Evening star., 1926-05-04
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL !. COLLINS.

of the textile mills. excer. in New
Jersey. are operating on full.tine
| basis.
"The industrial employment outlook
for April is decidedly bright. Opti-
mism prevails in practically every in
dustry. Building construction will
show further increase. Prepara-
tions are being made for considerable
| city and county Improvement work.
| large state road programs and for
greater activity in agricultural dis
| tricts.''
Detailed reports from all districts
as published in the same bulletin
seem to more than bear out the pic
ture of general productive activity
| throughout all industries In the
| United States.
AS is we'll known. American work
| ers draw the highest wages in the
| world. vet their products successfully
compete in cost of production with
the output of the less paid workers
of England or any other country.
To what can that success of
American producers he credited? Ser
| retary Morrison of the American Fed
| Grafton Of labor illustrates the situ-
alton with story of the making of
umbrella handles:
Some years ago the industry ~ nm
brella handles. which had been flour
| ishine in the United States. met COM
petition from Japanese and Chinese
workers, who produced just as good
| handles at much less cost. for their
| wages were less The production in
! America ceased. Then America n
genius produced machines which
would turn out wooden handles
palmer and without inlaid metals. but
equally efficient in use. The old max
ers in America learned TO run the ma
chimes and received higher wages than
before. outcompeting the Orientals.
Statistics published by Mr.. Ethelhert
Stewart of the Department of Labor
show that wages in the United States
have more than kept pace with the
increased cost of living in the last
decade or two. taking the year 1913 ss
the point of comparisOn-100 points.
From that comparison il is shown that
in 1906 the index number of union
wages per hour was IS points. and
cost Of living 1871 points. In 1929
wages were 1913 points per hour and
living 1875. The wages of 1906 had
per cent more purchasing power than
did the wages of 1918. hut the wages
of 1925 had 37.1 per cent greater pur-
chasing power than did the wages of
1918.
In an article written by Secretary
of Labor James 7. Davis upon the sig
nificanca Of May day. the Secretary
SAYS. in part:
I'm many countries the 1st Of May
is made = day of protest. Our Labor
day Is dav Of rejoicing and good fel
lowship. The difference In the two
days marks the difference between
labor in our country and elsewhere.
In some parts of the world there is
sadness in the ranks Of labor. Here
and there in America there may be
few inequalities in our industrial life.
We hope these will soon be righted.
Some will right themselves: but even
these others we can adjust in the right
way with the means provided.
"In America this Nav day we have
no problem Of unemployment and no
serious industrial differences. Our
workers as a rule. are earning more
because they are producing and con
suming more than ever before IN his
torv
"In spite of this desirable economic
situation In America. never paralleled
In history. few diSturbers meet In
darkened rooms with drawn curtains
to find fault with our institutions and
to seek to lead our workers into
strange fields. In two or three In
sta noes thev have been successful In
haltinG production. but in no instance
have they. ever brought their follow
ers better conditions. The
American has ALWAYS recognized, and
will still recognize, the wage problem
as business. and not a political. mat
ter. BY these means he has won the
highest wages ever paid. and he will
not jeopardize his prosperity for dan
serous experiments In political arits-
tion."
fcepyrirht. 1898. By Paul Y. Colline<