The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-03-19

thoHo now and proper demands Of
tho worker will solve that problem
between them. IA a matter OF fact,
uur mere progressive employees have
h.uu Ter some time, aud perhaps
without knowing it. paving the saw
ing wage And tho American worker
has been duly saving IT, There IL
nothing new ur revolutionary about
the fnNiur wage in practice any moro
than 10 f. new aa am idea. My con-
trutluu ie only that what a few en-
lightcncd employers have been doing
must in time become general, Coon
or or later the rest must bow 10 the
inevitable. Public opinion win COM
pei this
Tho truth ia that. perhaps without
our boiug fully aware OF what has
boou going ON, great social changes
have boon working themselves out
among nv: ana the workers demand
for iutr share In the benefits or
/ this new dnv-Hsomc enjoyment OF
books pictures. music and the the
! ntor, ana % chance nt the higher
education 10 name but u fow of
I ithom-scoms to me but one express
| sion OF thcsc sweeping social
changes, II is only that the cnlight-
onod worker Is finding his true place
I NN % llNlllhIl NlllI NllN " Il'lllhfi va
| our rich community and ho IL ccr-
tain to insist upon occupying that
place eventually
u r. not the purpose OF this pres.
! cnt paper TO discuss these social as
poets Of the saving wage feel con
| tidont tha, IL wo place the millions
Of workers under the stimulating cf-
| focts Of these lnrgor cnioymcnts I'm
| life there ls no calculating the now
! genius ana energy We may release Hs
! u contribution To our national prog
ross. At this moment am not con-
ccrncd with this great llft to our cN-
istence Nd "a people that IL certain 10
result from the instnllQllou OF the
saving wage and tho fuller self-ex-
precision It Is certain 10 grant our
workers. | viii leave that TO tho
| student of sociology My present
concern II 10 press tho saving wage
ms strictly business proposition, too
good TO be neglected.
Newspapers NonpuI-cd.
when I first broachcd the idea OF
! the saving waEo IN various recent
talks the newspapers and magazine
press hailed II with variety Of
opinions that amused me. They
hailed 1t I'm every case with approval,
built clearly struck them ne Romc-
thing utopi1n. They overlooked the
fact that tho RHvinE wage Is already
a going principle IN hard and actual
| practice. They knew nothing Of tho
! incNorablo social forces that are
bringing n about regardless OF In
dlvldunl wishes or opinion. In this
| nm offering no idle opinion OF my
own. Tho assertion is proved by tho
hard facts Of history.
In 1919 u British economist
good deal Interested IN tho demand
then current for "A radical reduction
In wages mnde n study Of historic
records to learn, II possible. whether
the hOlsting Of wages during wars
invariably resulted In n rctdrn TO
pfcWhr scales, a. people were de-
mnnding Tho results OF his study
are highly ILLUMINATING. by great
good fortune he found intact IN the
archives "a complete account OF the
costs ana wages paid I'm tho build
iug of the Tower OF London, Vest
Minister cathedral ana numbeg OF
other public buildings built or in
process Of building, $50 years ago.
The records he uncovered applied
only 10 tho building trades. or
course, yet they were undoubtedly
typical
The Important Fact.
In these records he found that the
average wage of n carpenter $50
years ago was cents a day. No
light was thrown ON what cents
would buy at that time. hut that IA
immntCri1l. In 1913, tho year DO
fore the outbreak Of the great war,
the average daily wage of tho Britt
ish carpenter was, roughly. 81
day. In other words, II had taken
$50 years TO bring this WACO from
cents ~ 50 day This was impOr-
iaut, but IL was tho least interesting
fact disclosed.
Tho really important fact dis
closed WAS that hy tho historical
roCorls, no period Of lO years had
passed that ala not record u wage
ndvauro ot 1i least 20 per cont Tor
tho British artisan. In ono or two
h1lf-ccnturiu8 tho advance umount-
'd io 40 per cont. Hul tine most Inn
pori1ui ul 1Il tin fIrlH revealed was
This, ihot never at amy limo during
'h" $50 wears studied WINS there n
going h''E in the wo''or ot wages.
At rurN period ul 90 wears tho
worI.rr hnl climbed "a rung iu The
'an'r h'i simply That hut a'l tho
I""'r iuNrH 100 tho bidder disap-
r'1I.'' "Nd from These studies.
f..