Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-06
Wages Lowest Where the Tariff is
Highest.


The showing made by comparison OF
the figures of the census reports of 1870
and 1880, bringing out the fact that IN the
last decade there has been decline OF
nearly per cent. in the wages OF manu-
featuring operatives, is not a welcome one
to those who labor to prove that high
tariff is the poor mans friend. The New
York Herald. having been challenged to
the proof by certain protectionist journals
of Boston. is enabled to show, from data
hard to be questioned, that in New Eng
land. in which the benefits to labor gained
by protection of manufactures ought to
show themselves greatest, ''the wages OF
operatives are a per cent. less than
the general average OF wages
throughout the country, which is
itself per cent. less than 1t was
three years ago." An examination OF the
wages paid in 1879 in the leading protect
ed industries dIscloses the fact that the
1850, 1913 operatives in wool manufacturing
industries received SAT, ,61S in wages,
averaging but 1898 o. per hand; in cotton
manufacturing 1884 hands were en-
gagged, receiving $42,O40,510 in wages,
averaging $24O II per hand; in the silk
industry 34,440 operatives, receiving
So, 1O7, S35 in wages, or average wages per
annum of 1924 45. AS the general average
wage rate for all manufacturing indus
tries, the lightly protected as well as the
heavily protected, is $346 OS per hand en-
pIoyed, it will be seen that each of these
petted industries mentioned pays
wages very considerably smaller
than the general average. In
short, it appears that whatever
be the benefits accruing to the country
from the high tariff, it is not felt by wage
earners, and is felt least where the opera
tive is supposed to be protected most.
What is exceedingly striking is the fact
that in Massachusetts, according to the
report of the local statistician, Mr.. Car
roll d. Wright, for 1882, the figures for the
wages of one hundred classes of opera
tiyes in the manufacture of boots, shoes,
clothing, cotton goods, glass, etc., nave
declined in the ten years from 1872 to 1882
more than IA per cent, values in all cases,
for purposes of comparison, being reduced
to the gold standard. The same authority
states that the average increase In the cost
of living in Massachusetts in 1881 ever
1878 was 21.2 per cent. 1t is to be borne
in mind, in speaking of rates Of wages IN
the cotton, silk and wooden industries,
that in each women and children are
largely employed. But while this may
account in a measure for the extremely
low wages in these emplOyments, it is in
itself no proof of the prosperous condition
of the families thus engaged in factory
work. In his report for 1875 MIR. Wright
saws: SIN the majority of cases the work
ingmen in this commonwealth do not
support their families by their individual
earnings alone. Fathers rely or are
forced to depend upon their children for
from one-quarter to One-third OF the entire
family earnings. Children under fifteen
years ofage supply by their labor from one
eighth to one-siXth of the total family
earnings" And as to the earnings of wo-
men: 'sThe amount of earnings contrl-
buted by wives, generally speaking, is so
small that they would save more by stay
ing at home than they gain by outside la
bOr." There is no evidence of wasteful
living among the Massachusetts work
men, ard yet ''nearly One-half of the I'M
skilled labOrers live in inferior tene-
ments," and without children's assist
ance, other things remaining equal, the
majority of these families would be in
poverty or debt" AS Mr.. Wright adds,
these facts are ''indicative and represent
tative of the condition of the families of
the mass of the actual wage labOrers in
the commonwealth"