Evening star., 1921-08-16
fewer EMPLOYED
UNLESS WAGE CUT
IS PUT INTO EFFECT
Continued from First page.)

much data on outside employment.
that in some instances it would per-
init the government, under the law.
to provide increases. but in others a
reduction
n p. Aliras. business representative.
District A. International Association
of Machinists reviewed the history
Of the labor conditions in the navy
yards. and gave budgets for laboring
m"r .., which allowed Of no Injuries;
ed by Congress-" he said. should
have no bearing on wages paid-it
should only determine the amount of
work to be performed in accordance
ting appropriations by Congress does
not justify the inauguration of a
wage scale which does not conform
to a standard of health and decency.
1t does not Justify the departments s
in making the employees pay the diff
ference through lowered standard.
Congress had the power to ap-
rropriate the necessary money to
meet American standards of living
for all work it desires to have per-
formed. The people of the United
States, we believe, are willing that
If they want appropriations cut 1t is
because they want certain govern
ment functions discontinued and not
because they want to reduce the
American standard of living.
Wage Standards Important.
Standards of prices are considered
important by manufacturers. mer-
chants and farmers. They are equally
important to the wage Garner. II
wage standards are not protected. 1t
curtails their purchasing power
f1a .tyo f0r
manufactured goods. A shift has to
be made in industry away from the
production of necessities toward the
production of luxuries which the
wealthy can purchase. This is waste
ful, uneconomic and contrary to gen.
eral public welfare.
I'VE object to the introduction OF
Chinese coolie labor. because 1t lowers
standards of living. We object to the
extension of convict labor because IT
unfavorably affects the standard OF
wages for free labor: similarly we ob-
ject to have the government lower
wage standards merely because Con-
eress wants to economiZe.
1.-The machinists' trade is the most
numerous in the navy yards. A con-
cession in wages given to them costs
more money than if given to trade
which forms smaller group. This
however, should not prevent machin.
|
chinists' trade is as skilled as that OF
any other trade, and from a point OF
view of actual worth, the mach1nfst
toolmaker and die sinker should re-
ceiye as high a rate as that paid any
other workman.
Machinists have to purchase ex-
pensive kits of tools. they must serve
a four-year apprenticeship or Its
equivalent, they must understand the
workings ot scores of different kinds
Of metals and materials, they must
understand and operate complicated
machinery, use fine measuring instru.
ments, and in navy yards where re.
pairs are done they must understand
the workings of many kinds of com.
may know what is wrong with it anC
make necessary rpeairs. y
Wage should Support Sknl.
A large proportion of machinist.
in addition to their trade experience
have been Obliged to take courses zot
study in mechanics in order to NEE
tbe h;eh requirements of their trade
| "This degree of skill is assuredly de
serving of a wage which will provid,
in health and decency a family OF five
II should provide more-it should pro
for the children and more latitude IL
expenditures.
"There should be no danger of los
ing work by reason OF high wag,
scale. because most of the competitor
of navy yards are working on al
eight hour basis. If formerly tn
navy Yards could successfully com
nets AGAINST nine and ten hour ship
Yards they surely can now compet
/. AGAINST eight-hour shipyards, evel
though the wage rates IN navy yard
should be higher"