Evening star., 1923-09-03
BIC BUYING POWER
IN HANDS OF LABOR.
American Workers Have
Most Money Ever for Fill
ing Fall Needs.
BY j. c. ROILE.
SPECIAL Dispa tch to The star.

SPECIAL Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, September 3.-The buy
ing power of the American worker is
higher today than at any time in the
history of this country. Moreover.
there is every evidence that it will be
freely exercised from now and the
first of the year. In the opinion of
many financiers, that fact should be
the surest guarantee possible for bust
ness. commercial and Industrial pros
perity.
The year 923 so far has been singu-
larry free from large labor disputes.
Such controversies as have arisen have
been largely of local effect and brief
dura ton. Consequently, buying power
has not been hampered by loss of
the anthracite and bituminous mine
strike, the railroad strike and the tex
tile disputes in New England.
Merchants to Aid Miners.
The fact that the anthracite workers
nave suspended work is not taken as
forecastng serious reduction of sales.
even in the anthracite fields. The
miners have been steadily at work
since the settlement of the 1922 dis
pute, and merchants are prepared TO
finance them in the purchase of their
needs, for the present at least.
Ine trend of wages has been up
ward In addition the abolition oi
the twelve-hour day in the steel in
duatry has added thousands of
men now are finding less in their
pay envelopes for eight hours than
they received when they worked
twelve hours. Retailers in steel
centers count upon. decidedly in
creased business in consequence.
Both union leaders and large en-
ployers are working earnestly to in
crease "till further the buying power
OF workers through better processes
aurGrlor machinery and improved
development of Individual efficiency
Lauds Conditions in L. =.
In this Connection Thomas F. Will
son of Chicago. president of Wilson
Co, who came up from the ranks
as a worker with his hands as well
as with his mind, said today:
There should be a spirit of salts
Iactlon manifest as We compare the
situation in this country with other
PARTS of the world. All the elements
of our national life should cooperate
TO MAINTAIN such a standard in this
country. We should avoid errors or
actions which would lead to a back
ward step.
Il am in favor of the best wages
and working conditions that can be
AFFORDED and still successfully main
tain the business. On the other hand
labor should feel the desire and
obligation of returning the fullest
measure of service. After all is said
and done, the success of any enter
prise and its ability to maintain a
hign standard of wages and workin Z
conditions is largely dependent On
the efficiency, industry and loyalty
of its workers
Urges Record Outnut
Even from selfish standpoint ii
would seem to the interest of workers
to render full service in production
consistent with reason. The larger
the output per man the lower the
cost OF production and consequentIy
Ine cheaper the commodity can be
sold. The lowering of prices OF
necessities adds just SO much to the
purchasing power of every dollar
taoor receives in wages"
Z. r.. Steffey, general sales manager
OF the National Cash Register Com
pahy' agreed that industrial efficiency
would solve many of the countries
problems. He asserted his comnany
mad adopted the slogan: Improved
machinery makes men dear, their
product cheap"
fully as &C that one of the i'm
Portant ways OF IF present economic
d1ncultles is to increase production
py superior methods, so that high
wages may De paid While cheap goods
may be distributed" said Albert
shaw' editor of the Review of Re-
views.
Gompers Talks OF Eficiency,
Samuel Gompers. president of
American Federation of Labor, in
discussing efficiency said: IF all en-
ployers would but make use of the
machinery and methods available to
All. 1t is almost impossible to pre-
diet the increase in national wealth
that would become available for dis
tribution among our people"
wage advances probably have been
more marked in the building trades
than any other line of endeaVor this
Year. In predicting that reduced cost
of production would make for re-
duced costs of living. L. J. HorowitZ.
president of the Thomson -Sterrett
Company. said: There is no doubt in
my mind that when antiquated meth
cdS and machinery are replaced by
improved methods and machinery this
will make for reduced production
costs. AS regards methods and ma
chinery employed in the building bus
iness, l know that in some lines these
have not advanced since the days of
offending that period by saying that
some of them seem to have been in
herited from period preceding Tut"
James II Farley, manager of line
of chain stores in eighty-fve cities,
declared that, strange IL might
seem wages have increased in greater
proportion in the south than in the
north and middle west.