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Show What's Enoughs Iff I ' By CEORCE S.BENSON K. cJ Presi3en of Harding Collego fW 1 Searcy. Arkansas jli6uCl B 1 WHAT will John Q. Public pay for what he wants. He will pay every cent he thinks it is worth to him. Ultimately he will be willing to pay more, if he f.nds out the item is worth more than he first thought. On the other hand he will kick at the price and refuse io pay it as soon as he finds out the thing is worth less to him than the money he paid for it. These statements are so plain and simple that any schoolboy is able to understand them. You would hardly think anybody could get these facts mixed-up, but they do. Under them is hid the 1946 labor-management problem which is the most serious one that ever confronted this nation. What lies behind all the headlines telling tell-ing about strikes? Ideas BRIEFLY, union labor-Differ labor-Differ rs are asking their employers em-ployers for more pay more wages than the employers (for some reason) are willing to lay out. All trades, especially farmers, want laborers to draw high wages because that's the key to -ood times. Farmers enjoy good markets when labor prospers. pros-pers. Why not pay working men whatever they ask? Answer: The workers' wages, Just like the owner's profits, come out of what John Q. Public will pay for what he wants. If the price is too steep for John, then there's no sale and no profits and presently no wages. If the price is reasonable, John buys. Thnt makes profits and vatrcs. It makes better jobs and nice of them, and prosperity. Higher IN MOST cases, vh?ri Wages wages advance prices must advance also to cover the expense. There is no other way to raise wages except by boosting prices unless the prices already in force are fictitious ficti-tious and unfair, something competition com-petition seldom permits. Customers Custo-mers object to wage increases only when they call for mice increases in-creases to cover them. But even then, Mr. Public is not always right. Many a wage increase is sound even when prices liave to be raised immediately to cover them. Raising Rais-ing prices to pay better wages is good business, up to a point. But zriat point? Up to the point that John Q. Public quits buying. So long as volume stays large; the price is sound. When volume drops off and crices are boosted to pay for the blunder, that's unsound. un-sound. There are experts in every business busi-ness who estimate accurately how many of this-or-that will sell for some stipulated price. They know lone: before the first one is made. This year, when steady jobs at good pay are so vital, prices should be set in advance to get volume sales and make jobs. Labor, as well as industry, should be interested in the rieht prices. |