The Indianapolis times., 1931-05-15
LONG LIST OF
WAGE SLASHES
alarms LABOR
Drastic Action to Be Taken
by Workers, President
Green Asserts.
PLEDGE is VIOLATED
Pay Is Reduced Sharply for
Women, Weekly Re-
port Shows.
By United Press

6I CHtLSG ETcSS
WASHINGTON, May 15.-Presl-
dent Hoover closely is following agi-
tation concerning maintenance of
existing wage scales and unemploy-
ment relief.
Queries about the American
Legion stand for a new industrial
conference and the statement of
William Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor.
threatening strikes to resist wage
reductions, were met at the White
House with the response:
Mr.. Hoover is as interested in
maintaining the American wage
scale as any man alive"
By scripps-Ho'0ard Newspaper Alliance
WASHINGTON, May 15-Gov-
ernment flgures made public today
indicate that the American Fedora
ton Of Labor, in demanding "dras-
tic action" to halt wage cuts, has
ample reason for being alarmed at
the situation Of the worker.
A long record Of wage cuts pro-
posed or already effective is con-
tained in the latest weekly report
Of the labor departments concil-
lation service. The women's bureau
OF the department, checking only on
wonen's wages, finds them reduced
sharply in the eastern. states.
The Cancellation service received
reports last week Of ten new
strikes pending, and In the ma
Jority OF these the issue was wage
reduction. About 5000 workers are
involved in these controversies.
Longshoremen Face Cut
Longshoremen in Duluth face a
Is per cent cut. The other reduc-
tions which may result in strikes
affect textile mills at Allentown.
Pa; silk mills in Stroudsburg, Pa;
longshoremen OF Superior, Wis, and
miners Of Princeton, Ind.
Two other recent wage cuts have
brought protests from the workers.
but they have not reached the point
Of striking. There are bricklayers
at TT. Wayne, Mich, cut frcn $3.50
and hour to $1.25, and street rail-
way workers In ST. Louis cut 10
per cent.
During the week the Cancellation
service adjusted four new strikes,
three of them due to wage cuts.
These three affected employees Of
q marble and tile company in
Bronx, N. Y; plumbers in Dayton,
O., and machine men in New York.
For the last two groups the settle
ment restored the old wage.
Green Repeats Strike Threat
Two wage disputes Of longer
standing were settled last week by
the service, and in both cases the
workers were promised q continu-
ance Of their former wages. These
were painters at Paterson, N. j..
who had been cut from $12 to SO
a day, and Philadelphia cabinet
makers, who faced a 10 per cent
clash.
The women's bureau, quoting
figures Of the New York state de-
partment Of labor, reports that
iva &c levels for women workers
have declined sharply"
Wages for domestic workers have
gone down more than others.
Organized labor fully is prepared
to resort to strikes if necessary to
prevent depression Of wage scales.
William Green, president of the
nerican Federation Of Labor, has
revealed.
Labor Keeps Its Pact
An1plifying the statement issued
Wednesday by the executive council
Of the federation, in which resort
to strikes was limited and sew
eral large companies were sharply
criticised for wage cuts, Green said:
Because employers assured the
President Of the United States they
would maintain wages, we feel there
is moral obligation on all employ
ers to carry out that understand
ing"
The labor federation repeatedly
has maintained that it has done its
utmost to keep its part Of the
agreement, which was to forestall
strikes as far as possible.
No White House Comment
There has been no White House
comment on the implicit threat in
the statements Of the executive
council and Green himself.
According to federation figures,
the 1921 depression was marked by
2 400 strikes.
In the present emergency, ad-
mittedly more severe, there are not
more than seventy labor disputes
now before the department Of labor
for arbitration, according to Hugh
L. Kerwin, director Of Cancellation.
OF these disputes, he said, not
more than so per cent were strikes.
None Of them are nationwide OF
affect an entire industry.