that
wages shall be reduced to the pre-
war standard or that working hours
shall be heightened. The United
States Bureau of Labor Statistics,
Bradstreets, the "Annalist" and 9TH
er reliable sources have given no
evidence of return to pre-war pur-
chasing power in the dollar, and if
we may believe what the great an
alytical minds of the world say to
us, there will be no direct return
to those conditions we enjoyed ten
or more years ago.
We call attention to the violent
upward fluctuations in prices of
nearly all commodities beginning
about the year 1896, with the open
ing up of the Yukon, the develop
ment in South Africa, the increased
and more efficient facilities by which
gold is. extracted from the ore,
whereby it's waste is largely elimi-
n7ted. Since all of that has been
gong on, and since the worlds mar
knts have been flooded with this
a ditional output, don't misunder-
stand when it is said that gold has
been cheapened; not that any more
grains are used when coming the
gold, dollar, but that when we use
the dollar, or it's purchasing power,
we find that it takes more gold to
do the worlds business than it for
m My did when the metal was scarce,
which, conversely, means rise in
p iees and increased costs for all
commodities. These two causes are
NEST commonly assigned by various
authorities for the general main up
ward trend and which undoubtedly
wcald have continued, although pos
sibly not to such high levels, had
there been no war.
Some High Wages
Wage standards established dur
inc the war have not kept pace
generally with increased costs of
living commodities. 1t has only
been in some of the most essential
VIZ work that seemingly high rates
ha Q been paid, but when analyzed
and brought down to the absolute
facts surrounding the employment it
is found long hours of overtime
work and Sunday work have been
almost altogether responsible for the
fattened pay envelope.