The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-08-07
NEWSPAPERS OPINIONS
RELIEF WORKERS PAY

Washington has instructed state administrative
sgsnts that hereafter all workers on relief prof.
ects that is those who are being aided by govern
mental funds for relief of restitution by exchang-
ing their labor for federal bounties, must be paid
at the rate of 80 cents the hour, eight hours per
day and must not be worked for longer than 50
hours per week
That puts them within the prescribed areas OF
the recovery act as to wages and hours of work
and allows them the same compensation on MINI
mum basis as the federal authorities allow in bust
ness and industry. De @ .t'
The merit of such a ruling will at once be uues,
tened not only from the standpoint of the virtue
Of the policy announced but equally from the angle
sf the eventual results >of such ruling: ''." '
- II must be remembered before an Intelligent an
atvsis ran he made of this regulation as denitve
Of federal policy that charity workers have hith'
erto beet, asked to exchange their services for
what creature comforts they eud their families &C
ITALY needed. >s2't asa "a -. """ ~
"a. The element Of hire was absent from the trans
artipn They needed material help and 1T was re-
sarded as expedent and far-reachingly wise to de-
mac3 that, if they we're ablebodied they exchange
their labor for that which the government donated
to feed and ciothe them. In very literal sense,
pearance of this evil was covered UP by compelling
the ablebodied to work for what they received
And that which was allowed them was rationed
out on basis of what, in the estimation of social
agencies, they needed for their live
lihood They were compelled to work in the mat
ter of both hours and rate of pay per hour upon
the basis of individual need. The father of large
family would, obviously, require more than one
who had no dependents, therefore the latter would
not be allowed either to work or to receive for his
work more than. was on a parity with what the
man with a large family was given.
The new administration of these funds will be
pitehed on an entirely different basis, apparently.
There is to be no hexibility about the rules, no
latitude for decision within local community or
within the agencies within local community, as
to what individual cases might require The whoie
program is uniform and unvsrying in its mandates.
If a man works for relief funds, he must be al
loved to work no more than given length of time
and ne must be paid on universal oasls' apphca-
bic throughout the whole country, of S24O per uay.
This means, insofar as North Carolina is con-
cerned and this applies to other similar states III
their industrial and agricultural comparisons, that
the nay for relief workers will be popularity regard
cd As the standardized level for all laborers OF any
and all classifcations, agricultural or INDUSTRIAL
II involves automatically, It seems to The ObserV-
err the raising of the farm level of pay up to this
minimum on which relief workers are to be estah-
lished and that is so high that no farmer in North
Carolina can afford to meet it.
Consequently, widespread and serious disturb
ance in labor and wage relationships on the farms
of the state seems to be inevitable. Obviously, one
who is engaged in day labor in agriculture will net
be content to work for the wage standard which
The farmer-employer can afford to pay while just
over, the way horde of relief workers are receiv-
ing S240 per day for their services and in addition.
are working no more than 35 hours per week for
their pay of S14 per week.
Serious implications arise here as well IS in the
area of the finances Of work projects. Director
Wilson of the state relief organization, dismayad
by the effects of such change in policy has or
dered all work projects to be held up for the mani
fest reason that he will not be able to get money
enough either at home or from the government to
continue operations this higher basis.-Char-
lotte Observer.