The Washington herald., 1921-03-27

whole farming population should
suffer in order that 100000 rail-
road employees may live on n plane
above the average of the country.
1t seeps strange that labor and
particularly labor leaders fail to
recognize that in the long run the
only chance there is to maintain
anything approaching the present
wage scale is through increased ef-
ficiency. The selling price of COM
modities is dropping rapidly. This
means that the cost of production
must be reduced. The cost of labor
amounts to from 80 to so per cent OF
the cost of production. II wages
are to be maintained there must be
a greater output per workman or
in other words the labor cost per
unit must be reduced.
II this condition Is to be realized
there will have to be some revision
of labor union rules which will per-
init employees to work for the in
terests of their employers and
avoid the present needless waste.
A short time ago something went
wrong with an electric engine on a
passenger train some twenty-five
miles out OF New York City. The
engineer knew what the trouble was
and knew how to fix IT, but under
the union rules this was an cleo
trician's job. Consequently they
had to telegraph to New York City
for an electrician who came out
and made the repair. This repre-
scented overtime for him and cost
the company something like $40
Nxara .rgs tFtnS.
for the train crew not to say any
thing about the time of the c>s-
sengers-
In building operations 1t is often
necessary to pump water from an
excavation. This Is usually done
with a gasoline engine or an cleo
trio motor. Ordinarily all that
needs to be done Is to start the en-
gine or the motor in the morning
and stop IL at night. A few years
ago it was customary for the water
boy or some man on the construc-
ton crew to run maybe a half
dozen of these pumps while at
tending to his other duties. But
union rules now declare that each
engine or motor must have the
constant attention OF an engineer.
In one actual case in Boston, the
operator Of such a gasoline pump
drew his first weeks wages. receiv-
ing IS per day. Immediately the
business agent of the union wanted
to know sbout the 81 shortage Tor
the noon hour. The employer pro-
tested that the man did nothing
during the noon hour. The agent
claimed that the pump kept WORKING
and that the man was responsive
Since that was overtime he was en-
titled to double pay.
On another big construction job
a man on a concrete mixer, another
on a derrick and another on pump
hxd~ aothing to do. The employer
needed a man for/two hours for
second mixer. But neither of the idle
men could do 1t without breaking
a union rule and subjection to Is
nne. The employer had to order
fourth man from the union, who re-
ceiyed a half days pay for two
hours work.
These illustrations might be con-
tinued almost without limit. They
only go to show why labor costs
are so high-so unnecessarily high.
In most cases the fault lies not with
the men, who would willingly ac-
commodate the right kind of an en-
ployer in order to make things go.
Union leaders and men responsible
for the rules will sometime have to
see that this is not working to their
own best intrest.
Employers as a body. are by no
means without responsibility for
this state of affairs. Before the
unions were dveloped to their pres
ent strength, many employers drove
their men beyond all reason. The
present situation is a reaction
Iagainst those intolerable conditions
and long hours. AS so often hap
pens. the pendulum has swung too
far. Conditions now are almost in
tolerable in the other direction. II
labor leaders are wise they will rec,
ogniZe this and modify their iron
clad rules in such a way as to en-
able a man to give an honest days
work in return for fair wages II
they do not do this of their own ac-
cord. it will some day be forced upon
them and then no doubt to their
great disadvantage. Some means
must be found to protect the work
me n and still encourage that pride
in work kmanship which gives the In
dIviduai self-respect and makes his
work a pleasure instead of a drudge.
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