The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-08-04
MINIMUM WAGE
SCALE IS PROPOSED
by WAR LABOR BOARD
BY gibson GARDNER.

Washington. Aug. s.-A bitter fight
I'D now being waged between the en-
ployinE interests and the wage work.
ers over the fixation by government au-
thortty Of minimum living wage. The
wage as proposed by tlie war labor
board as the least on which a man may
live IN health and reasonable comfort.
ana bring up a family, is s1750
In opposition to these efforts in be-
half OF labor, the employing interests
have tried to get an act of Congress
fixing maximum wage. This state
ment will cause general surprise. Moth
ing has been said of such a PROPOSE
ton II is. however, a fact
There is a law already In effect.
put through as joker to an appro-
priation bin with this purpose in
view.
The joker IL part OF H r. 12,44i,
which 10 the Sundry Civil Appropria-
tion bill, passed July /. 1918 At the
Alabama a paragraph was inserted in
the labor section which reads:
Provided that no money now or
hereafter appropriated for the pay
ment OF wages not fixed by statute
shall be available TO pay wages in ex-
cess OF the standard determined by the
war labor policies board"
THE war labor policies board" IL
newly-created subdivision OF the
department OF labor, headed by Felix
Frankfurter. It's supposed purpose Is
to standardize labor conditions, rem
dering uniform hours of labor ana
wages fer similar kinds of labor In
the war industries. Frankfurter coop
crates with the shipping board, the war
industries board. the quartermaster's
department, sthe purchasing depart
ment OF the navy department. the
labor placing bureau OF the labor
department and in fact with all
branches OF government which have
use for labor and pay wages
A literal reading of the amendment
TO the Sundry civil law would seem to
give the war policies board power to
fix a maximum wage. That this was
the intention of the amendment may
be inferred from the fact that 1t was
put in secretly by Senator Underwood.
who II is understood was moved in
the matter by the Erectors' Associa-
ton OF America. This is the largest
organized body OF employing interests
i'm the world This association Is al
ways opposed to labor: to any Increase
I'm wages, to unions; to the A. +. OF
u. and in general to anything which
would limit the profits of the employ
ing classes.
been going up rapidly. They nave not
kept pace however, with the increased
cost OF living and many strikes have
had to be settled by the war labor
board on thu basis OF more wages to
the employees. A few years ago $500
en- year was the average annual income
or IS per cent. of wage-earning heads
OF families in the United States. Now
IL In proposed by the war labor board
to fix a minimum wage at $1,750 a
year Budgets have been prepared by
the experts in the employ of the war
labor board showing that this sum is
necessary to provide any reasonable
degree of comfort for an average fam
lily five people. This takes into consid-
GRAFTON not only health, but decent
surroundings, an opportunity for es-
sential education, medical attendance,
enough clothes for warmth in winter
and a moving picture show now and
then.
The non-labor members OF the war
labor board. IL Is understood, have
risen in arms against this proposal
They have appealed to the Underwood
Joker in the Sundry civil bill, claim
ing that the war labor board has no
right to boost the income of the labor
ing classes in any such riotous fash
ion, ut least not until the matter has
been passed upon by the war labor
policies board OF Mr.. Frankfurter.
All this row has been behind closed
doors and under the surface SO far,
but it is likely to break into the open