The Washington herald., 1920-01-08
Clerk Budget Requires
a Program Of Penury
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ses6 for rent. sls5 for clothing and ss45
Tor sundries. At the same time Mas
smith called the committees atten-
ton 70 the fact that the Minimum
wage Board OF the District of Col
lumbia allowed a single woman, work.
Ing In printing and publishing houses.
*lss.O for clothes, $3i more than the
entire family clothing budget of a
family, As given by Prof. Ogburn.
Five years ago the Society for the
Prevention of tuberculosis and Pow
erty. which took test case Of twenty
seven families In New York, came to
the conclusion that It would then cost
q man a.1oo year to raise a family.
On the basis obtained at that time
this would be swelled to in The neigh
borhood Of 81 800 today.
Family IL Questien.
In the presentation Of briefs and the
resultant discussion, no unanimIty has
been reached as to what a 'Iiyin9 bud-
get" really should be as it applies to
government workers. As far as the
amount 10 concerned, obviously Prof.
ogourn's shlpbuilding center average
cannot be made applicable except az
II Affects the lower class of laborers
living under similar conditions. TAX
ing into consideration the individual.
should be budget be based on what IA
necessary for a single person or should
the deciding factor be the family?
The latter suggetion involve the
broad question Of whether or not the
government should be Obliged to take
Into account the man or woman Of
family, number OF dependents and
wage esfnerh within the family cIrcie
students Of social questions regard
this a. one OF the most complex prob
lena confronting the government or
society today. That 1t will have to be
solved is admitted on every hand, but
how? ~
There are not few. even among em-
ployes, who maintain that II Is none
or the governments business whether
a man or woman is married or single.
The service alone should dictate the
compensation. This reasoning would,
or course, obviate the necessity of the
government giving heed to the query:
Am my brothers keeper" The
basic pay would disregard social rela-
tions and married and single would
face the salary tape abreast. That
is exactly the situation now. Should
1t continue? DR.. John A. Ryan, pro-
lessor Of political science In the Cstho.
lie University. apparently does not
think so. In testifying before the Sem
ate Committee almost a year ago he
said:
Diseearages Marriage.
The situation in which the wage
Is hxed at the cost of living of the
unmarried man is a bad situation
socially. for it will leave the ma
jority Of physical labor to have lit
tie or no chance of looking forward
to marriage. II the wage is kept,
either in public or private employ
ment, at the unmarried mans cost
of living, his opportunity of mar
riage is postponed and rendered
rather weak"
Such a reasoning might lead to
the suggestion that the wage
should be based on family expenses
and that the unmarried man and
woman would be benefited to the
extent Of being able to lay aside. the
difference between the family anu
unmarried budget and thus be
propery prepared for assuming
lhNeSN"SAo
Senator Hollis seemed 30 have
looked at the question in that
light when he asked DIR. Ryan. that
IL wages were fixed somewhat along
those ines would it mean fewer or
more families? The answer was
more"
That it does not pay society, either
from an ethical or economic view
point. to offer less than a living wage.
regardless Of how it is apportioned.
was contended by DR.. Ryan. He said
in part. speaking on the ethics of the
problem:
Moral Issue Involved.
The right to live with a certain
amount of decent comfort is quite as
important, at least essentially as i'm
portant a moral right. as is the right
to life or property"
As to the economic phase he said:
1T does not pay society to have any
considerable class OF its people work
ing for less than living wages; that
the cost Of the situation, in the long
run. Is much greater to society than
IL the responsible authorities of So
ciety pass legislation preventing any
body from being employed at less than
living wages.
I'm the first place there is the
question Of physical efficiency. If a
worker has not enough wages to
provide nourishing food in sum
cient quantity and clothing adjusted
to the different seasons. that work =
er will not be able to do his or her
best. And. then there is a question