Show Looking Ahead By Ily George S. S Benson President Harding College Searcy Arkansas WAGES W AND ASU About 15 months ago Mr Hen Hen- Henry ry 1 Wallace Vallace then Secretary of Com Corn Commerce merce under President Truman asserted that wages in the auto auto- automobile automobile mobile industry could go up 30 per percent percent percent cent without prices of cars c going gorng up at all It wasn't true as IS all in in- informed informed formed people knew at the time But the statement tended to gain I public support At least the statement helped gain public toleration for a long strike which ended with ith ith about a 20 per cent raise in wages But I even evell then the OVA OPA was W lS immedi immedi- immediately immediately convinced that increases in itt prices were made necessary Lit Lit- Little Little Littie tle tie by little OPA raised the prices on cars until it had granted an average increase of 22 per cent SAME PLAY AGAIN In short for a 20 per cent in in- increase increase increase crease in wages sages for auto luto workers worker the public was required by OPA to pay 22 per cent more for cars Now the th auto workers are Ire asking for another raise of about 25 per percent percent percent cent in wages Mr 1 C C. C E. E Wilson president of General Motors 1 as as- asserts asserts asserts that such a I raise will also put prices of cars up by 25 per cent Mr Alfred Alired P. P Sloan chairman of the board of General Motors al 11 also al- al also so declares that wages cannot be raised without raising prices Some labor leaders are arc main main- maintaining taming that wages in general can cango cango go fo up about 25 per cent without increasing prices From last years years' experience the public will quite readily understand that if wages go up UI again prices must also go up UI This leaves just one real Is Is- Issue sue Is it to the interest of work work- workers workers ers to keep going up and up TIT FOR TAT rAT Some unions are arc now declaring that the raises they got last year are already neutralized by in increased prices of the things they must buy This is evidently trul true Now if another raise in wages is granted only to be followed by a astill astill astill still greater boost in prices work work- workers workers ers will be no better off In fact they and all the rest of us will willbe willbe willbe be worse off Higher prices will finally cause buying to drop off Then jobs will begin to drop off leading to unemployment and fi finally ii fl nally to depression There is a way for everybody to gain both workers and the general public That way is for management and workers to co co- cooperate cooperate operate to increase production so effectively that goods will become plentiful and prices will co to down THE SOUND WAY Then the workers will have the th equivalent of a raise in wages because their present wages will vill buy more food and clothing All of the public will benefit in the same way This is sound econ econ- But for wages to keep gu go going guing ing up and up only to be followed by prices going up and up is un- un for workers and every every- everybody everybody everybody body else If we want to destroy the Amer Amer- American American Amerlean ican lean economic order and force our country into state tate socialism that is the way to do it Fifteen months ago many wondered seriously if Henry Wallace believed that wages could go up 30 per cent in any I industry without prices going up Many 1 now wonder if any an informed people really think wages can go up 25 per cent without raising prices If we try it we will again learn the hard way FAIRNESS BEGETS millETs FAIRNESS I Recently I found in my mail an ai a I unusual letter It was an impressive impressive sive sivo letter for it came from a well well- known manufacturer on the sub sub- subject subject subject of labor unions and their lead lead- ers Omitting the personalities in in- involved involved involved I should like to offer you i ithe the letter in full It is so sane and offers such rich practical sug sug- suggestions suggestions suggestions for settlement of some of our huge industrial problems that I want to pass it on to readers of this column Dear Sir Your description of the labor situation in Sweden al almost al- al almost most depicts the labor situation of the XYZ industry in our coun coun- try Mr 1 X the founder of the Union plus the cooperation of the manufacturers brought it about And I dare say this labor lor instilled the of cooperation into the manufacturers by fair fairplay fairplay fairplay play and honest tactics MEN OF CALIBRE Since the formation of the Union in 1919 no strikes have oc oc- oc- oc The instruments installed by him for orderly settlements of disputes are arc no doubt well known to tn von All ir of this leads to con con- elusion If the leaders of labor are men of right calibre strikes are almost impossible because employ employ- employers ers are invariably reluctant to have their business disrupted and arb aro willing to meet fairness with fair fair- fairness fairness fairness ness hence my advice is Urge labor unions to choose wise and like business-like leaders men of ideals thoroughly honest All of this may sound silly but bui buto butto to prove my point There existed a XYZ union before Mr X's en ell- entry try which had no influence and accomplished nothing and if al allowed aI- aI lowed to continue would have per per- perhaps perhaps perhaps haps brought disaster to the Indus indus- Industry industry try like in so many others If labor were headed by mesa mel who are qualified for leadership labor troubles would eventually be of minor importance SENCE HORSE So ends this very pointed letter from my manufacturer friend who obviously is no enemy of labor Actually the reason so apparent why management should be th the friend of labor are almost the he same sam set of reasons why labor should stand solidly for cooperation wit with management After all the tw two are the main components of indus indus- industry try labor and management Their objectives are the same The ob ob- object object ob- ob object of both is production Ne Nether Nel- Nel Neither ther can sexist without the other This bespeaks with all the logic o of horse sence underscored by plain J 0 nm n n rf ct Orderly settlement of industrial disputes would mean much to the th welfare of our nation at this time of f f crises when we wr arc are reconvert erl reconverting ing jug our industry to the tile ways of peace Strikes are Ire now too costly cosh to labor and to management and mid to the public to have any prominent ent place in the settlement of in in- industrial industrial disputes In this enlightened enli time tinie when lien word is almost as swift as thought and facts are so easy of access alcess surely these two components of industry with so much mitch in common can make use of the council table instead of the strike With wis wis- wisdom wisdom dom dorn and fairness and honesty pre lre- prevailing this tills can be done We have had lull tull demonstration that frequent large strikes are arc the route to disaster I |