The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-11-30


numerically, financially, politically
and spiritually, the Executive Council
reported to the first session of the
Gath annual convention here.
Surveying the grave issues of wal
and peace facing the nation, the Exc
cutive Council in its 220-page printed
report outlined the nature of the
problems leaving the decisions for
the delegates to make after full dis
cussion and free debate. Highlights
of the report follow:
Introduction
1t is obvious that unless broad and
effective plans are Immediately made
to provide the machinery for guiding
the principles of reconversion, we
shall be unable to initiate an orderly
recovery that will lead into full en-
ployment and our resources will be
utilized in dealing with large scale
unemployment. This is, of course, but
one phase of winning the peace. We
must also prevent terms and condi-
tions of peace which create contro-
versies that may lead to another war,
and seek to establish international
agencies which will assume respon-
sibility for finding solutions and
working out procedures for problems
and relationships involving both con-
ficting and mutual interests.
We are now in crucial period of
the worlds history potential for great
achievements for human welfare by
peaceful development or for tenden-
cies that will result in stupendous de-
struction of the human population
The citizens of democratic countries
have a personal responsibility for the
decision as to which course the world
will follow. Practically everyone
understands that any major war in
the future as in the past will newt
ably involve the whole world. If we
want to prevent the whole world in
cluding our own nation, from again
being involved in war, we shall have
to dedicate ourselves to sustained
efforts to obtain machinery for deal
ing with problems that result in
wars and insist that representatives
in those agencies perform their func-
tions.
Report On Wages
Because of wage freezing through
the Little Steel Formula, hourly wage
rates in the United States are at
level so low as to cause alarm. Wages
have been held down while prices Of
living necessities have scared We
know that hours will be reduced to
40 per week after the war to create
full employment, and that weekly pay
envelopes will contain only the
straight time hourly wage rate paid
for 40 hours.
At today's prices and today's
straight time hourly wage rates paid
for a 40-hour week, only per cent
of all American workers employed by
private industry will have enough in
come to support family of four in
health and efficiency according to
the Heller Committee BudgeD, and
60 per cent will be below even the
Labor Departments Maintenance
Budget, which provides a bare sub
sistence living level for a family of
four.
Today's low wages are Of the
greatest significance for two reasons:
They mean that after the war
more millions of workers and their
families will be condemned to live in
poverty unless wage rates are raised,
for we cannot expect that today's
high living costs will decline i'm the
postwar period. In fact, living costs
are more likely to rise after the war
2-These low wages also mean that
consumer buying power will fall far
short of the amount necessary to
maintain full production and full en-
ployment in the United States.
Your Executive Council cannot inn
press too strongly on the convention
the following facts: Full production
and full employment makes possible
a high level of wages. Increased costs
Of government and payments on our
war debt will require large revenues
from taxes. If production and ma
tional income are at high levels a
relatively low tax rate will bring i'm
the necessary funds. However, if in
dustry operates at low levels, using
only part of its capacity, high wages
will become burden which many
companies cannot pay, and the neces-
sary taxes on corporations and indi-
viduals will also be burdensome at
low levels of production. Such bur-
dens tend to discourage the business
initiative on which employment de-
pends.
At today's wage rates there is
shortage of workers buying power.
This shortage is so serious that it
will undermine the very basis of our
future prosperity, threatening to
plunge the country into disastrous
business depression.
To correct this shortage substan-
tial wage increases for all union
members must be secured. But our
task will not be ended there. Millions
of low paid, unorganzed workers
must also have their wages raised
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