Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-01-05
Mr.. David A. Wells on Wages in
the United States.
Baltimore SRn.

In a second paper in the Princeton Re
rielr for January on ''Tarlh Revision: Its
Necessity and Possible Methods" Mr..
David 4. Wells treats the question Of
wages as affected by our present hlgh
tariff. The friends of protection claim
that the system by which the government
compels the purchaser of every manufac-
tured article to pay from 30 to 100 per
cent. more for it than 1t could be
bought for abroad is eXpedient, because
the bounty thus given to the American
manufacturer enables him to give
higher wages to his workmen than they
would otherwise obtain, The point Of
Mr.. Wells contention is that the bounty,
if it benefits anyone, stops with the man
ufacturer. or, at any rate, does not reach
the labOrer. Not cOntenting himself with
mere assertion, Mr.. Wells examines the
data derived from the census of 1880 and
other sources. 1t may be added that his
facts receive general confirmation as re-
CARDS the cotton industry from Mr.. Ed
ward Atkinson; as regards the silk
industry. from Mr.. William c, Wye
kotf. a wholly reliable authority, Mr..
Wells reviews first the condition of our
cotton manufacturing industry, which in
the census year produced goods worth
SI92. ia. 000 The best available statistics
for the United Kingdom for 1882 make the
annual average wages for the British cot
ton spinners and weavers tribe over $3.50,
and the United States consular reports
for 1882 are to the same effect. The CEN
sus returns show that the average wages
paid to hands employed in the cotton man.
ufactures of the United States for 1890
were $245 At per annum, In 1879 Ameri-
can manufacturers shipped abroad part
of their stock for which they could find no
sale at home, thus creating apprehensiOns
i'm the breasts of English manufacturers
that they were at length to have
competitors. A representative of the
British Textile Manufacturer was
accordingly sent over to the
investigation what ground there was for
fear. After an extended survey of the
situation he reported to his employers in
December. 1879. s'that in the matter of
wages America is as cheap as Englands"
also. that ''people in America work
longer NEARLY an entire working day
more each week than is allowed by law in
Englandl; that they work better, drink
less. and have the necessaries of life
cheaper. Yet the United States does not
export as much cotton goods as they did
twenty years ago. Our export Of cloth
has never reached 150,0O0,000 yards,
while that of Great Britain amounts
to nearly 5000, ZOO, 900 yards, We export
ed in 1880 SOS, 0O0,000 worth of raw
cotton, while Great Britain the
same year exported manufactures
of cotton TO the value Of 1871, ZOO, 900. Mr..
Wells intimates the belief that ''the day
is close at hand when the South viii COM
pei New England to seek other and larger
markets than she now enjoys In the
iron and steel industries of the United
States the average wages paid each work
man in the census year were 1910, or about
81 = per day, "a rate which every one
knows is only a fair average for the most
ordinary labor in other employments, and
much less than is paid in machine shops"
and other branches of industry for which
there is no protection" For experienced
farm labor the average wages
per day in the Western States are
higher, ranging from 81 As in
Ohio 10 81 % in Michigan" The deduc-
ton follows vigorously that prOtec-
ton does not protect the wages Of Ia
bOrers engaged in the manufacture of iron
and steel. 1t is significant in this cOnnec-
ton that the entire force engaged in these
industries aggregate less than One-ffth of
the number of immigrants landed on our
shores in the past year, few of whom
probably found difficulty in getting their
81 ~ per day. Referring to the absurdity
of protection for Southern manufac-
lures. Mr.. Wells cites the fact that pig
iron costs the manufacturer near Nash
vile but SIS per ton; in Alabama from $12
to $l3; at Chattanooga from S1l 70 Sl2.
As the average cost for freight on
English iron per ton is about
s.. and the additional charge for
transportation by rail to the iron centres
Of Ohio or Alabama is about So 80, il is OBJ
vious that distance alone protects iron
made west and south of the Alleghanles
by adding a charge Of S. 30 per ton to for
eign iron. and this sum Is greater than
the entire sum of wages paid per ton for
making iron in these works. The census
shows that ssthe amount directly paid out