The Washington times., 1920-05-08
COSTSQ,5OOFOR
FAMILY OF FIVE
Expert Economist Tells Railway
Wage Board That Is Fair
Minimum.
tcontinued from First, Page.)

wage problem 10 be settled on a sound
and equitable basis. with real indus
trial insight and courageous states
msnship.
AThe public In weary. lust as we
arc weary. OF past opportsnist poll
cies I'm wage adjustment. OF halfway
temperixisS expediests. devised 10
meet . situation temporarily without
regard 20 permanent and fundansestsi
principles. The public wishes the
railroad wage controversy settled
soundIy. eauitsbiy. and ON . iosS-
time, far-xeeins basis IL In reshsee
that such a settlement will mean the
! aeoeIeratiea of Industrial producues'
, OF which Dur country, ss well as the
rest of the world. IL In such srevi~us
need.
"The establishment of a decent liv-
| ing wage would place the great army
OF railroad workers upon the bssis
| Of a decent American standard or iiS-
ing. Existing strife and discomfort
between railway employees ana man.
axements would be Immediately re-
duced and the permanent foundation
laid for working relations on a peace
| able basis. The highest interests OF
our country and the best interests OF
the railroads themselves would also
be subserved by such action. Finally.
from the standpoint OF both the pub
| lie and the railroads, the productive
| efficiency of all classes OF railway
workers would be Increased. and bet
! ter, as well as safer and more
efficient, service would be secured at
q lower cost"
CsnpiIatfen OF Budgets.
| Mr.. Lauck presented to the board a
compilation Of budgets on the cost
OF living based on studies made
under his supervision as we'll as
studies made by agencies OF the
Federal Government, OF various State
governments, and of various indus
trial investigation commissions and
boards-all adjusted to conform to
| the present scale OF prices,
| 'In making this statement am well
within the findings of the United
States Government itself. for on the
basis of the budget compiled by Prof.
Royal s. Meeker. Commissioner OF
| Labor Statistics. dated August, 1913,
family today needs $2,b33 upon
which to live. Commissioner Meeker's
figures for August, 1919. totaied
$2,262. Brought forward with scrupu-
lous cxactness these figures must be
translated into $2,533 for May, 1920.
Commissioner Meeker described his
budget as a minimum comfort" one.
allowing for a trifie above bare sub
sistence He himself has described
IL as mot ideal and under present
conditions this terminology Is highly
conservative.
.If Industry fs to live, the workers
must live. Hunger wages must give
way TO living wages. The needs arc
not to be determined merely By thc
lowest possible amount OF food. cloth
Ing, and shelter they can exist upon.
1t In the living wage that is eontended
for, a wage that will not merely give
the worker physical comfort and keeD
him n healthy animal, hut one which
will supply him with the necessities
for good citisenship. ... -
"The budget based on the living
wage principle offers the bare oppor-
tunity for those standards we call
American. There are no provisions
for old age, no provisions for emer-
gencies, no provisions for aught. but
the most meager educational and
recreational opportunities.
"A living wage is true measure or
| Americanism. The American work.
mans standard of living has been for
fifty years the main argument for the
| protection of American industry. 1t
| now Is time for American industry to
pay its debt by guaranteeing to
| every one of it's workers that stand
ard Of life which 1t has exploited FOR
its own benefit.
World Full of Unrest.
To-day the world is full of unrest.
This nation is no exception. We are
paying the penalty for the gross
selfish neglect Of the human problem
in industry.
"a return to pre-wnr conditions In
impossible and unthlnknbIc. But.
present conditions arc uncomfortable
and cannot continue. Inevitably. we
must build anew, and II is far more
important 10 the public, as well N
labor. that the foundation OF our now
economic structure he secure and per-
manent than TINT conditions OF dis
tress be relieved temporarily, or that
we attempt temporarily 10 tide over
social troubles.
"The principle OF the living wage
is established in enlightened public
opinion throughout the civilized
world. 1t has the sanction of our
Government in the proclamation cre-
ating the National War Labor Board.
1t is embodied in the labor provisions 8
Of the treaty of peace. 1t has the
expressed and explicit endorsement
of the religious world as expressed
by the Catholic church and all Protes-
| tant denominations. 1t is the oppor-
| tunity of this board to fix perma-
nently and for all time n basis for
compensating two million workers in
the transportation branch OF indus
try. We believe IL Is your duty to
do SO: we hope you may regard Il as
your privilege.
ProAteering Evil.
| 1--WE have undertaken to show and
we believe VIC have shown that the
fundamental cause of all economic
instability, all Industrial unrest, all
Interruptions of production and dis
tribution has been high prices and