The labor world., 1920-06-12
), ,)U[IUS=BARNES
: FOR FAIR DEAL
Explains Recent Interview in
Herald Believes Things Must
Quickly Be Evened Up.

In recent issue of The Labor
World comment was made on an i'm
terview given to the Duluth Evening
Herald by julius Barnes of this city
in Which we took exception to GER
tain statements credited to Mr.. Barnes
E,y the Herald. A copy of the paper
fas mailed to him and we are this
week IN III ree'eibt 81 a reply which. we
are 'pleased to' rub bhsh. 1T >fs''as> fol-
lows:
MY attention has been called to
an editorial in your issue"of May 15
Il thank you for the kindly consid-
GRAFTON in which it is expressed, and
which l hope always to deserve I
can not, however, allow your readers,
among whom l claim many good
friends, to get the impression which
the editorial conveys that I could only
see relief to the high cost of living
by limiting the rewards of labor; for
that is not my real opinion.
For a Relative Wage.
The newspaper interview on which
you base Your editorial was only
telephone conversation, and perhaps
unfortunately expressed. Since, how
ever, the subject has been opened, l
know that. your readers would well
come statement of the fundaman-
tails, as I see them, and that they are
intelligent enough to form their own
without prejudice.
My complete statement would oe
that, after reaching fair basis of
relative wage between en1ployments,
for one section to seek an enlarge
ment of the weekly wage by increas-
ms the hourly rate, rather than by
continuous employment, and especial
ly when that increase in the hourly
rate automatically reduces the con-
tlnuous employment, such effort is
unsound to those trades themselves,
and unfair to their fellows. What the
wage level should be. is an entirely
differen t question:: but, at all events,
Interruptions in production and. lack
Of continuous employment prevent
fair demonstration Of fair wage
level. Evening up of inequalities must
continue, until fair relation is
reached.
1t Don't Apply Here. j.
:"In,, the. building trades. for ex-
ample, the wage scale. has: now been
advanced until, togetheY with the in
f}uence of building material prices
again affected by advanced wages and
relative scarcity, building construc-
lion has become hazardous and em-
ployment has shrunk to probably
three days out of six If this is true,
then those trades could better work"
six days at a lesser hourly rate, thus
stimulating continuous employment,
than to continue to work three days
at the higher rate, because that fall
ing-off in: house. production affects
thousands OF their fellows. even while
their own. weekly income is not as
:;s':::SotniSg. : Illustrates the disastrous
effect: Of a fa]ling-off in production
Hike *t1e: present home position in this
country, where we are short probably
six million homes. This shortage in
homes produces rental competition
which leads to steadily advancing rem
many necessities of our people. 1t is
aggravated by the profiteering that
naturally follows, advancing prices and
an under-supplied commodity market.
Profitecring Will Disappear.
"This profiteering will disappear
automatically as soon as production
generally equals the absorption de-
IL.
for nine, some will be smart enough
to supply their own demands. and buy
in advance against the last two or
three, who must compete by bidding
before one Of them is left out entirely.
If. on the other hand. those 10 men
produce enough For 10, or enough for
Ill, there is no eagerness to buy
against the coming shortage. and no
rush: even to supply their own re-
auiren ents, and the price then re-
fleets. fairly, the cost of production.
-. ".lnterruptions in. rail distribution
ARE. today preventing full: production
and continuous employment Many
Factories are running part time be-
cause they have not the raw materia,
needed for full time production. Part
~, that rail situation is due to made
quate equipment; partly. to labor in
terruptions, which, reach far beyond
the employees affected, and shrink :em-
ployn1ent .and production on. which
their fellows necessarily .rely.i These
are big economic principles that move
relentless]y and steadily. Legislation
alone is more apt to increase disor-
;sahikation and make the situation
more acute. Worse than all. it tends
to put a premium on the crook in
business and to- drive the honest man
OUT 49," ! - - -
Must Restore Competition. i
H"Restored competition is the only i
sure and natural relief, and that will
come the moment production is: ade-
,auate. 1t is SO easy to criticize loudly
and to- condemn unreservedly, but it
requires patient, steady effort, and the
observance Of economic forces that
are, greater than sta tutes to- get a real