The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1919-03-01
made By labor to resist general vsE'

made by labor to resist general wage
reductions.
Turning now from those agencies
and laws that have been put In opera.
ton during the war to the general sub
ject Of labor legislation and probleinN
We are glad to note that there Is no
longer any serious objection urged by
impartial persons against the legni
minimum wage. The several States
should enact laws providing for the
establishment Of wage rates that will
be at least sufficient for the decent
maintenance Of family in the cnse 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.
nee only for the present needs of the
family, but they should he gradually
raIsed until they are adequate to fn.
ture needs as well-that Is, they should
be ultimately high enough to make pos
s,5le that amount Of saving which 10
necessary to protect the worker and
his family against sickness, accidents
lnvalIdity and old age.
Labor Participation In Management
1.-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 II Is to be hoped
that this right will never again he
called IN question by any considerable
number of employers. In addition to
this, labor ought gradually to receive
greater representation In what the
Kiuupn..-s,11 6ksr employers
have called the Industrial part Of
business management-'the control Of
processes and machinery; nature Of
product; engagement and dismissal Of
hours Of work. rates OF
pay, bonuses, ETC.; welfare work; shop
discipline; relations with trade IN.
Ions The establishment Of shop COM
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 management.
There cnn be no doubt TINT 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 en-
Establishment.
"There Is no need here to emphasize
the Importance of safety and santa 1
ton In work places, as this Is .retty
generally recognized ny Legislation.
What Is required is an extension and
strengthening of many of the existing
statutes and better administration
and enforcement Of such laws every /
where.
Vocational Training.
'The need of Industrial, or, as 1t has
come to be more generally called, vO-
cAtional, training IL now universally
acknowledged In the interest of the
natien as well as In that of the work
ers themselves this training should be
mnde substantially universal. While
we cannot now discuss the subject in
any detail. we do wish to set down two
general observntlOns-first, the vocn-
tiOnal trimming should be offered In
such forms and conditions as not to
classes Of at least the elements of q
cultural education. A healthy democ-
racy cannot tolerate a purely indus
trial or trade education for any class
of Its citizens. We do not want to
have the children Of the wage-earners
put into special class In which they
are marked as outside the sphere OF
opportunities for culture. The second
observation Is that the system of voca-
tional training should not operate SO
q, to weaken in any degree our pnro-
chlal schools or any other class of pri
vate schools. Indeed, the opportunities
of the system should be extended to all
qualified private schools on exactly the
same basis as to public schools. We
want neither class divisions In educa-
ton nor State monopoly of education.
Increased Incomes for Labor.
"The great evil Of insufficient Income
for the majority can be removed only
by providing the workers with more
Income. This means not only univer-
sal living wages, but the opportunity
of obtaining something more than that
amount for all who are willing to work
hard and faithfully. All the other
measures for labor betterment recon.
mended In the preceding pages would
likewise contribute directly or indl.
rectly to a more Just distribution Of
wealth In the interest Of the laborer.s