The Republican journal., 1922-11-30
What is a Living Wage?
New York Commercially

It's bound to come to a focus sooner
or lster, this demand for living wage.
The Labor Board declares it is an abb
straction, phrase, and it is right. And
Mr.. Gompers RACES some more and de-
mands the immediate abolition of the
Labor Board. Perhaps Mr.. Gompers can
tell US what living wage is. Mr.. Com
pers is, or was, cigar maker before he
developed the gift of oratory. Now, if
some outside body were to determine
what is living wage for Mr.. Gompers,
would it consider him cigar maker or as
orator?
Let US for the moment consider him
cigar maker. If he were employed at
Tampa, Fla or Key West, or where
living is cheap, and where man wants
but little, that is to keep soul and
body together, he could probably live
very comfortably on So day. There
would be no coal bills, no high rents, no
winter clothes to buy, and only the
movies once in a while for amusement.
That he would be satisfied on 81 day
does not follow. Let US suppose that he
moved to New York and lived over on
The East Side. Rents would be high, his
Einter coal would have to be thought of
and he would have to consider winter
clothing, carfares and dozen other items
not considered in Florida. He could pos
Gbly get along on IS day. He'd want
more, of course, but, still, he could live
on that.
Now let US suppose there was nation
al board with power to decree what a
living wage should be for all cigar makers.
Mr.. Gompers of New York, getting S5
day wouldn't look at all we'll to MIR.
Gompers of Florida. and he too, would
demand IS. But the Florida Gompers
would have a margin of 60 per cent over
the New York Gompers, which the latter
would not like, and would, thereupon de-
mand an advance to So 33, so that he
have 60 per cent. margin, and then the
Florida Gompers would want So 33 be-
cause-well, there you are!
But suppose we stick to New York.
One Mr.. Gompers is bachelor and an
other is married and has five children.
The bachelor can get along on s. day,
but the family man cannot A living
wage, then, must include enough to sup
port mans family, and the wage is in
creased to $40 day. The bachelor Com
pers gets all the benefits of having fam :
ny without the care and responsibility OF
IT. which the married Gompers does not
fancy, and so-the Labor Borad fixes
scale of So for single men and $40 for
married men; employers Immediately dis
eliminate in favor of the single men and
IRE them when they get married. Hence
married men are out of work and some
thing will have to be done about it. Just
what, only Mr.. Gompers can suggest.
We now come to MIR. Gompers as an
orator. Eight, or even $40 a day would
never do that sort of work. 1t requires
different type of mind and temperament
70 be an orator and an orator may be
cigar maker, but not every cigar maker
an orator, while some orators can make
nothing but noise and even forget how
% make cigars. When cigar maker
becomes an orator his ideas as what is
hVlng wage undergo a change. He can
not live at hotel and employ private
secretary, al travel and do all the ther
tnlng orators do, ON the wages of cigar
maker. The national board that fixes
uving wage will have to adopt different
standard, possibly the British thermal
unit, IN determining what is the living
wage for orators.
let, consid ring the subject seriously,
uow can any board determine living
wage that can be just and reasonable THAI
WI ut all parts of the country without
sue inequalities suggested above. Such
seard must arbitrarily set the standard
living for that particular group. The
ssfanas of the slowest will equal those
VI the quickest, and the labor of the
sackest. will slow down to that of the
sowest Will the mode of living OF an
;i@oitious family be taken as a standard
~ ~ tnat of q Stacker family2 What are
oe included in that standard.
oeiore there can be a standard OF liv-
as mere will have to be standard FAM
- selected, residing in standard neigh
Sscnood, and who hath the wisdom to
Ssune such standards2 The Labor Board
usclaims it forthwith.