The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1921-06-17
Highest Income Possible For rlany
If Employed Every Work-Day In
The Year Under New Rate Is $1,000

even if it is necessary to take it from
the hearts of the workers.
Wage Controversy Regulation
The transportation act sets up Ger,
tain principles that shall control wage
controversies. 1t provides that the
cost of living, the hazard and respon-
sibility of employment and other con-
| siderations shall be taken into account
| in fixing pay schedules. The trans
portation board gave heed to none of
these requirements. 1t bothered itself
not the least about what may happen
to the toilers when they are thrown
| back on a starvation wage. 1t heard
| the call of the railroads and that was
sufficient for its purpose. 1t slashed
right and left, without thought of the
consequences.
In making it's heaviest reductions
on the wages of the lowest paid work
ers the board cynically disregarded
the well-being of more than 100000
men who were under existing sched-
| ules receiving less than the lowest
estimate of what is required to keep
the average family in decent comfort.
The rates established by the decision
will compel these men to make new
and bitter sacrifices and many of
them will fall into hopeless and de-
garding poverty.
The highest income possible for
these men under the present wage
rate, if they are employed every
working day in the year, is less than
$1,000. With deductions incidental to
holidays, inclement weather and
other factors that the workers do not
control, their average income is re-
duced to about $3.50 a year. The re-
duction will decrease this sum about
$3.50 year, leaving them a scant
$500 with which to maintain family
of five. Recent budgets compiled by
various research organizations place
the sum needed to keep such fam
lily above the subsistence level at
about $4,000 a year. The employers,
never too generous with workers, have
declared that 81 $50 is the absolute
minimum for the maintenance of the
average family.
Less Bread for Workers
All this, of course, meant nothing
| to the railroads and scarcely more to
the railroad labor board. The workers
must take less bread that the rail
road managers may have more cake.
Millions must suffer that the shame
less liberality of a recreant congress
may be realized.
When the labor board was taking
food from the stomachs and clothes
from the backs of the workers fam
lilies the railroad officials were at
Washington demanding that existing
high transportation charges be con-
tinued and in some cases increased.
They were also demanding that bill
lions of dollars be taken from the
treasury to meet the greedy demands
made upon the government. They in
sist that the people shall surrender
claim to the managers of thousands
of millions of dollars advanced to the
carriers when they were in financial
distress. In short, they are battering
at the doors of congress for conces-
sions so monstrous and indefensible
that they would not be given a mo-
ment's consideration were the gov
ernment responsive to public opinion.
Addressing the Iowa state legisla-
ture in March, 1919, Senator Cum
Minis, author Of the Cummins-E -Esch
! bill, declared: "In order that there
may be no misunderstanding as to my
attitude, / desire to say in the be-
ginning that l look upon Transports
tions as a governmental function.
believe that it is just as much duty
Of the government to provide the
people with adequate transportation
at the lowest cost as it is to provide
them with adequate highways. ade.
quate water supply, adequate courts
Of justice, or adequate police pro.