Evening star., 1944-11-19
|Labor's 5 Figures
On Living Costs
hit as loo High
Special Panel Puts
j. Increase at 309b in
Report to President
BY ]. A. FOX.

Rejecting claims of union labor
that the wartime cost of living
has increased nearly A per cent,
a special War Labor Board COM
mittee last night advised Presi-
dent Roosevelt that the overall
increase was between 20 and so
per cent from January, 1941, to
September of this year.
That was the finding of the Ave-
man group set up by WLB more
than a year ago at the direction Of
the President to make a study In the
light OF complaints by labor that the
Government had applied inadequate
standards in measuring advances In
living costs.
The majority findings, In which
two industry members concurred
with WLB Chairman william H.
Davis, who headed the panel, col
hded head-on with labor's repeated
argument that the living cost in
crease in the l941-A period has been
at least 43.5 per cent.
Labor Members Dissent.
The two labor members of the spe-
cial committee entered a vigorous
dissent to the majority report, in
sisting that the factors entering into
the expenses of the worker had not
been eyaluated properly. The labor
members nevertheless pointed to Mr..
Davis conclusions as support for the
AFL and CIo arguments that wage
controls, should be eased.
TIE report is expected to figure
Importantly in the current drive by
labor to crack the Little Steel
formula, under which the Govern
ment limits basic wage increases to
Is per cent above the January, 1e4l,
level.
The majority staunchly defended
the Bureau Of Labor Statistics In
dsx@4used u the Government meaS.
uring od-which labor has asserted
does not accurately reflect living
cost increases.
Pointing out that the index had
been appraised and approved by q
committee from the American sta
tistical Association, headed by
Frederick G. Mills, and another
technical group Of which DR.. Wes-
ley G. Mitchell of the National Bu-
reau Of Economic Research was
chairman, the majority said:
mo substantial criticism of the
Bureau Of Labor Statistics methods
has survived the searching studies
presented to this committee"
The report conceded, however.
that "the rise in the cost of living
Tor families in the very low income
groups is certainly. greater than
the business index figures would in
dicate," and said that the bureau
itself recognizes this.
Food, Clothing Jumps Reported.
One reason for this, it continued
Is that food and clothing costs rep
resent . greater part of the lower
paid workers budget than, they dc
OF the higher paid and that costs
OF these two items have risen con-
siderably above the overall avrage
Food has advanced 40.1 per cent
and clothing 40.4 since January
l94l, the report amplifed. Rent
Is up 3 per cent; fuel, electricity
and ice, SO, and household fur
nishings, 40.6. The last-named, how.
ever, constituted only "A per cent
OF the total budget in January, 1941
The contention that living costs
had gone up 43.5 per cent since jan
uary, 1941, as OF December. 1943
was advanced In a report by r. j
Thomas, president of the GIG
United Mine Workers, and George
Meany, secretary-treasurer of the
American Federation of Labor, the
two labor members who also sat on
the Davis committee.
To answer both this and a similar
report by Mr.. Thomas and CIO
President Philip Murray, which like
wise showed costs approximately "a
points above the Labor Statistics
Bureau index, the majority drew
heavily on the findings of the
Mitchell Review Committee.
Agreeing with the Mitchell COM
mittee conclusion that the Meany-
Thomas report had oyerstated the
increases on food ana rents, and
that the latter's findings as to in
creases resulting from shortages OF
consumer goods were out of line
with facts, the Labor Board ma
jority said:
"On all the evidence, the fair con-
clusion Is that the cost of living in
December, l943, was not 43 per cent
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