Evening star., 1921-09-16
About 10000 Civilians Are
/, Affected by Order of Sec.
retary Denby.
1000 IN LOCAL YARD
LOSE 100000 WEEKLY
Employees to Continue Fight and
Hope to Force Reopening of
Controversy.

employees recommended by the gen.
eral Navy wage board were ordered
put into effect today by Secretary
DENLY despite the protests Of the
workers and the business men of the
sections covered by the yards
approximately 10000 civilian en-
ployes in the various yards, 1000 of
whom are employed at the local yard,
are affected by the pay cut, which
ranges from 13 to 80 per cent, and
amounts to about 100000 a week at
the Washington yard.
The Washington navy yard en-
ployes. however. have not given up
hope for a reopening of the wags
c";..-oversy. They nave receive,
promises from several cabinet mer
bers that the wage question wou
be brought up at the next cabin
meeting, and believe that if thie .-
done some steps will be taken to have
the award of the general Navy wage
board reviewed.
Declare Scale Too Low.
Data collected by officials of Column
bia Lodge, No. ia. International As
SO, iation of Machinists. comprising
machinists employed at the local navy
yard. citing facts to show that the
local workers cannot live on the new
scale of 10 cents an hour. were sent
tOOdS 70 dit1HSsEbeTS Ot SOnSTesS VINO
come from districts in which navy
yards are located.
With this information is an appeal
to the members of Congress to in
tervene in behalf of the navy yard
employees and use their influence to
have the wage question reopened.
Herbert p. Leenlan, president of
Columbia Lodge. said today that a
number of the machinists at the
Washington navy yard turned in their
designations today to accept employ
ment in private establishments at
higher rate Of pay. Many other work
ers. he said. are contemplating resign
ing and will do so il they, can obtain
employment elsewhere.
Plan for Mass Meeting.
!. Two hundred apprentice boys en-
ployed at the local yard will hold
mass meeting at the Machinists,
building. tomorrow morning 20 pro-
prentice bays were hard hit i.y the
reduction.-Is
N ;P Alifas, president of District
"A, International Association of Ma
chinists. left Washington this after
noon to attend mass meeting of
navy yard workers at Philadelphia
tonight This mass meeting has been
called to protest against :ha pay cut
CoincidenfA with the announcement
that the Navy Department had put The
reduced pay scale into effect, state
Thent was issued by q. l.. Rosenund,
president OF the International FEEDER
alton of Technical Engineers. Archi-
,tects' and Draftsmen's aaious, de-
plorfng the wage reduction. The
statement read:
Flags Government Action.
Decreases in the wages of navy yard
employees range from 13 to 80 per
cent. The United Stats government.
which certain welfare organizations
have for years been calling a model
employer. thus joins the steel corpo-
ration, the wool trust, the railroads
and. in fact. practically the whole
plutocratic class of employers in
slashing the wages of its wage work.
ers. The scale adopted is the same
as recommended by the special board
appointed by Secretary DENLY.
Though kind words butter no
paranips, the board at least has the
decency to apologize for the sweeping
cuts it recommends.
The board invites attention. says
its statement, to the fact that thv
present cost of living is so per cent
higher than that obtaining in 1913.
The wages herein recomme ended are
only about As per cent higher than
the pre-war scale
That is, the board deliberately rec
ommends a reduction not only in the
money wages but also in the real
wages or purchasing power of the
men within its jurisdiction. The board
continues its apology as follows:
Quotes From Navy Board.
"'There has been more talk about
high wages and less about high prices
than statistics appear to justify. To
secure a pre-war scale the artisans
present rate of pay should. with pres
ent prices. be nearer 80 cents an hour
than 73-cents an hour
Yet the board recommends only 73
cents. a confessedly inadequate
IF the full truth were told. more
over. even the wage rate which the
board admits should be paid il pre-
wars purchasing power is not to be
slashed, IS far too low. The board cal
culated the hourly rate so as to pro-
vide a yearly minimum income of
$1,000 which, it thought, was the least
on which an American family could
be supported with living costs at pres
ent levels The board does not be
level says. that it is decent for the
government to pay less money than
this to- American citizens with fami-
lies to support.
.When q research bureau investi-
eating for the New York printers in
mum quantity budget and priced the
articles and quantities mentioned in
it, the cost of living for a family of
five was found to be not less than
$2,63268. These prices were for New
York. 1t is true. But the employees in
the Brooklyn navy, yard live in New
York. and prices in Boston. Norfolk
and other shipbuilding centers surely
are not 60 per cent lower than those
in New York.
zone Of the worst features of the
boards report is that. 1t will prob
ably be sefJed upon by employers all
over the country as an official esti-
mate for use in wage slashing move
msnts. It win be the function Of the
research departments of the unions
to show up the boards shameful un-
derstatement Of the workers true
needs; as well as its cynical disra--
gard OF previous more liberal figures
arrived at by agencies eQpxily Of
fetal, muchss better equipped for the
task. and width no special department