The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-18

,ect of labor legislation and problems, we are glad to note that there is no longer any serious objection urged by impartial persons against the legnl minimum wage. The several States should enact laws providing for the establishment of ware rates that will be at least sufficient for the decent maintenance of a family in the case of all male adults and adequate to the de- cent individual support of female workers In the beginning the legal minimum for male workers should sui flee only for the present needs of the family, but they should be gradually raised until they are adequate to fu- ture needs as well-that is, they should be ultimately high enough to make pos sible that amount of saving which Is necessary to protect the worker and his family against sickness, accidents, invalidity and old age.
 Labor Participation in Management
 '"The right of labor to organize and to deal with employers through repre- sentatives has been asserted above in connection with the discussion of the War Labor Board. It Is to be hoped that this right will never again be called in question by any considerable number of employers. In addition to this, labor ought gradually to receive greater representation in what the English group of Quaker employers have called the industrial part of business manageElelt-'ths contro! of processes and machinery: nature of product; engagement and dismissal of employees; hours of work, rates of pay, bonuses, etc. .; welfare work shop discipline; relations with trads un- ions' The establishment of shop com. Ynittees, working wherever possible with the trade union, Is the method suggested by this group of employers for giving the employees the proper share of Industrial mana agement There can be no doubt that a frank adoption of these means and ends by employers would not only promote the welfare of the workers, but vastly i'm. prove the relations between them and their employers, and increase the eff ciency and producttveness of each es tablishmeDt-
 There is no need here to emphasize the importance of safety and sanita ton in work places. as this is pretty generally recognized by legislation What is required Is an extension ant strengthening of many of the existing statutes and better administrator and enforcement of such laws every where.
 Vocational Training.
 '"The need of industrial, or, as 1t hai come to be more generally called, vo cltional, training Is now untversall, acknowledged. In the interest Of tn. nation as well as in that of the work CTS themselves this training should b. made substantially universal. Whil, we cannot now discuss the subject il any detail. we do wish to set down twt general obseryations-first- the voca tional training should be offered il such forms and conditions as not t. deprive the children of the working classes of st least the elements of cultural education. A healthy dernoc racy cannot tolerate a purely indus trial or trade education for any clas of It's citizens. We do not want t, have the children of the wage-earner put into a special class in which the, are marked as outside the sphere o opportunities for culture. The secon, obs arvation Is that the system of voca tional training should not operate g. to weaken in any degree our parO chial schools or any other class of pri vate schools. Indeed, the opportunitie of the system should be extended to al qualified private schools on exactly tn same basis as to public schools. " want neither class divisions in educa ton nor State monopoly of education
 Increased Incomes for Labor.
 "The great evil of insufficient incom for the majority can be removed onl by providing the workers with nor income. This means not only univel sal living wages, but the opportunit of obtaining something more than ths amount for all who are willing to wor hard and faithfully. All the othe measures for labor betterment recon mended in the preceding pages woul likewise contribute directly or ind rectly to a more just distribution ( l wealth in the interest of the laborer.' When Meat Was Cheap.