The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-03-19
THE
WASHINGTON
SCENE
BY HENRY ION
Federated Press

Federated PreSs)
OF all the claptrap emanating from
this town-which has always had &
PLENTIFUL supply-none is more phon
ey than the current talk about the
necessity of keeping wages down.
lounges of the better hotels talk glibly
about the Ascendant price spirals
and about Initiation" that will result
from wage increases
Government economists talks about
a ceiling on prices" and price fix
ing" and the seIf-styled intellectuals
urge the necessity of gearing wages
to prices and maintaining the status
QUO" which is what self-satisfied peo-
pie always want to maintain.
| Newspapers, even normally reput-
able newspapers, tell about the IRIS
| ing resentment" among the relatives
| of conscripts who, they say, have to
serve at $50 month while ordinary
workingmen make simply thousands
and thousands of dollars each day,
practically.
And Rep. Sam Hobbs d., Ala has
the gall to speak of amending the
CONSUMPTION act to provide for the
drafting of labor. This would be done
by the house judiciary committee, ac-
cording to Hobbs way of thinking.
Amendment of the act to provide
for the draft of capital might also be
considered, he adds by way of sugar
coating; but, of course, that is out
of the province of the Judiciary com
mittee. He speaks as if the Judiciary
committee had any business meddling
with labor legislation.
The fact of the matter is that cor
poration profits are ample to pro-
vide wage increases without raising
prices. 1t is not an obscure fact. 1t
is not a new fact.
1t is fact, however, that the fools
with university degrees can obscure
or rationalize with talk of "discour
aging investors" or raising the rates
of venture capital"
The figures were cited to the school
administrators in Atlantic City not
long ago by CLIO Pres. Philip Murray.
They were for 1910, the year before
defense profits really got going good.
Iii that year General Motors had
net profit of 1917 per worker Amer
lean Telephone & Telegraph hal net
profit of 1928 per worker. Standard
Gil of New Jersey net.ed So 900 per |
worker U. S. Steel made $3.50 per |
worker, DUPONT had 1920 per worker
while General Electric made 1926 for |
every worker.
If there isn't room in there for wage |
increases without price increases then |
pigs are experts on ice cream
The Temporary National Economic |
Committe in recent study pointed |
out graphically how steel companies
can reduce the price of steel as much |
as 500 to large purchasers but never
reduce the price to the U. S. govern
nent which is by far the largest GUS
-omer.
1t noted, significantly, that price
'eductions went to companies capable
If producing their own steel and
limited with a broad wink that II the
y. S. had a couple of steel mills that
t could threaten to use the price
If steel would come down mighty
asst.
But government reports aren't nee
'ssary to show the foolishness of that
our relatives are working at $50 a
month" argument.
The $50 month people don't have
O support anyone but themselves,
hey don't have to pay rent, they don't
ave to buy food, they don't have to
uy clothes, they don't have to pay
or medical care, they don't have to
ay the electric company and the gas
ompany they don't have to meet the
undred and one bills that pour in on Z
fellow the first of each month
According to government statistics, I
workers family of himself, wife and
wo children needs $1,000 year for '
bare maintenance standard of living. !
1t allows 80 cents per person per !
ay for food, $3.50 a month for rent,
81 week for transportation. The i
ian can get warm suit and one 5
vercoat every three years, his wife q
an get one coat every three years,
ne rayon dress year and one warm
ress every two years.
He can spend IS cents week for \
10 cents a week for +
,bacco, and the magnificent sum of n
$50 year for the education of each n
hid. 9
Sixty percent Of Americas wage D
arners have yearly earnings of less Il,
ian $1,000. il
That's what the over-stuffed are t
liking about when they talk about il
lie status quo" n