The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1919-03-01
CHURCH OPPOSES
REDUCING WAGES
Increased Incomes for Labor and
Participation in Management
Urged by Catholic Council

PIedgIng hearty support to all leEiti-
nate efforts made by ldbor to resist
general wnge reductions. Bishop Peter
!. MuldOon Of Rockford. Ill.,; Bishop
Joseph Schrembs Of Toledo. o.; Bishop
Patrick J. Hayes Of New York City
and Bishop. william 7. Russell OF
Charleston. s. c., representing the hier-
arcly of the Catholic Church In Amer
lea In administering the National Cath
ollie War Council, have issued the fol.
lowing rs n part of an official pro.
nouncement on economic and social re-
construction:
Wage Rates Should Dc Sustained.
"The general level OF wages attained
turing the war should not be lowered.
In a few Industries, especially some d.
rectly and peculiarly connected with
he carrying on. Of war, wages have
reached n plane upon which they can.
not possibly continue for this grade Of
occupations. But thDnumber Of work
ers In this situation Is an extremely
small proportion OF the entir wage
earning population. ~ overwhelming
ma jOrity should N he compelled or
suffered. -t~undergo any reduction In
them atcs Of remuneration, fer two
nsons-first, because the average
rate Of pay has not increased faster
than the cost Of living; second. be-
cause considerable majority Of the
wage-earners of the United States,
10th men and women, were not receiv-
ing living wages when prices began to
rise In 1918. In that year, according to
Lauck and Sydenstricker. whose work
10 the most comprehensive on the sub.
ject, four-nfths Of the heads Of fami-
Hes obtained less than 800 dollars,
while two-thIrds of the female wage
earners were paid less than 400 dol
lars Even II the prices Of goods
should fall to the level on which they
were in 19l5-something that canno,
he hoped for within five years-the
average present rites Of wages would
not exceed the equivalent of decent
livelihood In the cnse OF the vast ma
jority. The exceptional instances tc
the contrary are practically NIL among
the skilled workers. Therefore, wages
on the whole should not be reduced
even when the cost Of living recedes
from Its present high level.
Living Wage Minimum Of Justice.
Even II the great majority of work
ers were now In receipt of more thar
living wnges, there are no good reasons
why rates OF pay should be lowered
After all, n living wage Is not necessa'
rily the full measure Of Justice. All
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 1t Is possible to prove TINT
the worker would be getting more than
that to which he has right II he were
paid something In excess of this ethical
minimum. Why then should we assume
that this Ia the normal share of almost
the whole lnborlng population? Since
our Industrial resources and lnstru
mentalities are sufficient to provide
more than living wage for u very
large proportion of the workers why
should we acquiesce In theory which
denies them this measure of the COM
forts of life? Such n policy is not only
Of very questionable morality, but Is
unsound economically. The large de-
mand for goods which is created and
maintained by high rates OF wages and
high purchasing power by the masses
ID the surest guarantee OF n continuous
and general operation OF Industrial es-
Establishments. 1t ID the most effective
instrument Of prosperity for labor and
capital alike. The only persons who
would benefit considerably through .
general reduction OF wages are the less
efficient among the capitalists and the
more comfortable sections of the con.
sumers. The wage-earners would lose
more in remuneration than they would
Rain from whatever fall In prices oc-
Cured as direct result Of the fall In
wages. On grounds both of Justice and
sound economics we should give our
hearty support to all Legitimate efforts