Show J I. I I II I Ideas from other editor I From Frem the Ita Harvard nard Herald Harvard liar Har yard vard Illinois t The federal mini l mum wage law has always exempted exempt exempt- ed certain businesses of which I retailing is 11 one When the wage wace rate was last Increased by Congress Con Con- gress veil an effort was made to extend extend ex tend the coverage to some lome of 01 the exempt enterprises including interstate Interstate In in- retailers such as II the chains But Dut the effort failed and the established exemptions were extended Now it appears renewed efforts to broaden coverage will be made so 10 the reasons for the retail exemption should be generally un un- Retailing is 11 an Intensely local enterprise Even if a store is 11 an outlet of a national chain It must compete for business on the local level That means it must be able to adjust 1 lip Its costs COlta wages included ed to local standards standard and condi condi- For example the going loin wage rate in New York City would be hopelessly out of line in a small southern town Retailing also is ia a business which can give employment to marginal workers whose services are of 01 extremely limited value From the experience they can advance advance advance ad ad- vance to more responsible better- better paying work If U. however the legal starting wage were too high stores would have no choice but I to pare marginal employment to te minimum minimum and and thus thUI these theae worth worl ers en would be denied the ally to gain skills I I From the Seville Chronicle Seville Se M. he yule ville Ohio I For about years year says saYI the Christian Science Moni Moni- Monitor Monitor tor in an editorial most farmer farmers have bave supported tariffs which held up the prices of industrial goods good they had to buy and cut down imports Imports im ports porta which would have paid for tM crops they wished to sell eU abroad They received relatively little protection from tariffs themselves For In many crops they produced I r surpluses which had to be sold soldon on the world market and these fixed domestic prices j Finally In another postwar pe period nod of declining prices the tho farmers began to press for some 1008 form of effective protection for fOl themselves So we have had a suo- suo cession of plans to limit farm larm p production pro pre to hold up prices Farmers Farmers partly partly because of their their numbers numbers find find it hard to restrict production production- Aside from weather uncertainties it is II their instinct to produce i iSo So lets let's not blame them for following fol 1010 lowing other groups in the economy economy economy econ econ- omy in seeking government aid Let us question rather how bow far such aid should go ga |