Evening journal., 1920-10-30

situation in that the rehabilitation
Of 100000 soldiers meant at least for
the next year very large increase n
the demand for clothing, and so for
their labor. Hardly, therefore, had
they won their strike for a 30 per
cent. reduction OF efficiency per work
er In order that 80 per cent extra
workers could be maintained per-
manently in the industry. than they
struck again, demanding i'm addition
mat the wages Of all, including the
80 per cent Of extra workers, should
be practically doubled.
Ihe clothing workers won their
strike, including the artificial perma-
nent retention Of 35 per cent OF extra
workers in the industry on the ex-
tremely inefficient basis OF an arbi-
| trary % per cent reduction Of efll-
cheney per worker But where as in
the case OF the electrical employees,
where the fight for the principle OF
reduced eillclency per worker was lost
and The old stapdards OF efficiency
maintained, the progress and pros
perlty or the industry actually result
eded In keeping the full war quota
OF labor employed at better than war
wages, in the clothing industry not
merely tue extra 30 per cent but over
~ .iNA tNhb VI Nle WlNlt lnuuHIFN Is
lOudy out or Job and earning moth
ing. Nevertheless. for over a wear
TINS strike kept them away from other
Pndustrles, and by making them Off
clally clothing workers keeps even
! now most Of them idle and agitating
other Job
In the coal strlke-the question of
! reducing hours so that extra war
workers who were not needed in the
coal industry under normal conditions
| but were vitally needed i'm other in
dustries should be artincially kept in
the coal industry was One-Of the two
most prominent and undoubtedly the
one most vital question at issue.
Fuel Administrator Garfield has de-
| tlnitely declared-and all other un-
biased students OF the coal industry
seem TO agree with -him-that the
basis OF all the trouble in the coal in
dustry is the fact that there are far
more more men in it tban the industry
The United States Senate reports
fshow that for the year before the coal
| strike the average miner received
ABOUT $1,000 for about POO days work
During this period it was shown.
/ however, that because of the number
Of miners and because waqes were
such That the average miner could
! maintain his scale OF living on much
less than full time 10 was the custom
in the industry-and th is custom was
maintained even during the war
/ period. when the demand for coal was
/ greatest-tO work less, often much
/ less, than full time in order that there
might be plenty OF work for all the
/ extra men in. the industry It was
also shown by this same Senate re-
| port that the miner who worked all
the time he could instead Of part time
earned from $500 10 50 200 year on
| the wage scale before the strike.
With the war over. however, there
was the obvious probability Of a very
much smaller demand for coal OBJ
NiOusly and purely in order that. all
the men in The industry could be kept
in the industry. and I'm the unions,
and not be forced back into the other
/ industries where they were needed.
the miners officials demanded that
wages be raised TO a point where IN be
average miner could maintain a full
American scale Of living by workng
three or fOuC days a week. And in
order to makA this doubly sure, they
/ further demanded that the maximum
weeks work should be thirty hours
which rs equal to exactly three and
| three-fourths eight-hour days a week
! The miners leaders won only a par
tial victory. but This extravagantly
inefficient condition still persists Of a
far greater number Of men than the
industry needs. each working part
time. Thus not only does the average
coal buyer pSy two mems wages in
stead Of one mans wages on every ton
OF coal he buys, but there is a CORES
pondingly lower production and hbsh-
er price. due TO labor shortage in
each other industry - particularly
farmng-frOm which these men came
but. to which they nave not gone
back.
But this persistent determination Of
the unions TO keep as many men as
possible in the industries they domi-
nate, or want 10 dominate, and so in
the union TO help in this domination
not only obviously adds immensely to
The cost OF living, but IL is part Of a
secret, sinister policy. 30 he discussed
later, which Will, in the long run, if
10 succeeds, be far more costly vet 90
the whole American people.
rTrfTJfFYFJFTTTJTTFgrVVF4