The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1921-04-01
WAGES. PRICES. 1lnI.rNrsS

esting economic experiments. Both
aimed 10 increase wages measured b.
commodities, or to inorqaae the pr
portion of the product secured by
labor. The wage-earners cdmplain-
ed that they were not getting large
enough share OF the product. Ac.
eording to the census the employees
In hosiery factories. for example,
get % per cent. OF the value OF ihe
product. They said that was no.
enough.
conditions created by the war
made Il possible for the waec-earn-
ers to get much Increased wages, and
The Increase in the price Of most Of
the products followed wages rather
tardIly Tho result for awhile was
about like this-the workers got
their wages doubled before there was
much Increase IN prices Therefore
the workers who had been grtilng
~ per cent, Of the value of,rhe pro-
duet rot 20 per cent,
That was lne. hat it did not lasi.
Prices followed wages no md over
took them. when prices had dou-
bled the WORKERS we're getting the
same money wages as they were be-
Gore the prices had doubled .but their
wages bad fallen back In the per-
ceniaee o. product from the 50 per
cent reached Tor a little while TO thc
% per cent which they represented
before either wages or prices advanc-
ed
Then wages began To come down,
for roaHons that look inevitable
compulsory People stopped lniylng
goods because the prices were 30
high Merchants could mot sell. aud
therefore they DID not buy Of the man
ufnetureig The latter ln some cases
dismissed iot ~ their operatives
and reduced their production ~
match the demand But this left o lot
Of people In idlencss. others reduced
wages 50 4hat they could reduce
lheir selling prices, aud pnt N vc-
taller In position 70 tempt ihc bay
Or who had become economical be-.
cause 20 had 90 he
The wagc-earners in some cases
submitted gracefully 10 the reduction
Of wages, hut IN oeher casos they re-
sisted II they could maintain wages
a, the bieh point while prices came
down, the wage-earners would once
more Increase the percentage 81 the
product their wages represented But
n large proportion o. them have becn
unable 10 do this. and while the rest
are depending upon strong labor or.
sanizations 10 prevent reduction IN
wages. the alternative appears 70 be
idlenoss
You cant make people buy, II the
prices are too high for them. they
will stop buying. or buy cheaper az
tlclcs. What can the employers do?
They cannot maintain wages NJ the
high DoIIt long u people viii slot
bny their products, or win ONLY hny
at much reduced prices
/ But II prices followed wages on tbe
ascent and wages followed prices On
the decline, q looks az u wages and
prices were not controlled by incl
gidnai greed or whim, but by rex
orable economic laws. and Il looks
also as IL the wages were somewhere
near as high before wages and prices
hogan to advance -say. in the period
preceding the war--as they could be.
and the business go on The nrSt IN
crease Of Wages was defeated auto
matically by the increase OF prices
,fho second Increase OF wages seems
likely 10 be thwarted by The fail OF
wages following the fall ~ prices,
1.-THE only alternative to which. apras-
e'itiy. Is the closing down OF the fac
tcres and the idleness Of. lhe work
people: II looks asif the facts were
demonstrating that wages werp about
as high before the war as trey could
be- q little of the increase due TO the
war mfy be saved. but nj lCh OF ii
must evidently 80 II labor 81 to be
kept employed making things that
consumerS will Cumberland