Evening star., 1942-04-11

PIE ClIne IN WHICH 70 Tackle this
problem effectively.
Wages, on the other hand, are
a week by week, almost hour by
hour proposition. Prices mayabe
even more speedily changed. Mr..
Henderson has his hand on the
matter of prices and has given
evidence that he can act quickly
and effectively. Wages are an
other matter.
Senator Taft, Republican. Of
Ohio, a member of the Senate
Finance Committee, HIS some
very definite ideas about deal
ing with the matter of wages and
profits. He regards the price con-
troll law already enacted as an
efficient measure. He would leave
to the revenue bill the duty Of
dealing with profits. This seems
entirely sound. He has a plan for
dealing with wages, which he
may offer as an amendment to
the Connally bill-to authorize
the President to take over struck
defense plants-when that meas
ure comes up in the Senate-if
it does-on April 20.
Senator Taft takes the position
a sound poSition-that the
farmers and the products in war
time cannot object to a regula-
ton of prices; that the business
man cannot object to a regula-
tion of earnings, and that the
workman cannot object to a
regulation of wages. The country
as a whole must make up its
mind to a reduction in it's stand
ard Of living. Those who have
been paying taxes already must
realize this-and they will real
ize it still further.
The administration started out
bravely with a statement to
labor that its standard of living
must be maintained, there must
be no relaxation of the social
gains" which had been made un-
der the New Deal, which is an
other way of saying the same
thing. 1t has never declared any
policy whatever in regard to
wage increases.
Taft Would Stabilize Wages.
The country has been pretty
lucky up to date. Prices have in
creased, but not Unfortunately, or
anything like what they did in
the last war. Wages have in
creased also, but the percentage
of increase has not yet been
great. Workers have increased
their earnings-through the time
and a half paid for overtime
beyond the 40-hour work week,
and the extra hours worked. The
hourly rates of regular pay have
not changed very greatly.
Senator Taft believes that
now is the time for Congress to
act on this wages question, be-
fore it gets out of hand. He is
proposing legislation definitely
requiring that all collective bar
gaining agreements between en-
ployers and employees be con-
tingent upon their approval by
the War Labor Board, or by q
wage board to be established.
Such board, he says, should
be instructed to stabilize wages
as far as possible, authorizing
increases only in proportion to
increases in the cost of living.
or in industries or individual
, cases where wages have been de-
pressed below the general level
of wages paid. BY such a pro-
cedure, he insists, it would be
possible both to provide a definite
standard of wages and also to
avoid imitation in wages and in
prices-and to avoid many in
dustrial strikes.
Senator Taft has not changed
his position that Congress should
not suspend the 40-hour work
week law at this time-unless
labor voluntarily agrees. But he
does believe that labor should
work a 48-hour week, and he
does believe that labor itself
should consider seriously the
modification of the 40-hour week,
either by lengthening the hours
or cutting the overtime rate.