Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-08-31
LIVING WAGE IS
A MYTH, WALBER
TELLS TRIBUNAL
"There Isn't Any Such
Thing" Railroads Bu-
reau of information Sec
retary Says in Statement

Chicago, Aug. 30.--John G.. Wal
Der. executive secretary of the bu-
reau of information for eastern
railroads, replying today before the
l1ilroad labor board to the ccaten-
tion of representatives of the main
tenance Of way mems union for es-
Establishment of Giving wage" as
serted there isn't any such thing
as a ''living wage"
Mr.. Walber said that United
Estates census figures in 1920 show
ed that the average family really
comprises "A persons and not five
persons as he said labor statisticians
had claimed, and that instead Of
our one male worker supporting n
family of five. there actually are
l1.36 male workers per family, and
that actually there are IA depend
lent children for each of the 24,35l, =
1856 families in the United States.
Labor statistics, he said, did not
take into account the large num-
ber of unmarried men who support
only themselves.
Investigation Made.
I'm 1918 and 1919" Mr.. Walbcr
said, IAN investigation made by the
department of labor in ninety-twc
localities studied the average cost
Iof living among white families and
disclosed that the highest average
yearly expense was $t919.40 for
Bisbee, Ariz., and the lowest figure,
$1,167.12 at Chippewa Falls, Wis.,
where seVenty-four families We're
investigated, the differences be-
tween the highest and lowest of the
two points mentioned was $152.2S.
At Bisbee eighty families had an
average size of five persons, al
equivalent of 3.33 males AT Chip
lepwa Falls the average size was 49,
equivalent of 1927 males. II there
lis principle involved, as is con-
tended, it would necessarily follow
THAT different wages bases would
have to be applied according to the
different minimum wage require
ments in different localities. we
cannot admit that these budgets
Should be averaged and made uHl-
form in all localities
ITO compare living costs in dll
lferent communities uniform bases
must be used but such comparison
could have no practical value
| When this country adopts a prln-
ciple that wages of all workers
shall contain provisions for perhaps
q desirable increase in the size OF
families, applicable alike to all EN-
lployers and workers we respect
fully submit that some entirely diI-
ferent methods win have 10 be in
lvoked for calculating wage sched-
ules that are now being made
Railroad Employees.
American railroads in the last SIX
months of 1921 had approXimately
! i1,65S,00 employees, Mr.. Walbei
lsaid. Upon the theoretical bases OF
1876 male workers to family there
would be 1,213,2S5 families. Count
ling three children to the fanny
| the railroad representative points
out, would mean 3,639,705 children
| or 1914 per cent of the children OF
1.-The entire United States: 1,65O, wv
workers or about five per cent on
1.-THE male workers of the country
why" he then said, should VIC
assume that five per cent of the
workers are supporting ten ana
four-tenths per cent of the children
We know it isn't. As for laborS
demand that this board recogplZ'
the principle of the living wage, we
don't know what it is. No one
knows. There isn't any such thing
To construct wage schedules or
such theories, Mr.. Walber asserted
would require more money than az
industries earn and on the railroads
would call for revenues beyond any
thing the public could stand. Re-
ductions in living costs would be
Impossible under such conditions
Ihe declared.