The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-18
CHURCH OPPOSES
 REDUCING WAGES
Increased Incomes for Labor and Participation in Management
 Urged by Catholic Council

Hedging hearty support to all legitt- mate efforts made by labor to resist general wage reductions, Bishop Peter J. Muldoon of Rockford, H.; Bishop Joseph Schrembs of Toledo, O.. Bishop Patrick J. Hayes Of New York City and Bishop William T. Russell of Charleston, S. C., representing the hier- archy of the Catholic Church in Amer ica in admin: stering the National Cath olic War Council, have issued the fol- lowing as a part of an official pro ncuncement on economic and social re- construction
 Wage Rates Should Be Sustained.
 "rhe general level of wages attained during the war should not be lowered. In a few industries, especially some di- rectly and peculiarly connected with the carrying on of war, wages have reached plane upon which they can not possibly continue for this grade Of occupations But the number of work CTS in this situation is an extremely small proportion of the entire wage earning popula ton. The overwhelming majority should not be compelled or suffered to undergo any reduction in their rates of remuneration, for two reasons-first, because the average rate of pay has not increased faster than the cost of living; second, be- cause a considerable majority of the wage-earners of the United States, both men and women, were not receiv- ing living wages when prices began to rise in 1915. In that year, according to Lauck and Sydenstricker, whose work Is the most comprehensive CD the sub feet, four -f1fths of the heads of fani- lies obtained less than 500 dollars. while two-thirds of the female wage earpers were paid less than 400 dCl- lars. Even If the prices of goods should fall to the level on which the. ! were in 1915-something that cannot be hoped for within five years-the average present rates of wages would not exceed the equivalent of decent livelihood in the case of the vast ma jority. The exceptional instances to the contrary are practically all among the skilled workers. Therefore, wages on the whole should not be reduced even when the cost of living recedes from it's present high level
 Living Wage Minimum of Justice.
 Even if the great majority of work CTS were now in receipt of more than living wages, there are no good reasons why rates of pay should be lowered After all, living wage Is not necessa lily the full measure of justice. Al the Catholic authorities on the subject explicitly declare that this Is only the minimum of justice. In country as rich as ours there are very few cases in which it is possible to prove tha the worker would be getting more thar that to which he has q right if he wert paid something in excess of this ethtca minimum. Why then should we assume that this Is the normal share of almos the whC |, laboring population? Since our industrial resources and instru
 neptalitieS are sufficient to provide more than a living wage for yer! large proportion of the workers wh! sho"ld We acquiesce in theory whicf denies them this measure of the com forts of fife? Such a policy Is not onl. of very questionable morality, but l. unsound economically. The large de 1nand for goods which is created ant ' high purchasing power by the masse Is the surest guarantee of a continuou and general operation of industrial es tahlishments. It is the most effectiv' instrument of prosperity for labor an' capital alike. The only persons wh would benefit considerably through general reduction of wages are the les efficient among the capitalists and th more comfortable sections of the con sumers The wage-earners would los more in remuneration than they woul
 gain from whatever fall in prices oC cured as direct result of the fall i
 wages. On grounds both of justice an
 sound economics we should give. ou hearty support to all legitimate effort
 made by labor to resist general wag
 reductions.
 Turning now from those agencie
 and laws that have been put in opert
 lion during the war to the general sui