Milford chronicle., 1946-09-06
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1916

what II ntally meant. That is the glSt OF recent
statement made by Dr. Paul II. Nystrom, Professor
of Marketing at Columbia University, before Cali
torna commission which is engaged in work pre-
liminary to the establishment of new minimum wage
standards in that state.
Those who favor increasing the minimum wage
base much of their argument budget for single
working women prepared by committee at the
University of California. In opposition, DIR. NyStrom
presented another budget, based retail prevailing
in July, 1916, which a substantially lower
total. The differences between these budgets is
an indication of the confusion that surrounds the
minimum wage problem DIR. Nystrom's budget was
the actual minimum necessary maintain the health,
appearance and working efficiency of sing gle
or minor 1t contained no luxurieS. The University
of California budget, on the other hand allowed for
such expenditures hair waves costume ewery and
reatively expensive fur-trimmed coats. These items
are obviously deSreabe-but by stretch OF the
imagination they be called essential
The issue of the minimum wage came into the
n1elight long ago and the fight for its establish
ment was led by many distinguished Americans 1t
is now accepted by all being necessary and salu-
tary. However, this kind of minimum wage is really
a minimum. 1t the lowest figure which the in
experienced, least competent marginal employee
may live. 1t is paid only for the simplest, least
acting tasks Beyond that, the worker receives addi
tional compensation his productivity and his re-
sponsibtes increase 1t is-and this is vitaly i'm
portant-a basic wage rate, not desired wage rate
and its purpose is to protect the unSklled worker
from employment at starvation pay.
If this minimum is substantially increased, be-
yond the level made necessary by higher prices, the
upward spiral will get another boost The wor
kers productivity will not be increased-but the
of making and selling goods will be insreaSed.
The result-w be more dollars IN the pay envelope
LII. H. hr
worse off. And the result for the people living on
fixed incomes such pensions and annuites and old
age relief funds will be ruinous and tragic
AS DR.. Nystrom puts it, Retailers have continu-
ouSly fought initiation for many years. Retailing looks
upon the present proposals for increasing the mini
mum wage rate as a purely nhationary movement
Retailing must continue fight initiation. y
That goes to the heart of the matter. We must
have minimum wage laws which actual mini
NUNS necessary proper food, lodging and general
we'll being. Minimum wage rates, the other hand
which are based on luxury budgets woulud be dsas-
trous to the economy and already dangerously
inflated price Even in these days of socia
progress the worker must the butter, ever
though the government assures him the bread.
<~>~o&>
THE FARMERS of this country should take
a long and critical look at the proposal to build al
enormously costly series of FLOOD control" dams il
the Missouri Valley the Southwest the Columb.
Basin and elsewhere.
These projects would be similar to those built b,
the IVA And, according to Representative Whit
ington of Mississippi, 'It a faacy assert tha
IVA has protected the Tennessee Valley from floods
The IVA has put in the bottoms of reservoirs sub
stantiay all of the lands that subject to over
flow F.. The flood problem of the Tennessee VALLEY
has been eliminated by sumergng its valleys"
Some interesting comment has been made on th
projected reservoirs for the Missouri Valley. Accord
ing to the Missouri Farmers Association, these wou.
nundate 100000 of fertile land with annua
productivity of SIS 5000 0OO-more than twice tn
estimated annual loss from flood damage in that re
gion And representative of the Jefferson County
Missouri, Farm Bureau recently said one propose
dam would flood 5000 acres to protect 1000 acres
Professor w. G. Etherdge of the Missouri COlleg
of Agriculture said: Il convinced that the SyS
TEN of dams proposed for Missouri would dan,
age bottom lands of all proportion the bene
fits the dams might develop in the control of floods
Volumes of evidence to this effect could be cited
The truth is most of the proponents of billion od
dollar dam program aren't interested in flood con
troll. They are primarily interested in socializng
electric power industry, in Russia Every flood con
troll project far approved, such IVA, has prove
itself to be primarily power project. And every on
taS worked the destruction of taxpayng, free en-
terprize
<N~o~~
IF THE NEWS WAS FLASHED over the natio
that of our principal cities was destroyed by fir
with loss of 10000 lives, everyone would be run
ming for an extra edition of their newspaper
of the disaster. And yet such death and destructo
happens every year in the amount of property and tt
number of lives lost by fire. and most persons thin
nothing of tin fact, they help create the holocau
by their carcessness
This tremendous loss the nation suffers annual
could be cut a minimum if the public would eimir
the fire hazards which entirely within the
control
Human beings must have fire for heat and powe
but it is not necessary be careless with this tive
edged sword which destroys Fire is hai
ard at best and it is advisable to treat it with respec