The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-22

majority OF the United STATES fafs
road labor board has attacked the
theory of the living wage as bit
OF mallifluous phraseoiogy. well
calculated to deceive the unthink-
ing. and declared that Its applica-
ton would wreck the railroads and
III carried into industry generally
would lead to communistic ruin.
Frank P. Walsh, former joint
chairman O. the national war labor
board, has said that an ambitious
politician who made advocacy Of the
living wage his chief issue would
be swept into the White house on
a .yeritable tidal wave of popular
! approval.
A leading labor publication de-
clares that when capital admits l!
must continue its existence upon
public utilities by refusing to pay
what ia considered living wage
then capital may just as we'll un-
derstana that its life in its presen,
form will soon be over"
! One great New York newspaper
says the living wage is very real
thing to millions of people, while
another says that SO long as the
living wage was only an abstraction
nobody quarreled with it. for the
! reason that it was economically
nebulous and innocuous, but when
people tried to apply it concerted
ly, its illusory character became
manifest and it's self-contradictions
began to work mischief; living
wage is beyond practical definition
! either economically or sociologic-
ally"
i From the foregoing it is apparent
! that there are wide differences OF
| opinion over the question. Not
! only is there a debate as to whether
il is night or even possible that ali
/ industries should pay all workers
living wage, but it is almost I'M
possible to find any two people who
will agree as to what constitutes
! living wage. A lively controversy
| is in prospect that may last fol
, many months and it is of course in
| evitabIe that congress will have the
problem on its hands>when 1t comes
to consider additional railroad leg
islation.
Meanwhile there is one phase OF
! the subject to which little atten-
ton has as yet been paid save by
scientists and other experts. Muct
is heard as to the cost OF living and
figures are produced that are as
variable as the communities FROM
which they are quoted. In fact, the
National Industrial Conference
Board has been led by it's investiga'
lions to the conclusion that there is
no such thing as the minimum cos
of living for the country as a whole
+ A Quantity Budget Is Possible.
However, economists agree tina
while there probably always will be
difference of opinion and fact as L
what it should cost or actually doe:
cost an individual or a family II
live, it should be possible to ascer
tain approximately how much focs:
how much clothing and what hou5
ring facilities will be required ,tt
maintain the average family. Il,
this they mean that quantity bud
get is possible although cost bud
get may be debatable In othel
words, in order to live and keep i
: good health every individual re
Z. Quires a certain amount of food
! certain articles Of clothing and
home that meets at least certa.:
minimum standards.
| Government experts in the de
partment of labor have worked on
this quantity budget for a famil,
consisting of a man. his wife AM
three children-a boy Of IL years.
girl of 5, and another boy of
In a general way the burget in
cludes the following provisions:
A sufffeiency of nourishing TOO
for the maintenance Of health, par
, ticularly the childrens health;
Housing in low-rent neighbor
hoods and within the smallest mum
Der of rooms possible consisten
with decency, but with sufficien
light, heat and toilet facilities;
The upkeep of household equip
ment, such as kitchen utensil:
bedding and linen, necessary 70
health, but with no provision 70
the purchase of additional furni
ture;
. Clothing sufficient for warmth, c
a sufficiently good quality to b
economical, but with no further re