The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-10
ENGLAND'S W0RKlNGMEN.
now THEY ARE PRiCTfCALLY BET
ThRING THEIR CONDITION.
Bone Interesting Extracts Il ON n Review OF
the Price Of LABOR by Thomas br"sseN'
NJ P.-Tbe Resats OF Trade combinations
md of Io-operatiou- Work aud wages


Fo.n ne inn,nanond R,rfTo
Atthe urcsent time, trade IN England is
depressed to degree almost un, ~ Vl'u w
the history 81 I'ritish commerce A. |" n',' ~
snry consequences, tue tendency OF ihc iHt VI
wages ia the principal manuIa'tutlh1 hIu ustl '.e
~ IN downward direction Az our a ,So,nn.
lated experience ~ tue devel"pIneht OF plounc
tive Industry IN the age III wbich we I'VE uoes
but confirm the ptiuci, les laid Gown uy Ad"m
emith ana the ehtly astcrs OF the science OF
n"i,,icsI economy. "wnen," as Adam Smith has
truly SAID, I'm ANY country We ue,nauu Tor
scrv lnts of every III dts continually increns-
ing yhen every year furnishes empiuyment for
IA gtsdter humber thah iad been emp uNed Tue
We 1 before. the wOskmen have no occnsi n to
cont in- t. raise their wages. Tho scarcity ~
hands occasions competition among the masters,
VINO Uid aAainst oto0 otnst IN ufuer To get
vorkn. en-. and thus voluntarily lreuk through
the nutpral count inution OF masters, not to raise
LABOR" sid Ricardo In 1917, sis dear when
II IL scarce, ana che.p when " ~ plenuiuL' 70
these ex ositious OF the stmule principles which
govern the rats OF wages, | can ONLY ada tue
Lesson derived 10y my ia h'r from ms great *
ptrcuce IA an employer, that the best paid
workmen re generally the tcst and the worst
PAD the worst.
II might nave been expected that tn Sc prin-
crlcs would have teen accepted universally i
and yet how few employers OF IbDr act ns II
they had any faith Ia tue accuracy OF these ne-
ducuvus from tie universal ex eiiince 81 man
kind IT WAS MY fathers fortunate Let 90 Ne
among thc first VINO directed lneit attention 10
the construction u Railways. As tue pioneer on
the present generation oil runway cohliw "'s,
he inicrtook rae works IN every unitN uI
Eur ne. and. Africa excepted. IN every quarter
OF the globe. win sucn rae opportunities Of
estimating The rel tive efficiency 81 tAe .anorer
OF many race, and under ever vicis.itude q
climate. the cOuci1' ion NJ wnt h he arrived
wa tuis that TIE tOst uf LABOR was praciic Ivy
cost OF skilled nj unskllled labor mayv ~ !;
but wuefc there " no exceptional disturhing
cause, rs from ire spureeness ~ population In a
sterile or IN unorCul led region. the cos. OF la
b was In all cases calculated at the me
auu 1T. ana the soundness OF the ejaculation
was borne out evcfyw here 10y the result.
Ia the relations between labor aud cauital IN
England IL g. satifSc ory to observe the grad
ual abatement II hostile feelings. Among the
order ~ men t. wnum | belong, the most
generous fymplthles are cherished toward the
working class ana venture TO believe tnAt
these sentiments are reciprucated w the ma
1ori'y = the leaders Of trades unions, and 10y
the operatives under their guidance. the SO
hci ude OF the employers for the welfare OF the
working class has been oxhIuited IA most
practical form In the recent amendments Of the
laws rel ting to trade combinations.
rue most substantial grievance Of the British
workman il 4 a nature whicn cannot tie re-
moved oy legislation. In the Unrei kingdom,
after centuries Of active enterprise In the pun
suit of commerce. capital has BE-. u Accumula ted
IN more amt IL store, IN proportion TO tue
population, than In any other country In the
world Toe result IL that the ORDINARY rate Of
Interest Is lower In England than Ia any other
money market In Europe.
Money being abundant. ana the rate Of Inter
est low, outlets for investments are eagerly
sought Tor. Ii Is IN Loud On tuat foreign couu-
tries in .tate II impendiug banhruptcy. have
OF late conducted tneir principal borrowing
opel atoms, ana their appeals to a credulous md
Hl-infOrmed cubic nave not been made IN vain.
H. III any tIhue OF business. MDetltr III com
nierce or agriculture, IN mines or IN ships. at
home or In the remutest regions Of The earth.
return his been anticipa ell ever 80 1tale be-
yond the low nominal rate ot interest. eager and
Gre iulous people have hituerto been oniv too
a,ssily induced TO emoark Their ca9itaL a rye
proportion OF tue annual savings ~ the country
have thus been squandered away In iuJudiciOus
bpeculations.
