Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-31

Lauck Declares This Would
Be Basis on Which to
Figure Living Wage"

Chicago. Aug. 31.-Pursuing the
efforts, Of the United Brotherhood Of
Maintenance of Way employees and
railroad shop laborers' union to base
Its pleas for increased minimum
wages on living wage" W.. ].
Lauck, union statistician. today before
the railroad board. testified that what
lished in all branches of American
industry would mean an increase IN
wages Of from 20 to 34sper cent.
Chicago. Aug. s1.-Two minimum
living wage bases, one Of at least 40
cents an hour and the second rang
ing from 4S cents to So cents an hour
were argued Wednesday before the u.
s.. railroad labor board lin behalf of
100000 Maintenance OF Way men
whose annual payroll was reduced
of the board.
The wage rate Of from 4s cents to
So cents an hour, was strongly argued
by W.. lett Lauck. statistician for the
unions. He declared that the mini
mum rate of 4S cents was accepted
as living wage by the unions after
a ,compresensive study of budgerary
aysteYfls Most of his argument Wed
nesday was in support Of the union 8
contention that; 4S cents an hour was
the lowest wage on which q man and
family could exist that The applica :
uon of a living wage was practica! ~
application Of the budget system and
that labor has as much~r!sht to expect
a fair return from it's encrgy as
capital has from its monetary t,'yeat-
ments. sHf ;% ~ 4. :.
Arthur Sturgis, another union sta
tisticfan, who mentioned the 40 cent
rate only as the least possible figure
for a living wage. based his deduction.
he said, on the conclusion arrived, ct
by the board in its last wage cut rul-
ing:
tenance Of Way employees, starRis
said. "tl1e average was cut 29.4. per
cent. while at the time living had ie.
creased only 1853 per cent but the
cost of living is increasing and wages
outside the railroad field are coming
ups Hence the,.minimum wage of
Maintenance of Way men should be
decision the board took into conAder-
alton not only the cost fof living but
elso the average wage outside Of rail-
road labor. - ,3s z. I. 4; Il l.3tS.
8: :While Lauck was explaining the
'budgetary system Of fixing a3 living
wage. j, r. Coleman. fTepr resentati tive
pf. the santafaFe, INTERRUPTED him by
A0A4tl8 WHY, sNxbIIAt0AAHAASJ0S SOAt w ~
organization had not sought a mini
mum wage Of 20 cents an hour de-
clared an a living wage In one OF the
budgets cited by, Lauck. 4{ q
n 4s'.Maintenance, men do not want to
be revolutio1ary,''s - replied IAtick.
This then led to 9 discussion Of the size
Of the average American lahorer's
family. Lauclt told the; labor board
that statisticians. generally accepted
nsfaverage OF three hildren. The
yearly earnin q for the head Of the
family Of this size. IAuck said. should
be SIS II sSssSs 8, # 81 lS \
Tho question ayas then broached e
TO whether Children should be con-
Mdered entirely dependent upon their
parents until reaching the are OF 21:
During the discussion. Chairman BEN
tsW. Hooper said. This country has
grown and prpspered commercially
ana ipdustrtailY. I believe, not because
OF any oppreas4 Ne child labor bHt Boz
cause the fathers ana mothers taught
their children that labor - honor
able and taught them tn Ike 4 while
thsy were younG. instead 0f WAITING
,untii thsy reached naa&rlit U.