SLIDING WAGE SCALE

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160733, 20 August 1920, Page 2

SLIDING WAGE SCALE

SOLUTION FOR LABOUR UNREST. FIXED PAT ROOT OP TROUBLE. A scale of wages, sliding automaticallly, according to the rise in the cb'st of living, is tiie only solution to the labour problem. The fixed scale of wages is tho root of most labour troubles, the nature of which is biological rather than economic, contends Dr Toulouse, eminent French sociologist. The cause of most strikes is the appalling difference between what a man earns and what it costs to live—the question of wages or salary, becomes one of life itself. A man agrees to-day to work for a certain amount of money. Re makes a bargain and is supposed to stick to it. But° what will cover bis expenses to-day may be insufficient to provide even nourishment within a few months. The war his upset values to such an extent that the man whose income does not leave him a large margin is never sure of tho morrow. WAGE INCREASE INADEQUATE. The cost of living, for instance, has increased 400 per cent. In spite of the general cry that wages have gone up, how many people are making four times as much as before tbe war? Very few. The majority have had their earnings increased 75 jim’ cent—others, perhaps, have seen them doubled. But what is a 160 per cent, increase of salary compared to the 400 per cent, rise in the cost of living ? Whereas a locomotive does not move unless supplied with the requisite fuel, the human machine, unfortunately, if) so constituted that insufficient or inferior food does not cause a sudden breakdown. For a. considerable time an underfed man continues his usual work. But his vitality is slowly snapped, and gradually the-standard of the race is lowered. Tuberculosis and other diseases spread to a dangerous degree. WHAT DOES LIVING COST? When a working man, therefore, demands higher pay, it should not be objected that he is asking for two of three times as much as he used to get, but the employer should ask how much it costs Mm to live to-day. Every man has the right, not only to live, but to live so that his vitality is not impaired. A certain minimum is necessary to enable him to buy the right kind of food for himself and family and to provide proper housing conditions. In the interest of society, every man—and by that I mean every wage-earner—-should make enough to ensure a stronger not a weaker race. Perpetual nagging is always a source of trouble. With the present regime of fixed salaries, tho working man is obliged to demand continually higher and higher wages. This inevitably creates resentment. What is sufficient to-day ia not enough to-morrow. And, besides, in spite of oui’ so-called advancements, the man who sells his work is not_ situated as the man who sella merchandise. If a storekeeper doesn’t make enough profit he doesn’t ask permission to false his prices. SUGGESTS SLIDING SCALE. But the man who sells his work must ask the consumer’s—that is, the employer’s —authority- to increase his price, aiid whereas the shopkeeper offers no explanation of his actions, the working man is expected to show in detail why he cannot live on his old salary, and is frequently obliged to go On Strike to impress his point of view. The grasping demands of Labour, which Governments alid corporations speak of, are frequently due to the employers’ failure to realise the gap between wages and their power to purchase the necessaries of life. Instead of pitting themselves against strikes, our great railroad owners, financiers, bankers, economists should Use their superior knowledge of affairs and finance to work Out a scheme for determining a sliding scale of wages that would adjust itself automatically to tho rise in the cost of living.