Show Great Problems Discussed by Authorities sv Q THE PLIGHT OF FARM LABOR By ROBERT S. S BROOKINGS President Institute of Economics The claim has hall often orten been made of late lale that the wages of the Industrial worker has lias been Increased at the expense expense ex ex- ex- ex pense vense of the tho farm laborer Mr BrookIngs BrookIngs BrookIngs Brook Brook- Ings In this article answers that claim and shows that labor In industry transportation transportation trans trans- and agriculture are assured an equal opportunity A logical step which we seem to tobe tobe tobe be taking in Iii this country is to to emancipate economically the great mass mass of workers from the acceptance acceptance acceptance accept accept- ance of autocratic capital which In its operations is neither r sound nor ethical Tho The owners of capital must sa Wa Ve that in in every form lorm of production capital Is worth no nomore nomore more moie and no noless less Jess than its market value as s established daily by our I Istock stock stock exchanges As capital becomes becomes becomes be be- comes a commodity paid for at a arate arate arate rate fixed fL by market competition labor regains legains its freedom to exploit Its own possibilities SAVING WAGE The most complete recognition ot 01 the commodity character of capital comes In connection with that all all- important factor of pi production production- land Under the system of tenancy the tenant farmer comes conies into absolute absolute absolute lute possession of the facilities facUlties for production In industry and aM transportation transportation trans trans- however the only real approach on a large scale to a system of limited property rights I coupled with economic freedom for forthe forthe forthe the worker is found In the United States The restriction of immigration gration the protective tariff the development of big biff business and the wide distribution of corporate securities amon among Investors have hae combined to produce in this country what we call caB a saving wage as differentiated from a living hiving wage By saving wage we mean a w wage age sufficient to provide for at least such savings as are necessary to protect the worker and his family from the menaces of unemployment sickness old age and death deaths The prevalence of such a wage scale frees the tho worker from the pressure of cutthroat competitive selling of I his labor and assures him economic independence Thus Thiu we have o es established es- es an economic democracy which scales with out Our political democracy dem dem- a a state which does not e ex exist exist ex- ex 1st in any other This improvement in iii po position position position po- po has been no but a a- matter of deliberate public policy While the Importance of the superior superior su- su su superior natural resources of the United States must not be ov over oyer- er- er looked hooked d. d it is Inconceivable that we could have arrived at this sound ethical and economic relation of ot capital to labor laboi which now exists If we had hail continued to allow the free flow into this country either ol of cheap chean labor or of this n nf n cheap cheal labor Bo Both 1 our r I immigration and protective tariff laws have I sought to Improve the economic position of all classes of labor INCREASE PROPORTIONAL Th The direct influence of the thc Immigration Immigration Immigration Im Im- Im- Im migration restriction In preventing the undercutting which accompanies an oversupplied labor market may be in he seen stability of wages at ata ata ata a high level in the face of falling pi ices since 1920 Not Kot only has the standard of livin living been rapidly in increasing increasing in- in D- D creasing in the United States but that the increase In wages during the past forty five years has been roughly proportional In agriculture in industry and in transportation The operation within the nation of the basic laws Jaws of supply and de demand demand demand de- de mand not only adjusts the values of ot Innumerable commodities to each other but almost almos automatically In Insures Insures Insures In- In an equality of opportunity to labor in such widely different tI tIcu occupations cu- cu as s industry transportation ton and agriculture Copyright 1927 Cosmos Newspaper Newspaper News- News paper Syndicate Inc |