The Washington times., 1937-04-26
By A. N. WECKsLER


under the Minimum Wage Law far
out weigh any disadvantages
which the administration Of the
law might entail.
Foremost among the advantages
is the fact that the law does in
crease wages for many women
workers. The payrolls of the in
dustrieS involved are increased.
However, there are other conSid-
erations which have been brought
out from time to time in protest
against the general theory of set
ting minimum wage.
One of the most frequent OBJ
jections to the operation Of such
a law is the plant that the min
imum set for any particular
group Of workers tends to become
the maximum. wage.
Work is Rewarded
But although an employer may
be inclined toward such a ten.
dency, the facts in the case tndi-
cate that superior worker is re-
warded with higher wages than
the minimum.
In reporting this condition in
the annual report Of 1922, the
Minimum Wage Board Of that
period, stated:
"The outstanding fact dis.
closed by q study Of payroll
records is the extent to which
women and minors subject to
the minimum wage rates ac-
tually receive more than the
minimum fixed by law"
Comparing the median wages
in the printing and publishing
industry for which a minimum
wage was set at $3.50, the Board
reported that in 1919 so per cent
of the women workers received
less than $12.64 a week, while in
1922 after the law had been in
effect the median wage was $18 So.
Somewhat lesser increases were
noted in the other industries for
which a minimum wage had been
set, but in each industry the
median wage was appreciab(y
affected.
Further statistics quoted by the
Board in support Of its conten-
ton, indicated that while 1904
women received the minimum
wage, 5,072 received more than
the minimum during 1922.
requirements Denied
Another objection which is
often raised against minimum
wages is that experienced workers
are displaced by learners who
can be hired under the law at a
lesser rate. In connection with
this objection, the Board stated
in its 1922 report:
"On the contrary, since the
orders took effect there has
been q continuous decrease in
the proportion of learners EN-
plOyed. Employers apparently
appreciate the greater value Of
experienced employees. Despite
the possibility of securing in
experienced persons at lower
rates there is no tendency to in
crease their numbers"
AS further precaution against
such a situation, the Board linn
tied the ratio of learners to ex-
perienced workers in one industry
and graded the increases given
learner Steeply.
It has also been charged that
Minimum Wage Laws stimulate
employers to replace experienced
workers by minors who can be
paid smaller wages. The Board
reported on this score:
"The decreased employment
Of minors since the introduce
ton Of the minimum wage af-
fOrdS another proof that there
Is no tendency to dispIace ex-
perienced workers by persons
who may be employed at lower
rates. 1t appears that employ
ers have tended more and more
to dispense with the services of
children. Our figures show q
continuous decrease in the nunh
Der and proportion employed"
MEN GET WOMEN'S JOB
Opponents Of minimum wage
legislation frequently argue that
such a law, though it increases
wages for certain groups of
women, is harmful to the working
women as whole, because it
throws women out of work and
replaces them with men.
And this was found to be the
case in the 1922 report insofar as
a group Of restaurants were con.
cerned.
In 1919 the statistics Of the
board indicate that II restaurant
est a blishments employed 46S
women, and that in 1922 the same
group of establishments had de-
creased their female help to $50.
However, in surveying the total
effect of the law on women en-
ployment in the District, it was
found by the Board that in 1919
there were 1886 women employed
and that in 1922 there were 6,396
working women.
Affected by War
In explaining the restaurant
situation, the Board pointed out
that the restaurant business had
been expanded during the war
period and that in 1922 it was as
Stunning a more normal employ
ment condition.
Also that the war had caused a
shortage of male labor, and that
any replacement which took place
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