Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-06-30
Labor and Its Rewards.

Labor and Its Rewards.
There is a great difference in the
relation which capital bears 10 labor
in this country and in Europe; in
Europe capital is the master Of la
Dor; in this country labor is the
master of capital. The law of sup
ply and demand regulates all things;
labor, even the increase and
decrease Of population itself. The
National Era lately published the
following interesting facts relative to
wages of labor:
The average wages Of agricultural
laborers in England last year, were
forty cents day. The wages of
journevmen carpenters now in Wa
terford,> Ireland, are eighty-three
cents a day.
In Central India the wages Of a
field laborer are now six cents day,
he finding his own food , women re-
ceive 4 l-3 and boys 3 cents
House servants are better paid, and
they are compelled to wear better
clothes.
Thirty years ago field laborer
cost his owner in the Southern States
less than dollar a week, (interest
on his price and cost of keeping,)
now the cost is twice as much.
In 1851, average wages at Lowell,
Mass, in the factories, for females,
thirty three cents day for males,
eighty cents, clear of board or fifty
two cents day for females, and one
dollar twelve cents for males, with
out board. The wages in 1910 were
precisely the same there.
The wages OF labor at Greenwich
Hospital, England, Cor carpenters,
brick LAYERS and masons, doubled
from 1885 TO 1928, from Is Cd per
day to 5s.)
The weekly wages Of husbandry
labor in England, in 1900, were
equal to the price OF fifiy-iour pin,s
of wheat IN 1890, to eighly-two
pin,s; in 1892, to ninety'pin,s. ga
pints make bushel)
From Wm. Penn's cash book, it
appears that in 1899, it required 1877
days of unskilled labor to earn a ton
of fiour-casn wages at 33 cents a
day. In 1884, such a laborer al
Philadelphia, could earn ton Of
flour in 70 days-cash wages IS cts.
per day. Flour was at the former
period 1854; at the latter $58, 49,
per ton.
Thus, in 1872 years in England,
the wages of unskilled labor has
nearly doubled when estimated il
wheat-in cash they had quite doub
led, and in nearly all other commod.
tiles they had many times multiplied
their nominal value. Even in the
year 1913, a coitagcr's Sunday hat
cost 20s, now IS: shirt los Cd
now IS; calico rs Cd, now Cd
brown sugar l0d, now Id. In II
years, from 1920 TO 1884, cottor
cloth fell from IL 3-4d to Cd. Ii
these years The price of cloth dimin
ished fiity-one per cent, wages re-
naming in money price the same. -
But what is more remarkable, til,
money price Of oil the British anC
Irish productions and manufacture
, exported from England had fallen il
these Ia years full forty per cent
This reduction continued steadily al
1850, Sal 90 would purchase a
much of these articles which max
! up the mulliiorm exports of Grca
Britain, as S9i would have purchas
ed thirty years before. The none
wages remained the same--ihe req
wages had more than doubled with
thirty years in every thing but wheo
= and house rent.
! The wages OF women in the I'm
S ted States, measured in the sam
!, way, have irebled since the yea
= lSlS--the period of the general il
, PRODUCTION Of machinery into manI
= factories.
e The wages of husbandry in Franc
>, have in like manner rebled in l3
a years. While the process of doul
5 ling the wages of labor was going o
l. in England, the population rose I
d fourteen millions.
!. The facts OF political econom
b, must have another and farer hearin
|, than the old school authorities couI
# give them. Increase OF popuatio
a and the unlimited multiplication
i products by The use of machner
+ do not depress wages, but on ii
! contrary, the improvement of III
e condition of the laborer everywhcr
o keeps even pace with all such il
e crease.
e The laws which govern sociel
e are better than the disciples of III
e dismal science imagine. Life is n,
a necessarily Il battle, nor is humanil
( a failure. We have indeed grel
S deal to learn, but we have as niue
e TO hope for, which will come in III
= fullness of time. The present goo
of this faith is, that we can than
God and take courage.