The recent history OF the iron trade presents
n striking lilustra ion Of the course Of events
which nlS mere been sketched out.
A /, vel knoNu, a very large proportion OF
the Total quantity Of coat raj -eu un-umeu In
the manufacture OF iron. After long period
degree winch can only be described by quoting
the expressions used 10y Mr.. GLADSTONE Ia speak
lug Of the general progress Uf trade, which, lie
said. had advanced. not uy Steps. but b, stTIdt =,
not by stri.e-, hut b. letps aud bounds Ihese
high prices imuhed high rGts OF pron', mud
forthwith everybody engaged IN the iron and
coal trades applied his utmost enerRie- 10 the
increase OF production. wnilo new capital for
tue development of these Industries wa. OBJ
tanned. ~itn accustomed facinty, from tue in
experienced Investors WHO Ab lund VA old
country. The great pressure thus brought to
Dear "ii the LABOR mht&St naturally caused
RAPID advance Il wages.
Itw sestimated Dv MI. Pease that the cost Of
getting coal In Durham had Increased b. per
c5ui. SetNeen 1917 nd l572 and sir Nscd 5nNid.
the President Il Inc Miners National Assocla-
uOn, estimated that the cost OF geltin- coal IN
Eorthum be rland had increased, between lSNs
aud 1872 and 1870, from " 10 65 per ceut., though
he pointed That out the selling price mad in
Can 1t oe suit Ject OF surprise that such an in
nation AS this was promptly followed by cor
responding reaction As prices fell, the mas
tiers required that the men should accep. re-
cuced wages, and a long conflict naturally ell
sued
Ia the flushed iron and engineering trades
the workmen have succeeded, WITHIN the sp CO
OF few years, III reducing Inc hours OF l-bor to
nine day aud they have OBTAINED substantial
ADVANCE OF wages. In our own establishment,
the Canada WORKS, Al Birkenhead, the hours
have been reduced, IN accordance with the rule
when pas come into force universally IN the
United Kingdom, aud the wases have been ad-
vanceu since 1871.
Being anxious that the present condition Of
the iron and coal trades in England should 10
impartiilly exhibited, ! nave asked Mr. Potter
the editor OF the Bee Hive, the leading iDurnsi
on the anlirs Of our traces uDions, to state the
case from bis point OF view. Among other things.
"In this matter 1T might not be amiss to bear
In mind that the miners unions are OF recent
date, the greater number having been sstab-
lished within the last nve years. They nave
done a great de in regard to the general i'm
provement VI their condition; but their dsci.
pine il by no means perfect aud there T. much
TO be done among them ia the work Of Orgdni-
at is also worth noticing that In the trade.
where the unions have neen more perfected,
wages have not been affected by the state OF
trade. Inc amalg mated engineers the iron
fodnders, tue steam engine makers, the iron
been reduced at ALL these trades have OBJ
taiDed advantages during the Years ~ brskness
OF trade, Particularly In reg ri TO reduc ION Of
hours u work, but nothing ha. been gwen up
by them OWING To the present siackness ~
1.-THE agricultural laborer has, / rejoice to
record, shared IN the generally improved con
ulkioh ~ the l lbOTlUg classes IN England, Until
wthin recent periOd, the cunuition OF the
run population la many dis Ilcs WAS a dis
nonor 10 country hhOuudiug IN riches and re-
sources OF every KIND. Tue blessings Of suuci-
tOu ana political intelligence had not been ex.
TENDED -eNrh Low thty are bat partially an
1Oyed-dnnong the inn bittut- OF the secluded
villages ana uaullet. OF The agrlcultIrnI dis-
tricts. The humble tillers OF inc soil mad no
conception II system u trade combinhtIou
In their complete ignorance Of any other clndl,
uOn OF life than that which they mad inherited
from their iOrviatheTs, they had no ueuuits aim
or plans for the Improvement Of their lot. Iuey
endured ihslr poverty with logged submission.
AZ length, however, the rural lAborer found a
powerlul ana eloquent advocate Ia tho person
OF MT oueph Atch. by arguments based non
more or less accurate appreciation Of the
facts, but, IN the m an, conclusive. the lADorer
was urged 10 ask Tor un auYanD Of wages he
demands made were not eItraVagant In sui
FOX, for example, the men asked that their
wages should be Increased from thirteen To fuur-
teen shlllngs week. Inis modest req.l.st VA,
met on the part Of the farmers by the formation
OF a counter ASSOCIATION, and ultimately the
lAOoreis Throughout an extensive district were
locked OUT
Inc farmers succeeded for the time In their
resistance TO the demands OF the aDorers. Ihey
and their families performed the manual lauor
Oh their farm, which had hitherto been carried
on 10y hired wOrkmen. The results, however. OF
the lauor movement In the Agricultural class
have been considerable. The ltboTefs were de-
teated m their pitched battle with the farmers.