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Show v I For Meditation I 5 oooooo 8 g Br LEONARD A. BARRETT g THE WAGE SCALE THE population of the United States is estimated to be forty-two million persons. If five persons constitute con-stitute a family which is dependent upon one person for support, the total number of persons responsible for producing pro-ducing incomes would be a little over eight million. Of this large number statistics inform us that only two million mil-lion receive an annual Income of four thousand dollars or over. In other words, six million must provide the necessities of home, education for children and a savings account for old age upon an annual income of from fifteen hundred to two thousand dollars. By economy many children have the opportunity to complete a course of study In the high school, but how few leave the high school for the higher education afforded by the college or the university. The same exercise of economy may enable the wage earner to carry a modest Insurance policy, but insurance companies inform us that In about seven cases out of every ev-ery ten the amount of money provided by an insurance policy Is spent in about three years. The amount from the interest of the Investment not being be-ing large enough to provide the necessities neces-sities for dependents, the capital is drawn upon until it Is entirely dissipated. dis-sipated. The majority of persons reach old age as dependents. Few ever arrive at what might be called financial Independence. Prosperity defeats its own progress when those upon whom it Is dependent depend-ent are deprived of the privilege of enlarging their capacities for that service which education and culture afford. Education Is expensive, and for that very reason has a just claim upon a person's benevolence. The tragedies due to economic pressure could be greatly lessened if the wage scale would make possible ways and means for more efficient service. ((c). 1928. Western Newspaper Union.) i |