New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-03-20
TIE Wages Of Labor.

We have received (and nisla id, or we should
publish, an appeal from who maintains that
the present prices of Labor are higher than en-
ployers can possibly afford, in The existing state OF
things, and cntreating to use our influence with
The employed to persuade them to submit to gen.
eral reduction of wages. Hating taken some lit
rle time to consider the matter, we shall say what
we think of it.
We all know that there was a very general and
lust increase of the Wages of Labor in 1856, in
consequence of the Currency expansion and gene
raj increase of Prices at that time. We know also
that these longer exist, and the inference
IS strong that the consequence should cease like
wise. As it was usanifestly unreasonable thar
~ ages should continue the same when the Cur
repcy had increased to One Hundred and FIFTY
Millions and the barrel Of Flour risen to ten dol
lars that they had been when the Currency was
but Seventy or Eighty Millions and the barrel OF
Flour five or six dollars, SO it is equally clear that
Wages generally cannot remain at the higher point
when the Currency has subsidized to Sixty or Seventy
Millions and the barrel of Flour to four and halt
or Eve dollars. So far our correspondents sugges-
ton ia perfectly right, and worthy Of all accePta-
zion No man. we presume, believes that Wages
should be, no one AGNES thst they should be, as
high on the average now as they were II 1000
And yet VIC would suggest 10 our correspondent
and those who regard the subject only in the iight
he appears to, two other consideration:
/. The average Of Wages is alrcadyreduced quite
TO thspoin, from whichit advanced IN 1860. In
Agriculture, Domestic Service, and most other ca
pacities, the Wages now paid are, we think, quite
as low os in 1882, and very much lower than In
1885,
.. There remain to be considered the rates OF
Wages Ii those vocasions where an advance was
acceded to in 1886, and has not since been asaa-
doned OF course, in all cases whore the previous
or;co was fair and adequate this advance oaght long
since 10 have been abandoned, or ought cow to be-
the reason for it existing no longer.
Blu. we think there are cases in which the pre-,
vious rate was ess than i, ought to have been and
30 which the reason for reduction does not fairly
apply. These may be very few and exceptional
ye, they ought TO be considered. We believe, for
instance, that the rates Of lourneymen's wages In
our own trade, Printing, were less than they should
have been prior TO 1886. These rates were, and
still are very olumsiy constructed, enabling some
worlmen to earn $l2 per week by less labor than
Others were required to bestoW to earn 81. Ibis
gross inequality ough, to be promptly and efectu
ally remedied. But the average earnings of the
iourueymen printers of our city, excePting those
employed on morning papers, who were required
10 work excessively and at unreasonable hours
did not, if observation was correct, exceed 81
per week. Now this il much less than the ave
rage rate at which equal capacity and application
were rewarded in other avocations. We then
thought it too little; we have not changed ou'
opinion We still think i, more JUST that the pre-
en-, rates be continued, correcting some gross inc
Qualities in the scale of prices, than that the ad
vance of 1886 should be abandoned. Whether il
can or cannot be- in view of the actual rates il
this and other Cities whose work comes in com
ne.;rion with ours. we do not pretend to deter
mine.
These remarks are made with reference directl,
to Printing; it may or may not be that the princi
piles they involve apply equally to other cailiags
~. are not familiar with the rates Of wages o.
circumstances of others.
On one very important point there Ia prevaien
.,arcby which ought TO be corrected we rese
10 .he manner of fixing the rates OF wages !
some trades they are fixed by the Employers alone
in Others by the Journcymen alone while IN 'hiis
class there are no fixed rates, but the Free iraa'
rule prevails, of letting every one Individually alr'
AZ cheap as he can and sc, as much as ne can
rho esae, Of which, as of Free Trade universally
j.. 70 make Capital onniposent and Labor its slave
o,b;s is much worse than the first plan, OF having
the Employers FIX declared rate ana a0iae oy =
for tina, gives Generosity and Prosperity some
oice in fixing the rates, while this leaves 1t entirety
to gripping Ayarice and helpless Necessity, II Inc