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Show REDUCED WAGES CAUSE TROUBLE RAILROAD HEAD DECLARE8 FAIL- URE OF HEALTHFUL LIVING STANDARD MEANS DIASTER Labor Leader Says Wages Aro Not Money; Out Only Pounds of Life's Blood to Nourish Body Of People Chicago. Tho business concorn which cannot roeot Its fixed chnrgos Is bankrupt; fulluro to provldo a healthful health-ful standard of living for bin family a working man's fixed chnrgo moans oventunl physical nnd moral bankruptcy bankrupt-cy to tho nation. This wns tho cxlora on which B. M. Jewoll, head of tho shop crafts unions, based his plea for workers Tuesday boforo the United States railroad labor board. Figures comparing railroad em ployes' expenditures for food with minimum requirements for bnro subsistence sub-sistence na worked out by Professor M. E. Puffo, food specialist of tho University Uni-versity of Cnllfomln, showed that railroad mechanics In 1021 were nbio to purchuso but 0-1 per cent of the moat, fish, milk nnd eggs necessary for malntenanco of their families nt tho lowest level of snfoty, Mr. Jewell said. High wnges rntlior than n further cut, woro urged on tho board by Mr. Jowcll In his fight against tho 10 per cent slush proposed by 203 roads now before tlie board. Wages, he assorted, were "the llfo blood of tho nation and reduction of wages moans reduction of nourishment to the bodies of citizens." "Tlie railroad Industry doos not to-duy to-duy pay a living wage to tho mechanics mechan-ics employed In Its shops," said Mr. Jewell, "wo havo measured the aver-ago aver-ago monthly enrnlngs of men In tho railroad shops by overy posslblo standard stand-ard and In evory Instanco they nro found wanting. "Tho purchasing power of real railroad rail-road families are domonstrntod by tho analysis of 254 lt'omlzed monthly expense ex-pense accounts. They aro distributed over tho country, but In no sonso selected. se-lected. The statements lncludo careful care-ful rocords of food and quantities bought. "The nverngo Incomo of thoso families fam-ilies amounted to $1035.50 of which .fl-10.00 camo from other than railroad wngos being usually secured from boarders. The nvorngo expenditure was $10.80.04. Tho Incomo from railroad rail-road falls short of nearly $200.00 n yenr of tho actual amount which those I families spent." "With prices prevailing during tho year of 1021, mechanics In railroad shops were able to purchase about 01 per cent of the moat, fish, milk and eggs necessary to maintain tholr actual ac-tual families nt tho lowest level of safety," Mr, Jewoll said. "They woro able," ho continued, "to purchnso only food ; only 01 per cent of tho necessary vegetables nnd fruits nnd only 71 por cent of the necessary butter, fats and oils. |