Middletown transcript., 1919-02-15
BILL RECOMMENDED
Minimum Wage Bill Passed in Dis
trict of Columbia
TWELVE STATES. ADOPTED IT

TWELVE STATES ADOPTED IT
When the Merchants and Manufact-
urers' Association of the District of
Columbia welcomes minimum wage
legislation and helps it to pass; when
the corresponding organization of en-
ployers for New York State endorses
the principle as laid down in the Mini
mum Wage Bill now before the New
York State Legislature, bill which we
understand is identical in essentials
with the bill introduced into the Della
ware Legislature; and when the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor endorses all
the bills whether of the District of Co.
lumbia as passed in 1918, or of New
York, or of Delaware. the question is
pertinent-how does the agreement
come about?
If it were not for the presence of the
important factor of the business man
and his support we should be guilty of
perhaps pardonable scepticism as to the
wearing quality of this industrial mil
lennium of democratic getting-to-
gether of representatives of employers
and employed, ard of the public round
the common table.
But we cannot ignore the fact that
many business men of acute compre-
hension and sound judgment approve
the minimum wage principle. In the
words of the Senate Committees re-
port of the hearing on the Minimum
Wage Bill for the Distsict of Columbia
which was passed by Congress in Sep
tember of last year, 'Their approval
means that such legislation is recog-
nized as being based on sound business
principles. because it makes for more
efficient and more contented labor
force"
We have before us the testimony of
Mr.. Edward A. Filene of Boston in the
State of Massachusetts, which has -had
minimum wage law since 1912. Before
the U. S. Senate and House Commit
tees Mr.. Filene declared: "We have
had the minimum wage in our concern
since March l, 1912, and the important
thing about it is that, relatively, the
cost of the wages as compared with
other costs Of running the business has
not increased but on the contrary has
decreased. We have found that there
was an enormous advantage in adopting
the minimum wage. 1t isnot ques-
ton Of philanthropy; it is good busi-
ness. We can easily geta reasonable
response out of any girl who is we'll
and who is free from daily worries. A
decent wage then seems to US the basis
of intelligent work, and we feel that
the minimum wage merely provides the
machinery by which joint action is Sc
cured on the part of all in trade.'
The question of the decent" or
living" wage for women is the one
which the Consumers League of Della
ware, who are responsible for the pub
lie campaign now being conducted in
behalf of the Minimum Wage Bill, has
so far emphasized. If looked at from
the angle of the cost of living the
wages of Delaware women are at pres
ent inadequate to supply them with the
necessary cost of living to MAINTAIN
them in good health and protect their
MORALS" the sooner the "fair and en-
lightened employer is protected from.
underbidding competitors, the better
we think.
Minimum Wage legislation is not an
experiment. Twelve states and the
District, of Columbia in this country.
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, have
adopted minimum wage laws, as we'll
as Great Britain, Australia, New Zea-
land and Manitoba. France has made
beginning and is row asking for an
extension of the principle. Seven
states are considering a minimum wage
bill this year including some of the
most industrial states of the Union.
The constitutional aspects Of the
minimum wage legislation were argued
before the U. S. Supreme Court in
April 1917 when the Oregon law was
declared constitutional. The supreme
conrrs of Minnesota and Massachusetts
followed by upholding the constitution
ality of similar statutes. In each case
the claim that it was the concern of the
State that women in industry should be
found to be getting wage below liv-
ing level was vindicated.
If .he Minimum Wage Bill is "good
business" for the State which by i'm
p;ication considers the welfare of its
citizens in general. we hope that our
citizen legislators at Dover will not be
slow to recognize its merits.
To leave out, the ''business:'' if the
bill is good" we want it and Della
ware wants it.