Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-06-02

THE T.

The trend in wages and the general cost OF
things is downward. there can be no doubt
about that. 1t is being recognized everywhere.
Alhe latest instance is the action of the rail-
bad labor board in decreeing a reduction in
bages for all railroad employees of about IL
Yer cent. Any man or group of men who are
ttempting to maintain a standard of prices
IMAGES that prevailed during the war are up
t a stone wall. Public opinion will not up
kem. Sooner or later they must bow to
gtable.
Wing seems rosy while we are standing
of the mountain or are riding on
the wave. 1t is not so pleasant
trough the shadows In the valley or
n the trough of the sea. Under
ctivity. when the war was on money
ct. Top notch prices and top notch
3 paid. Everything was speeded up
hit. 1t was a case Of deliver the goods
ter what the cost. Wiser ones warned
day of reckoning was coming. The peo-
we're told that the luxuries they were then
llging in could not last forever. Sooner or
Ter all would have ito get back to earth and
Except things pretty much as they were before.
OF course, it is realized that things will never
be the same as they were before the war, but
what must be realized is that we cannot now
get along without giving a full days work for
4 full days pay any more than we could before
thu war. We must learn to do without many
things that we would like to have, Just as we
were doing before the war. We must appre-
ciate, the fact that, after all, the world is just
what we make 1t and that the struggle for ex-
istance is just about the same today as 1t always
has been. The cinches and the easy money
that we had become accustomed to during the
war-that is, those of us who stayed at nome
while others were serving Uncle Sam-are gone
and every man is now up against the hard facts
OF making an honest living to keep himself ana
family in as comfortable a state as his ability
will permit.
For. after all, 1t depends on ones ability how
Ear one gets in this world. 1t is true that dur
ing the war. ability didn't count for a great
deal in the various occupations outside the ac-
tual fin ing. 1t is notorious that so great was
nd Sor mechanics when cantonments
tion plants had to be erected WITHIN
humber of days that men who hardly
to drive a nail straight were EN-
ull fledged carpenters. There were
and electricians. so-called. drawing
wages as such but who were utterly
of such trades. And so 1t was all aiohs
e. The story is a familiar one
AZ time has passed. We have returned 10
stage where ability counts once more. Ana
al the opportunities are just as great as they
yer were for the fellow who demonstrates MS
4 ability is manifested in many different ways
ant it is by the fruits of ones labors that one s
ability is shown. 1t is what a man produces
either by his brain or by his muscles ana phy-
steal strength that counts today. And such
ability is not going to be shown by seeing now
much pay one may get for the least lumber
of hours employed. That is not the way men
of real ability have progressed-and In this
particular the world is the same today as II
Yves before the war.
Much concern Is felt in official circles at
washington over the ability of Secretary Hoov-
or to keep up the pace he is following, fearing
,ts hea,th will, give way under the strain. His