Evening journal., 1922-04-01
lrwrrn pRorosrs rN1possIn1r rAYRoLL.

/
TNHE Railway Age points in editorial in It's cur
! 4 rent issue that b. NJ Jewell president Of the Rail-
road Employees Department OF the American Federation
OF Labor. has completely oudistanced all other labor
leaders by the demand for wages for railway shop em-
ployes which before the Railroad Labor Board
this week
! Mr. Jewell in answering the demand OF the railways
for reduction Of took the position that railway
shop employees to support average family OF Ave-
according to a "healthfu standard OF living" should
have an average wage s2ss7 year In other arbi-
ratons the Railway Age points out labor leaders have
been satisfied demand wage OF t226o
year. The Railway Age attacks the whole theory upon
which Mr. Jewell bases his contention and says that for
industry to pay high as Mr.. Jewell
suggests require the total produc-
ton Of the country from 75 TO 10 per cent
''Mr Jewell's conclusion as TO the wage that should
be paid says the Railway Age, is based not upon the
productive efficiency OF the railway shop en-
pioye but upon the needs a family OF Ave But one
family Of ive has needs great another. There
his theory each employe OF every class should
be paid an average s2.6S7. But Mr.. Jewell jauntiy
ignores facts not he assumes. that
the family in this country is family Of Ave
The records show that the family
contains persons. Nor Is the family sup
ported by earnings OF person. The number OF
families the country Is about 24,2OOOO0. The num-
Der OF persons gainfully employed, according the
Iconsua, y
age family enjoys OF and three-auarers
persons, person. Therefore, II each per-
son gainfully employed had income OF S2637, the
Income average family would be $4,000, and not
50 s67 and would therefore be much larger than Mr.
Jewell says needs. family OF the average size hHv-
ing number OF income producers would re-
quire an average wage each worker OF only $3.50
TO provide each family with income OF t2,6S7. Mr..
Jewell says under the scale proposed
by the railways railroad mechanic make $16bl"
Mr. Jewell may answer his figures show the average
railway shop employees family has hve persons and
lony one person earning income II that is true then
the average railway shop employees family Is larger
than only little one-half as many In
come producers as, the American family. But
II railway shop employees choose have larger families
than the average and fewer the members OF their
families elect to work, is that any reason why they
should be paid higher wages than other workers.
MT Jewell practically contends that all productive
labor should OF at least t26S7
This average wage for all railway employees IN 1921
would have made railway payroll four billion
ave hundred million dollars about billion seven
hundred million dollars than it 1t would
have made the expenses and OF the railways ex-
ceed earnings by about one billion dollars leaving
them for hxed charges
To provide all the forty-two million people in this
country "galnfuy employed" with income
OF t2637 would make the total payroll Of the country
industry hundred and eleven billion dollars But
the largest production land noomel Of the people
OF the United states in 1919 when was sixty six
billion dollars This measured in the high prices
prevailing at that time Reduced the basis OF the
prices OF 1919 production (and income) OF the
. country reached its maximum in 1917, when 1t wa'
forty-one billion dollars Therefore thi basis OF tho
prices in 1919, Mr. Jewell payroll for indus
try exceeding by forty-hve billion dollars the arges
total production attained and the basis OF the
prices Of 1913. payroll exceeding by seventy bilor
dollars or 40 per cent, the largest production ever at
a ltained
Il is hardly necessary sar that the adoption Of Mr.
lJeweis wage scale would speedily result in the pront
of all Industry being absorbed by the payroll But thi
does not daunt him. says his plan OF industria
revolution frankly contempiates situation in which
Temporarily they Cprohts) may have to cease"
The adoption Of MI Jewell's program would not on1
ldesroy profits and private in the railroa
business, but wipe out pronts IN every business sn
leave all private property valusless in the hands OF il
lowners.
Those Irish peace agreements to be made 10 tn
N he hroken 10 the hone