The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-05-11

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crease, not only i'll wages, but in production
All Of the arguments against reduction
made by those working eleven hours an,
over, are answered by those who hav
adopted the shorter time, and worked un
der that system for years"
The opinions Of workingmen, here given
are unanimously " III favor Of a reduction O
working time. A machinist says, page 24l
Those who work the hardest and lonyes
get the least pay, as a general rule. Thi
is the worst feature Of long hours. Thei
effect upon health, culture, etc, is any
thing but good but the great fact to b,
| first mentioned is, that long hours meaI
low wages and low wages mean the pov
erty If the masses, and the large profit.
made one way and another on their labor
or its results, by the rich, who are growing
richer as fast as labor saving machinery in
! Creascs.
The results Of investigations on "Cost Of
Living are given in seven pages under that
special head though reference is here made
to continuation Of the subject further OF
in the Report.
The tables here presented are returns tC
! blank No. 8, and with the additional notes
indicate care on the part Of the respond
ents.
OF Blank No. Q, ''Workingmen's Stats
tics, i Immediately fDll,wing, the Bureau re-
marks ''The returns Of this Blank are
the most copious and clear Of any received
at this office" The tables give wages, hours
of labor, earnings, cost of living, value Of
real estate owned, and savings, and are fol
loTed by explanatory notes. The extracts
given are supposed to indicate more or less
correctly the every day life Of the better
class Of workingmen in the State.
The subject Of Savings Banks occupies
40 pages A brief account is given of their
origin and aims, and on this point the Bu-
reau remarks, page 295 'No more worthy
object could have presented itself to the
founders. 1t was the first and best step in
the direction of the wisest charity, to help
the helpless by teaching them to help them
selves. To this instrumentality we owe
the breaking up and almost final extinction
of the old boarding powers Of accumula-
ton; process that made frugality and
miserly suspicion twin brothers. How
many may have been lifted up out Of the
slough of poverty and vice by this excel
lent system no one can tell. But that the
hundreds Of millions Of dollars now on de-
posit in the banks are the savings Of the
wages of labor is a statement based upon
the theory of these institutions rather than
upon fact. Evidence that such is not the
fact, may be found in nearly every success
sive report Of the Bank Commissioners, as
well as by repeated references to the sub
ject i'll Gubernatorial addresses.
e l.
from 1851 to 1870 are largely quoted by the
Bureau in support Of this theory.
The want of system i'll the banks is claim
ed to be a reason for their failure to respond
to the blank sent out, and this in part is
accounted for by the cheapness with which
the work is performed.
This also is substantiated by reports of
Bank Commissioners. The tables give
amount Of deposits, different deposltors,
occupations of deposltOrs, etc, from which
various deductions are made, all going to
show, according to the Bureau, that while
the largest number Of depositors are from
the wages classes, the largest number Of de-
posits are from other than wages labOrers.
On page 3lS they say "A comparison Of
the deposits Of lS69-70 shows that while
the increase in deposits was, during that
year, about , per cent, the increase in de-
posits of $500 and over Tor more truly 500
and over) was about 81 per cent.
In the computations made they have
placed the amount Of single deposit of a
working man or woman at so and under
and in support Of this, say on page 332
that it is based upon the fact that the
average wages Of this class Of citizens will
not admit Of larger sum for deposit. A
deposit of 500 would about represent their
average monthly earnings.
Several pages are given to a recapitula-
ton of Part LIST, in which the several in
dustries are examined briefly each by itself
1t is found that the average yearly earn
ings Of wages laborers of all classes does
not exceed six hundred dollars ($6OO) with
cost Of livirg at about the same amount,
the rule, always and everywhere, being that
wages are regulated by the cost of living.
Skill, once the strong defence Of the arti-
san, is now trembling in the balance, to-day
Of value, tomorrow of none, rapidly retlr-
ing, with its apprenticed pupils, before the
advance Of machinery.
This tendency to eliminate skilled labor
is specially prominent in the boot and shoe
trades, and as improved machinery therein
is still further introduced, still cheaper help
will be found possible and profitable, and
will therefore be employed.
Part 2nd, is devoted to ''visits of the Bu-
reau' to various parts Of the State. The
condition of Operative Life in factory and
manufacturing towns, Chinese labor, the
Truck system, accidents, strikes, tenement
houses, or homes Of the working classes,
and schools for factory children, with Uesti-
mony taken thereon.
A visit to one of the largest clothing es-
Establishments in Boston, and an examina-
ton Of their system Of bookkeeping, sat
istied the Bureau that their method Of OBJ
tanning the wages Of this class of employees,
was the most practical that could be
adopted.
A somewhat minute description Of the
processes Of manufacturing Parafine Can.
dies, as seen on a visit to New Bedford,
makes an interesting page.
Manner Of life at the Hoosac Tunnel is
described. The work is carried on might
and day, the only cessation being from l.
O'Clock ON Saturday night to II O'Clock Oh
Cuhuay night 1nrec SCI VI hSAAus a.
employed, each working eight hours day
Many of the workmen, coming there with
out money, are obliged to trade Pt The Tun
mel Stora ,lalthough the charges for good
are much higher than at the village stores
under the order system, in order to subsis
until they received their first month
wages and it sometimes happened tina
such persons wages at the end of tn
month, would be insufficient to discharg