The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-03-19

Labor's efforts heretofore ha
wages to meet the demands of {
for saving, luxuries, amusement,
elevating trend of living standard
of work, with expanding vacatiC
important in the picture of labor
The war is cracking down on this
rather simple but very definite march
of pre-war days.
Leon Henderson brings forward Il
governmental policy of fixing wages at
point where total wages will no more
than permit labors purchase of ii
sharply curtailed volume of consumer
goods. This drastic abOut-face policy
is not yet the established government
policy, but certainly the trend is to-
ward it's establishment. 1t is a mega
tion of the entire wage policy estab-
liShed by labor over practically a cen
tury of effort. 1t turns everything COM
pletely around.
Diminishing Wage Trend Probable
If the policy of holding wages down
to a level where wages can no more
duced number of machines, then the
workers confront diminishing wage
for the duration of the war.
More than one factor goes into max
ing up probable or at least possible
diminishing wage outlook. Wage
stabilization' is only one factor, if
wages as a term is interpreted TO
mean real wages. Higher taxes piled
upon stabilized wages must cut down
the real wage, which is the workers
money in terms of it's buying power for
him and his family.
Higher taxes means not only higher
income taxes, with brackets so low as
to reach practically all wage earners;
it means also the expanding family of
excise taxes, amusement taxes, sales
taxes and other taxes.
All of these deductions must be ac-
counted for and taken out before the
worker knows what he has left to
spend for his own maintenance-be-
fore he begins to get at his real wage.
On top of these deductions there
must be placed the factor of rising
prices. And you can't find out how
much this is by merely taking Bureau
of Labor Statistics figures. Good as
they are, it is becoming understood at
least in some quarters that they
actually do not represent the actual
cost Of living for the average worker.
Such statistics are more or less aver
ages. 1t is true that they are weight
ed for this and that. But, in a group
of 100 persons there is no single per-
son. in all probability, who is the
fictional average"
Average Results Only i'm Figure
The average is the total for all Of
them. divided by 1OO-and that doesn't
result in II person, or his weeks sup
ply of purchases. 1t results in Il figure,
which is a figure and not a human be-
ing and his experiences. Gradually that
is getting drilled home in some places.
The result is that to get at his own
actual rising cost of living, each fam
lily head has TO figure it out for him
self. When canned goods of which he
uses Il lot, 90 up - per cent in :. week
Gas has happened plenty) his own cost
of living has to he measured with that
factor prominently included.
But worse than that, the BIS pic
ture of living costs is going to be
knocked into Il cooked hat by reason
of the fact that the commodity list is
being changed every week, with many
articles or brands going off the mar
ket, some to be replaced by substitutes,
some not to be replaced at all. And,
even though BIS shifts with the shift
ing commodity picture, comparative
value is either lost or made too puz-
Zing to be of much use.
This is not set forth in reflection
upon BIS, which is one of the most
efficient and valuable government bu-
reauS. 1t is merely set forth as Il fact
situation which workers and their eco
nomStS must take into account in cast
Ing up the future wage picture.
Whether the complete Henderson
idea ever becomes fixed policy or not.
it is fixed policy already that pur-
chasing is to be restricted by price adj
.juStmentS and by other adjustments,
for one thing as Il bulwark against
initiation.
Enforced Savings Another Possibility
AT least one additional factor is Il
possibility. That is enforced saving,
by governmental deduction from wages
at the source In labor language this
is the check off.
II mIISt he clear that lowered living
standards lie just ahead for most An,-
erican workers, as the cost of war.
This lowering of standards is impela-
tive, for the simple reason that only 50
can the enormous piles of raw mate
rialS for war be secured. Steel cannot
90 into tin cans if there are to be guns
enough. Sugar cannot 90 without limit
onto the family table if there are
to be enough high explosives.
.l,.,lr r