Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-01-22

| pIshed is to bring about the necessary
readjustment from a war to peace
basis without friction between labor
and capital Neither side should be
permitted to take advantage of the
other and all men should appreciate
| that the one thing to avoid at this
time is business paralysis and en-
forced idleness.
These problems should be met in
the same patriotic spirit which
prompted us to aid our government
make concessions to each other then
and we should do so now. Speaking in
| general terms the wages which the
laboring man can receive will be con-
! trolled by what the product of his
labor can be sold for on the market.
! When wage reductions are undertaken
| it would be a source of much SatiSfac-
ton to the laboring man and to the
employees generally if they could be
convinced that the rate of pay which
| is being offered is all that the en-
ployer can afford to pay, and that he
is exacting merely a reasonable profit
for himself
l believe it would be helpful during
the period of reconstruction If labor
could be given access to a state board
which might determine, whenever it
is asked to do so, whether the wage
which is being paid is a reasonable
compensation in view of the selling
price of labor's product. | feel conf
dent that statement from state au-
thority that the rate of pay offered is
a fair compensation based upon the
value of the product produced would
go far towards maintaining a salts
factory relation between capital and
labor.
l recommend that you pass an act
creating a commission, to consist of
manufacturers and laborers, which
shall have the power to investigate
any. manufacturer or business thai en-
ploys labor and determine whether the
wages offered are 81 reasonable COM
pensation for the services performed,
and whether the rate paid is all that
can reasonably be expected to be paid
under existing business conditions
and the price obtainable for the prod
uct manufactured; also whether the
wages offered are sufficient to guaran-
tee a fair living under the conditions
existing including the price of food
1t is not my thought that this COM
mission shall have the right to fix
wages. It's functions should be to de-
termine what is right and fair between
employer and employee. l believe
when that is established we may safe
ly leave the finer adjustments to them.
Railroads.
What to do with our railroads is
one of the serious problems that con-
fronts Congress at this time. In our
own state we need a better passenger
service, a more liberal freight service
and lower rates, both passenger and
freight. AS 1 understand it many lines
are now being operated with grow
ing deficit under their government
contracts. Under those conditions we
cannot look for any substantial re-
duction in rates or improved and more
costly service unless the government
stands ready to make good further
and larger deficits.
1 believe it to be a general demand
among the people that we put trans
portation back to somewhere near the
basis that it was before the roads
were taken over by the government
for war purposes 1t viii be helpful
to our members of Congress if you
will give an expression of sentiment
on this important question and l rec
ommend that you pass a resolution de-
handing lower rates of transportation,
better service, both freight and passen-
ger, and a return of the railroads Of
this country to their owners just as
soon as it is possible to do so.
Foreign Languages.
The question whether foreign Ian
guages, and particularly German,
should be taught in the schools of the
state is being agitated and some def
mite action should be taken by your
body in regard to it.
During the late war German has
been eliminated from practically all
the elementary schools, some of them
man. Nearly all of the high schools
have dropped Greek and many of them
have dropped German, substituting
French or Spanish for these Ian
guages.
1t is my opinion that we should con-
slider this subject purely from an edu-
cational point of view l maintain
that there is not sufficient time to
teach pupils in the graded or common
schools of the state foreign languages.
In the interest of our children I be-
ieve that foreign languages should
not be taught in the public, common
or graded schools of the state. We
should adjust the course of study in
those schools to fit the greatest
needs of those children who are
Obliged to leave at an early age to be-