Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-10-06
TABLE EXAMPLE
Council Bluffs I.aboring Men Accept
Cut in Wages to Meet
Present Conditions.

! Council Bluffs street railway car
men have decided to accept IL per
cent cut in wages.
This is a notably worthwhile ex-
ample. 1t is a manifestation of
sound sense, civic pride and good
Judgment.
The wages of these workers did
not go to the high peak attained by
some other classes. They did go up,
however, on the same basis that
wages everywhere went up-en-
HANGED cost OF living. Now living
costs have come down in some meas
ure, more in fact than this cut in
wages. and these men have exhibited
a sound sense of justice in accepting
the inevitable. Under existing con-
ditions strikes cannot be effective
in maintaining wage scale which
is economically unsound because It
is wartime schedule and the world
is now at peace.
There is some fear among labor
ing men that efforts will be made to
beat wages back to pre-war basis.
There are some short-sighted people
Of tightwad propensities who favor
such plan or policy. But wiser
and more generously minded people
do not want wages to 60 back to old
levels.
Our industrial machine does not
differ from any other kind Of ma
chine. An automobile which gives
its best service at thirty miles per
hour IL over-taxed at forty-five.
Threshing machinery. cream sepa-
rators, locomotives, pumps and all
other kinds Of machinery are geared
to certain speeds. That is the point
at which maximum efficiency is OBJ
tanned.
The goal which fair-minded peo-
pie seek in the relations between la
Dor and capital Is exactly the goal
sought by the mechanician who op-
crates any kind of a machine-the
point where It delivers the best re-
suits.
Get the viewpoint Of q grocer, a
clothier. a furniture dealer. a bank
or or any other business man who
has studied economic law. Ask any
Of these men II they would prefer to
do business in community where
the average wage scale was - ~
against a community where the av-
erage was 81. Not one man in o
hundred would prefer to do business
in the lower wage community II he
had q choice.
There IL a reason. The more
wages we ray workers the more
money they have to spend. business
Il good where money circulates free
". Every sound thinking man In
this country wants our industrial
machine to run at rate of speed
which will yield the largest returns.
War wages mean excessive speed.
This wears the machinery unneces-
sarily under such regime. Some
mon get good wages. others get
none. We want q wage level which
will represent economical Justice.
War wages are too high. the pre-
war layel II too low.
II /, age earnsn look at this sub
] ct right, tn y will find that the
mass of people which We call the
public will be with them when an
fort Ii made to force them below
fair wage level. The public will
be against them when they try to
maintain a war wage schedule in
q time Of peace.
These street car workers have
seen this proposition a It should be
viewed. They have in this situation
played the role Of clean, high-mind-
cd American citizens. They have
not attempted to introduce a bolshe-
Wiki program such as some groups
Of workers have undertaken In this
country.