The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-02
1860. 1868. Advance.
Average advance in the price Of labor, e,tinAtiuR
equal quantities OF each kind, 81 p.r cent.

..... .....l
Average advance in the price Of labor, e,timasing
equal quantities OF each kind, 81 psr cent.
"From the foregoing statement it appears that
the commodities enumerated lin the quantities
specihed) would have cost the common lab Jrer
working ten hours day at leg cents per hour
the labor Of 206 days in 1860, while in 1868
when receiving 20 cents an hour he would have
been Obliged to work 342 days in order TO pur-
chase the same articles tor the support of him.
self and family. His condition, therefore, com.
pared with 1850, exhibits a loss of Al per cent
that is, where he then received 100 (reckoned
IN articles to eat, drink, and Wear) for his labor
he now receives but 80 cents.
I'm The case OF the brogan maker, the best
paid laborer mentioned, The loss is not so heavy
but stu very severe. His pay has advanced
from Is to 2l cents per pair. To purchase the
above commodities he would
In 1868 have been obliged to make 325 pairs
III looU, only 229 pairs
A loss in the making of -. 90 pairs
II. e., so much work to be done before the
workman receives the same amount of flour
meat, etc., as in 1860. This equals loss of 29'2
per cent; or, in other words, when IN 1860 he
received 100 he now receives but 70'S cents.
'Rents have greatly increased, but to what
precise extent cannot be so readily ascertained
as in the case of commodities. The advance
cannot be less than about Go per cent.
Fuel has advanced-say, wood from So TO 81
per cord, coal from 81 to Sl2 per ton-an ave.
rage Of about 60 per cent
1.-THE prices of commodities have ascertained
by personal examination of the books of one
Of the principal dealers, and am satisfied that
they are correct not only from the showing of
the accounts, but from my general kno Wedge
of current prices.
'The rates OF labor have been obtained from
direct inquiry of the largest boot and shoe
manufacturing concern in the State, and are
"tsened) AMAsA WALKER.
''North Brookfeld, Mass, Feb. 2, 1859"
Let us now apply the lesson OF this eXpe-
rience. On an average, every American work.
ingman who is married may be supposed to
support four persons besides himself. Suppos-
ing the cost to be the same as in the Community
and it probably must be more, under retail
prices, to secure the came degree OF comfort
1t will require nearly So t$24'25) per week. 1t
is pertinent questton:-How large proper
ton OF American workmen earn that amount?
How many do not obtain more than two thirds
as much?
The Commissioner, from an inability to obtain
sufficient reliable evidence, did not claim in his
report that the conclusions arrived at in respect
to prices and the condition of labor throughout
the Eastern and Middle States applied equally
and CO extensively at the West. So far, how
ever, as such evidence has been furni he'd, it
tends to show that like causes have everywhere
tended to produce like effects. A single eX-
ample may be adduced, viz: the report of
a very careful investigation instituted in
1867, and referred 10 in the report of the
Commissioners for that year, in respect to the
relative advance in the price OF commodities
and of labor in Western manufacturing town
in the centre Of rich agricultural dlstrict-the
town of Canton, Stark county, Ohio. This in
vestigauon showed that while the advance in
wages employed in the manufacture of agri-
cultural machinery was from 90 to go per cent.
in November 1866, as compared with the same
month in 1860, the advance in the cost of living
as deduced from the prices OF sixteen of the
| leading articles of domestic consumption, viz. |:
| flour, corn, meal, buck wheat'iour, beef butter,
| eggs, lard, potatoes, apples, chickens, dried
| apples, coffee, sugar, syrup, calicoes, aud mus
Inns, showed an average increase of about l3O
| per cent.
paid for tkiled labor engaged in the manufac.
ture of agricultural implements IN the same
town, during the period of years under COM
parison, was also shown to have been 573 per
cent.
But am we'll aware that you will endeavor
to answer this new evidence, as you answered
the evidence presented in the report, by the
assertion that labor is immeasurably better
employed at the present time than it was in
1860. This answer, however, is far more speci-
Gus than correct The war, by the diversion of
large numbers of men to the army, created in
many departments OF industry deficiency of
been fully supplied. If, therefore, certain
specislties of industry in certain sections were
taken as the standard, 1t might be made to
appear that labor is is more fully employed in 1869
| more, large increase in what may be termed
manufacturing production since 1860, as well as
large increase OF population; consequently the
specific number of laborers of all kinds en-
| ployed throughout the Northern States is un.
qnestionably much larger than in 1860. But that
labor, considered generally, skilled and un-
| skilled, "is now immeasurably mole fully
employedn than in 1859 and in 1860, is an asser-
ton not supported by any sufficient evidence;
| the two latter years having been, not as
| represented by you, among "the darkest periods
ever seen by the laborlng people OF America, u
but really the two most prosperous years that
| the nation has ever experienced. Under this
head propose to submit some evidence.
The report OF the Guardians of the Poor of the
city OF Philadelphia shows that the net amount
| expended under their direction was S29S, 789 toI
the year 1886; $259 445 Tor 1859; S23O, ,5l7 for
| 1860; and S423,86S for 1867. The number OF
| persons reported as receiving outdoor relief in
the city OF Philadelphia tor the year 1868 was
104 542, as compared with 85 292 for the year 1867
The present population OF Phlladelphi may be
estimated AZ about 100000; of this number 37ls
were inmates OF the Amshouse on the Isl
of January, 1869, aud, as before shown, 164 ,542
| persons received relief OH account OF poverty
during the year. It, therefore, appears thai
during the year 1868, los, 260 Cor one person out
| of every l43 in the city OF Pniladelpha) were
wholly or partially incapable of self support
| circumstance that does not tell strongly in taveI
OF great material prosperity on the part OF the
| people
All accounts, furthermore, agree that In the
city of New York the number OF persons seeking
employment, and the demands for relief OIL
behalf OF the poor, have never been so great a.
during the past winter.
The following extracts from letters recently
addressed 10 the Commissioner by leading manu-
lactufers in various iecuons OF the country fur
nlsh further evidence i'll respect 10 the relative
condltlon OF labor and wages, which can bI
neither 1eiuted nor ignored:-
COLTS FIRE ARMS MANUFACTURING Con-