12
How Much Should They Earn?
(The following is a condensation of
an article by Betty Hanna Hoffm an,
reprinted by special permission from
the Ladies’ Home Journal. Copyright
1946, The Curtis Publishing Com
pany.)
In this survey, Journal editors set
out to discover what Mr. and Mrs.
America feel about wages, not what
pressure groups tell them they ought
to feel.
So Journal interviewers went ringing
doorbells from coast to coast, giving a
lot of silent millions a chance to speak
their minds thoroughly. An accurate
cross section of all American adults
over 21, men and women, union and
nonunion members, told what they
would do if magically given the chance
to settle "the wage question” once and
for all.
The most spectacular result, at first
glance, is that 49 per cent of the adult
population of America feel disgruntled
and dissatisfied with their wages. They
are the respectable blue-suited pillars
of the community— school teachers, li
brarians, ministers, farmers. A greater
portion of these individuals are on the
rampage over wages than the laborers
who mow lawns, dig ditches, help har
vest crops or pick berries for a living.
The majority of Americans consider
these persons the most poorly paid in
the country: white-collar workers,
school teachers and unskilled laborers.
Primarily, the heart of America goes
out to underpaid office workers and
store clerks. N ot only clerical workers
themselves, but also their supervisors,
complain that "white collar help” is
generally paid too little. The average
office worker today makes about $30
a week, before deductions, and most
store clerks get considerably less;
whereas a job that takes no brains at
all, such as sweeping up around the
factory, will often pay $39 weekly. It
may be office workers’ close associa
tion with the boss as well as the pres
tige of being "in the know” or "in the
front office” which prompts feelings
of loyalty and sympathy toward man
agement. Whatever the reason, they so
far have been sufficiently pro-manage
ment, whatever their personal griev
ances about their jobs to prevent much
headway by unions into their ranks.
The public supports President T ru
man’s program to raise minimum wage
. rates from 40 to 65 cents an hour. A
majority of Americans say their family
incomes fall far short of what is need
ed for comfort.
Which brings us to one of the most
widely held notions about America:
that we are an installment-buying,
gadget-minded nation, a people who
think a new car or bathroom more im
portant than things like education and
culture. Plenty of G.I.’s in France and
England have heard it said that we are
too materialistic, too comfort-minded.
This theory is not borne out by this
survey. In fact, America’s sales resist
ance is pretty darn high, as reflected
in the answers to this provocative
question: "W hat would you do with a
g ift of $1000?” Practically nobody
would splurge on a new car or fur coat
or take a flier to Tahiti. One woman
dreamed happily of paying a whole
year’s rent in advance. The majority
said: put it in the bank, invest in a
house or insurance, pay bills.
With this solidly conservative ap
proach toward unexpected manna from
heaven, it is small wonder that the
public doesn’t fully realize what "big
money” is.
"Should Congress set a limit on the
amount of money a man can earn in a
year?” " N o !” is the vehement answer
of 73 per cent of those interviewed.
" I f he has the brains and the push, let
him make it,” was the general response.