The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-12-13
sTANDARDIzING LIVING COSTS

STANDARDIzING LIVING COSTS.
Just at the time when the question
of a living wage" is being agitated
in organized labor circles, the United
Mine Workers of America issue a
statement which is equivalent to a
reputation of the idea. This was is
sued as a part OF a formal communi-
cation sent to the United States coal
commission by a committee represent
ing the United Mine Workers.
The United States coal commission
recently sent a QUESTIONABLE to the
mine workers and mine operators pre-
paratory to the commissions investi-
eating the entire coal mining indus
try. One of the questions was as TO
whether or not there should be a
standardization of the cost of living
for mine workers, which is what GER
tain labor organizations are demand
ing of the railway labor board under
the title of a living wage. In reply
to alAthis the United Mine Workers
said:
HOW this commission can hope to
standaRdize the cost of living without
at the same time standardizing the
living of mine workers is beyond the
comprehension of this committee, 1t
seems to us that it would be impossi4
BILE to standardize the cost of living
unless each individual mine worker
was required to accept and adopt a
standard, identical level of living for
himself and his family. Any attempt
to establish such a standard or to fix
maximum or minimum limit tor what
the individual man might wish to
adopt for himself as his level of living
az -r1v,. 1zH
paternalstic OF communiStic, that we
know of. We are unable to offer any
suggestion about ''standardizing the
cost of living for mine workers 1t
would be easy enough for experts to
prepare a budget showing the amount
of food, clothing etc. that is neces-
sary to maintain a family of a given
of members on level of de-
cency and comfort, but it would be
impossible to standardize the cost of
such budget Flour that sells for
81 at one place sells for $1.25 at an
other place Sugar sells for cents
a pound at one place and cents a
pound at another place. Gasoline
sells at 25 cents a gallon in Indiana
and "a cents gallon in the District
Of Columbia. tho why we do not know
How could anyone hope to standardize !
the cost of living under such condi-
tions?"
It must be apparent that if the cost |
u AANAAAS CdLAADA bG SAdIi0dLulZEus Is
impossible y standardfze the wage
that would cover the cost of living. 1
Since the United Mine Workers con-
stitute the, largest body of organized /
labor in any industry outside of the
field of railroad transportation, their |
position in opposition to any standard |
zation of living costs and therefore 1
of wages appears sig
But there is another side to the
question which even the miners seem
TO overlook. 1t is that a uniform in
crease in wage levels means a sim
larly uniform decrease in the pur-
chasing value of the wages so ad-
excepting only that part
which represents the original cost of
he raw material used in production.
Higher wages must necessarily be
offset either by increased efficiency
1r by higher priced commodities I'm
higher wages mean de-
creased efficiency and the alternative
Of higher price levels is the necessary
result. The adjustment of coal min
ars' wages on the basis of the war
peak level followed by the advance in
he wages paid by the steel industry
set the pace for a general increase in
he wage scale which necessarily
nanifests itself in the price of the
of which labor is the most
important cost. The average October
price of all commodities increased 81
per cent over the previous month and
'anged IT'S per cent higher than dur
ng October. 1921.
The Wheeling CIV. va.) InteIli-
gencer sums up a discussion OF the
living wage as follows:
The living wage idea is as prepos-
erous as it is indefinite. When there
s a standard family residing in a
tandard neighborhood. working under
tandard conditions, eating standard
God. wearing standard clothes. having
standard education, tastes and am
'ition. and possessing a standard eff
iciency, then. and only then. can
here be a standard living wage But
Tho has the wisdom to determine such
tandards? The Labor board disclaims
forthwith