Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-03-01
RAILROAD PROBLEM QUESTION OF
STUBBORN FACT, NOT OF THEORY
AcAdoo Fayors FWeYea Test Period in Which to Prove Which
Is Better, Government Ownership Private Ownership
Wisely Regulated Under Superior Authority
of Federal Government,

made by labor to resist general wage
reductions.
Turning now from those agencies
and laws that have been put In opera
lion during the war to the general sub
ject of labor legislation and problems,
! we are glad to note that there In no
longer any serious objection urged by
impartial persons against the legal
minimum wage The several States
should enact laws providing for the
establishment of wage rates that viii
be AT least sufficient for the decent
maintenance of family in the case OF
all male adults and adequate to the de-
cent individual support OF female
workers. In the beginning the lega!
minimum for male workers should suf
fee 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 In. they should
be ultimately high enough to make pos
sible that amount of saving which is
necessary to protect the worker and
lnvalidity and old age.
Labor Participation In Management
The right of labor 10 organiss and
TO deal with employers through repre-
sentatives has been asserted above In
connection with the discussion Of the
War Labor Board II IS 10 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 management-'the control 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 trade IN
ions The establishment Of shop com
mittees 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 can he no doubt that a frank
adoption Of these means and ends by
welfare Of the workers. hut vastly i'm
prove the relations between them and
their employers. and increase the eff
cheney and productiveness OF each es-
tablishment
There is no need here to emphasize
the importance Of safety and santa
lion In work places. as this IS pretty
generally recognized by legislation.
What is required is an extension and
Strengthening OF many OF the existing
statutes and a better administration
and enforcement Of such laws every
where.
Vocational TRAINING.
The need of Industrial. or. as n has
come 10 be more generally called, vo-
cltional, training Is now universally
acknowledged In the interest Of the
nation as well as In that Of the work
ers themselves this training should be
made substantially universal. While
We cannot now discuss the subject In
any detail. we do wish TO set down two
general observations-first. the voca,
tional training should be offered In
such forms and conditions as not TO
deprive the children of the working
classes Of at least the elements Of a
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 10
have the children Of the wage-earners
put into a special class In which they
are marked n outside the sphere OF
opportunities for culture. The second
observation Is that the system Of voca-
uonal training should not operate SO
a. to weaken In any degree our paro-
chial schools or any other class Of pri-
waite schoolA Indeed. the opportunities
Of the system should be extended to all
qualified private schools on exactly the
same basis a. to public schools. We
want neither class divisions in educa-
lion 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 labsr betterment recon-
mended in the preceding pages would
likewise contribute directly or indI-
rectly TO a more just distribution of
wealth in the interest of the laborer."
We demonstrated the school lunch
and it turned out to be a splendid