Show I I I P Latest Late t La Labor Remedy emedy I IT T THE iE entire entire pu public and particularly capital and nd labor ti will rill watch with interest the he latest labor remedy through th the adoption of which a strike on the New England railroad has just been s settled The principle is the maintenance of wages at a stipulated sum um as long as the commodity index number shall remain at al or above Ito per cent Such a device has been created for the purpose of keeping a record of the variations in the price of commodities as a a. a whole and with a certain average figure based on the price of of commodities ies c in common non use established st The result Is that any change in iii the price ric of any any commodity affe affects ts the index number and the system thus becomes a barometer as asit asit Jt it were showing the rise or fall in the cost of liv living ng Under the plan c coordinating wages with living costs the scale of wages is flexible to t a certain d degree gre rising or falling fal simultaneously with the identical changes in either direction of the the commodity index number i It is cl claimed for th the pl plan n that by the advance in wages when tile the index number reached a c certain r ain figure due to the advance in inthe inthe the prices of commodities it nullifies s the argument ht of high cost of living as as a cause for striking On the other hand should the Index number sink bel below w I t the e ac accepted average figure the fact will be considered an argument argument argument ment in favor of the employers that t labor bor can afford to accept I a a decrease in wag wages s to an extent in pr proportion n t to th the decreased cost of living iving and in order to lighten the burden of employers res resulting from a decreased income declared to invariably accompany accompany accompany pany a decrease in the cost of commodities To the intelligent skilled worker work r who more often than otherwise is a man of family it would seem that the coordinated index plan would meet with gre great t f favor vor as he pr probably bably has a greater desire than others for an ass assurance rance that his necessary living ivi g costs nev never r would e exceed his earning power properly ap- ap f plied li 1 Most certainly any plan looking to amicable arrangements between capital and labor is entitled to serious consideration and anda anda a a a fair ir trial |