South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-01-23
FOUR HUNDRED
ATTEND LECTURE
Economist Gives Views on
Present Day Industrial
Conditions.

A very interesting ana enlighten-
ing address vas given in the high
school auditorium Thursday night
before an audience OF four hundred
local employees and employers by the
Rev. william BOlger. dean Of the
economy department at Notre Dame
university on "the evils OF our pres
cnt day industrial conditions" Fr.
Bolger has been a student or this
important problem for many years
and his talk revealed many startling
facts.
Prof. Joseph o. Plante OF Notre
Dame. under whose auspices the
meeting was held. presided At the
meeting and introduced F'r Bolger.
SIR. Plante said that TT Bolger. be-
ing a member OF one Of the biggest
churches in the world could. as he
IS neither an employe nor an en-
ployer. reveal the facts without hav-
ing his talk prejudiced in favor OF
either one or the other. DR.. Bolger
said IN part.
There are two primary causes Of
our Industrial evils, one economic,
md one moral. The economic cause
IS the antagOnistic interests of cap
talists and laborers. from which it
results that, other things being equal
the more that goes TO the laborers
IN wages the less there will be for
capitalists ard employees in interest
dividends and profits. and vice versa
Primary Cause.
The other primary cause is that
in industrial relations to a very large
extent the principle Of justice has
been supplanted by the principle of
economic right such an elementary
right as the right OF working people
10 living wage has been for a hun
dred years, and Is now disregarded
IN the case Of mu ltitudes OF working
people who are receiving a wage in
sufficient 10 support their families
according 10 American standards.
Justice and elementary humanity
today recognize that living wages are
a first charge on industry. If en-
ployes do not recognize this right
voluntarily they should be made 10
do so by legal minimum wage laws.
THE next step in social insurance
should he a health insurance law
rutoAdAlLldAlg AAht TIC Law import ultl
passed by the New York senate last
winter. The experience OF all in
dustrial European countries and the
findings OF several american state
commissions establish both the need
and practicability OF such a measure.
Community OF Interest.
IF there is antagonism there is
also community of interests between
laborers and capitalists. Both are
Interested in a large product and n
sood product. If the working people
are to get more and more OF the good
things Of life they must help to pro
duee them. Capitalists and laborers
can get only what is produced.
~The best possible way, and how
ever the only way, 10 get men to pro-
duce more is TO make it worth while
tor them TO produce more, and the
onlv way 10 make IL worth while for
them TO produce more is TO give them
more of what they produce
Essential in the establishment of
a genuine partnership between cap
ital and labor are: % The establish
ment of some plan of representative
government in industry: CD An
equitable system or pront sharing.
60 ownership on the part OF work
ing people OF a progressively larger
share of the plants in which they
work, with living wages, with inSur-
ance against industrial accidents.
which we have I'm a. states now,
with an equitable share Of the prof
it's, with health insurance, with in
terest from income bearing property
the plants in which they work
end with a share In the industrial
management. working people would
have the sufficiency and security Of
income. the independence and self
respect which derives from property
ownership.
This would make them both com
petent and conteHted citizens OF our
great republic, and conservative in a
eorao NJ the ttrn-T