Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-01-27

ganization. As a result, contradie-
tory wage theories are in use where
all interests can be best served by
unified thinking. This situation has
been made acute by insistence upon a
cost Of living basis for wage deter
mination By some. There is need for
an essay Of existing theory and a re
statement of fundamentals.
Appreciatiye of the far-reaching eff
fects of wage determination, the Ex-
ecutive Council of the A. +. of l.. in
corporated the following statement in
their report to the Denver Conven-
ton:
The American trade union move
ment believes that the lives of the
working people should be made bet
ter with each passing day and year.
The practice of fixing wages solely
on a basis of the cost of living is
violation of the Whole philosophy in
progress and civilization and, futher-
more, is a violation of sound economic
theory and is utterly without logic
or scientific support of any kind.
What we find as result of practice,
so far as ii has gone, Is that there Is
a constant tendency under ii to classi-
fy human beings and to standardize
classes, each class having a presump-
tive right to a given quantity of var
ious commodities. 1t is not difficult
TO understand that the ultimate devel-
opment of such a policy must be ri
diculous and fantastic; in fact, it al
ready has become so in many cases.
We are not prepared at this time to
I.4 IN lott 20
which we believe proper as a basis
of wage measurement, but we are
firmly convinced of the necessity of
research and study, in order that a
principle may be found which will be
scientifically sound and TO which,
therefore, our industrial life will nat
urally adjust itself. American indus
trial development has reached a point
where it must give to the workers a
consideration that goes beyond the
bare essentials of sustaining life.
Hunger of the workers for those
things which satisfy the diversified
needs of human beings has in the
United States in the main been salts
fed, so far as the elementals of phys
ical existence are concerned. There
is beyond that point, however, a hun
ger which can only be described as
one which demands opportunity for
broadening sphere of mental and
spiritual life.
To measure the life possibilities of
a highly civilized people in terms of
yearly allowance, or so many pounds
and yards of commodities, is a con-
ception which the American labor
movement can not tolerate and which
il must remove from the realm of
practice. We realize fully that to
substitute the present unscientific, un-
sound and unjust practice with one
which shall meet all tests, requires
deep study and much consultation.
There must be laid down principle
that will endure. We must face the
facts as they are and carefully de-
velop a scientific procedure in so far
as that is humanity possible.
Ultimately, we feel, there must be
found some method of relating stand
ard of living to social usefulness, or
production service, though under pres
ent industrial management this has
not yet been found possible on any
| just basis.
Unquestionably the welfare of any
people as WnOie is ulfeCliy feldIeu
to the productivity of that people.
The difficulty Is encountered when it
is attempted to apportion returns on
the basis of individual productivity.
Some of the blame for this is because
of the lack of control by individuals
over their own life work and by the
practice of employers of pitting work
man against workman, as well as the
advantage which employers take in
imposing speed efforts which it is
possible to maintain for short periods
only.
However, progress that has been
made in some cases in the develop
ment of the science of industrial man
agement shows that it is possible to
look forward along this line with some
hope of results that will afford JUS
tice to the workers and to society at
the same time.
There are but two avenues leading
to permanent higher standards of liv-
| ing for our people as whole. One of
these is the elimination of waste, eth
err in the form of mismanagement or
of undue exploitation and profiteering