Evening journal., 1920-11-08

row carefare back TO New York.
On this same job, the contractors
book show that masOns averaged SG5
a week. carpenters and steamntters
! $50 70 $40, pl3sterers 500 TO 500,
scantlemen $50 10 500 and elevator
men $3.50 a week for the whole job,
yet at the end 20 per cent Of the men
in many OF these departments came TO
the management to borrow money 10
get back to New York.
Not only much Of labor itself, but
many broad-minded men entirely
outside OF the labor ranks. have said
openly that in higher WAGES and bet
ter living conditions lie the one ulti-
mate solution OF the strike problem
But this Is true up TO a certain point
only. EXOrbitant wages pile up a cost
of production which the rest OF the
country cannot stand More higher
1 Wages are at the root OF the vicious
circle which has been so much dis
cussed recently. which so keeps rails
ing prices that labor has TO get
higher and higher wages in order ac-
tually TO keep even. Mere higher
wages have proved in experience. not
only in the Hotel Ambassador case
but in hundreds Of cases during the
war and since the war, TO result
chiefly in an orgy OF spending, whose
only result is TO leave labor no better
of actually and much more cOntinu-
ally discontented.
Finally, mere higher wages do not
touch one Of the biggest causes in
the whole strike situatiOn-the use
OF strikes as weapons in political la
Dor lights and ambitions.
Even, therefore, II the rest OF the
country could afford ii, the mere
9 not IIlH
any adequate solution TO the tremen-
douIsly costly strike problem as it has
existed since the war.
There is another large class Of
Americans today who do not believe
that W. have TO do anything at all
about the strike problem, because The
strike problem has already shown
every indication OF solving Itself They
point 90 the very large amount OF
unemployment that is already begin
ming 10 exist in industry as a result
OF the fact that the public has stopped
-Nbuying ht the high prices, which
have been so largely due to strikes.
Many such stand-paiiers predict
lbread lines next winter and a general
condition in which labor VIII have TO
be not only reasonable but subserv-
lent. And they argue that the very
laws OF EAME- anu tAA'lA hAN AANfAf
in the long run bound 10 bring labor
TO its senses and that though such a
solution may be extremely expensive
TO the country, IL Is so much more
extensive to labor itself that sooner
or later labor will be forced to real
ize that for its own sake it cannot
, afford TO take advantage OF special
, situations, as It has in the last few
years, and mulct them. without re,
gard to the interests Of the rest ol
/ the country.
There may be much logic In thl'
' noint of view. There Is unQuestOn
!. ahiv much evidence that conditions a
- present are working in that direction
hut such a solution sayors entlrel,
TOO much OF the law Of tooth an'
q claw" TO afford any progressive o
satisfactory solution OF any proDlen
~ OF modern civilization.
l. There is no question that America
r employers, with Their minds ben
- wholly on competition in production
u and sales, have in the past too ofiel
n taken a ruthless advantage Of laDo
when circumstances have put 10 II
their power To- do so. Iher Is n
question that The advantage labor ma
g taken Of the strategic position Whicl
the events Of the last few years hav
y given 10 il has largely excused am
r Justified in its own mind because o
r much OF the past attitude of It's en-
plnyers. II the human relations u
n Industry are 20 go on only on IN
>. basis Of the law OF the iungle-m meral
according 10 the primordlal Workln
out OF unmitigaied cause and elect
IN the whole relation between EN-
y ploycr.and employe Is to consist OF
watching and maneuvering til clI
or the nNlnr AI
ldlsadvantage. I'm order that they ma
take their revenge or get all they ca
Is while the getting is good, them
e little hope that even VIII all u
greater efficiency our system or IN
lustral management can Lass.
The White Motor Company is toda
Al naying its labor 40 per cent NOR
than 10 was before the war. Yet, /
1t spite Of this fact and in spite OF th
much HIGHER cost Of material, IN
slprice OF the White truck is only
per cent more than 90 was in 1911
e The reason is directly and wholly du
m to the fact that employer and en-
ployes have conscientiously Worko
out together and are Loyalty carryin
out together an increasingly eflcief
4 system OF pyOduction that has ~
II suited in tremendously larger maj
gin OF profit which they are sharln
fairly with the public and each othc
FOR years. hundreds or large lndu
IS trial concerns, with large numbers
regular employees, have bnen strlvlt
along many lines toward building u
in their own organizations betlar r.
ed lations with their employees ana G.
operative efficiency systems Tor d
crcasing the profits OF both employ
and employees, TO act as prevenilv
as OF serious misunderstanding al
strikes.
AT the present time. such methol
are receiving much more serious O
tention than ever before. II they
far enough and spread widely enoug
there is no question that they "
act as very valuable insuran
. against strikes in these industries.
But, In the first place, such efOr
are so far confined, and TO a certa
extent from their nature are cOnnnC
10 industries employing regular nuI
IS bers OF skilled, or at least high clal
n, laborers. Again, all such efforts fro
their very nature, are confined to {
relationship between one unit OF ma
m. agement and its own employees. B
nc lahOr unions as at present cOnstitut
include under the same organlzati
and control the employees OF ma
D.. EMPLOYING units. Moreover, 10 h
ne been the constant policy. as has
Ne' ready been emphasized, OF these gr1
no labor ORGANIZATIONS 10 act II not FRI
the point of view OF the interest
THE labor leaders themsll Ives, al lei
la- from the point Of view OF Their idC
IN OF the interests of~all the labor
NJ their organizations. This means u
they frequently call strikes in an