Evening star., 1933-12-20
C. W. A, Wage Scales.

over theories Of political economy rep
resented in the Civil Works Administra-
ton program, there can be no doubt
about the fact that the experiment itself
to last for at least six months longer.
Within few short weeks four million
men and women have been given gain
fui employment at wages established as
prevailing" in the different sections Of
the country. The man without q job Is
also without an excuse for his idleness.
The new purchasing power put in the
pockets Of large part of the population
is having an immediate effect on stimu-
lattng business. If the theory is sound
that by increasing purchasing power arti-
f1cially business will pick up and begin
naturally to absorb labor, the Civil
Works experiment will, OF course, be
worth the great sum Of money now be-
ing spent in carrying it out.
Relief Director Hopkins has indicated
that until the theory is disproved, 1t Is
going to be given a thorough test, de-
spite some Of the objections now begin
ming to take form. Gov. Talmadge Of
Georgia, for one, says that the pre-
vailing" rates Of pay for the Civil Works
laborers are so much higher than those
actually prevailing on Georgia farm
that the farmer, himself denied the
privilege Of Civil Works employment be-
cause he owns land and pays taxes, can
not pay the hired man. He predicts
| little farming as a consequence and in
jury to the small business man who
cannot compete with the c. W. A. wage
scales. From Ohio comes Q similar
complaint, that men are leaving regular
jobs in factories to obtain the higher
rates of pay prevailing under the
c. w. A
But Mr.. Hopkins says the Governor Of
Georgia is "just yapping" and any time
he wants the Civil Works pay roll re-
moved from Georgia he can have 1t re-
moved To those who claim employees
are leaving regular employment to 90
into the c. w. A. Mr.. Hopkins has
replied by asking names and addresses.
with assurance that those found guilty
as charged will be dropped from the
C. w. A. pay rolls.
This Is a perfectly sound position for
Mr.. Hopkins 10 assume, II the c. w. A.
theory is correct. The same theory u
behind the policy Of the N. r. A. That
theory Is that the newly established
minimum rates of pay, which employers
must meet, are not too high. but that
competing wages are too low. Instead
Of tending to drag the general wage
level down toward charity scale. the
Civil Works Administration tends to lift
the scale of wages. The skilled me-
chanic is paid as skilled labor. The un-
skilled laboring man gets as much, II
not more, than he could demand for his
unskilled work in private employment.
sawmill operator find their dollar-a-
day help now working on the roads for
the C. w. A. at 1920 . day. 1t does not
mean that the c. w. A. pay scale u
too high, but that the farm and saw
mill wages are too low.
AS in the case Of the N. r. A., great
many small employers are apparently
placed between the devil and the deep
blue sea. They are at present pro-
tected, in the case Of the c. w. A., by
the fact that C. w. A. Jobs are not open
to those who leave regular employment.
But in the end, If the small employer
cannot meet C. w. A. or N. r. A. min
imum wages, he is viewed generally as
not having had any right in the first
place to employ labor.
The tangible benefits achieved already
by the Civil Works program are enough
to silence most criticism. Part of that
program, however, Is gradually to drop
employees toward Spring. That will be
| the crucial period, and it will then be
| determined whether Uncle Sam, in
starting the c. W. A., grabbed another
bear by the tail.