New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-05-28
AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN WAGES.

| AMERICAN And ElROPEAN UAGES
Mr. Porter's series of letters from the indus
| trial centres of England have been not only
widely and inteligently discussed, but ignO-
| rantly and malciously assailed. The mass of
| the hostile criticism which they have called
| forth has been either captiOus, senSelesS or
malignant, and has not deserved serious con-
sideralon. 1t is refreshing, therefore, to find
occasionally some structures that are really per-
tinent and effective. Several journals have
asked why nothing has been said by either Mr..
Porter or THE TRIBUNE with regard to the
wages of wOrkingmen in European countries
where home industries arc protected by high
tariffs The inference drawn by these critics
has been that wages in those countries are as
low as in Free Trade England. Indeed, the
assertion has often been made that if Mr.. Por-
ter would tabulate the wages of working people
in Germany lie would find them to be only
half as high as they are i'll England. As the in
dnstres of the Fatherland are protected by
Bismarck's tariff schedules it has been as
sumed that this fact would invalidate any
economic conclusions which have been based
upon a comparison of wages of English and
American wOrkingmen.
AS this is an argument that requires critical
attention, we are glad to find that Mr.. Porter
himself is fully prepared to meet it. In letter
published on another rage he takes issue with
one of his critics who has laid stress upon this
objection and made something of n display OF
ill-digested statistical information. In the
fictitious exhibit which had been presented
Germany was bracket ted as Protection cOun
try and the wages of six classes of workingmen,
when compared with English wages, were
shown TO be about half as high. Neither date
nor authority was given. Mr.. Porter supplies
these defects and shows that the wages were
tabulated before Germany abandoned Free
Trade and adopted Protection. The artificial
comparison that was attempted related there.
fore to two Free Trade countries, and the use
that was made of il was either ignorant or dis
honest Mr.. Porter supplements that mislead
ing exhibit in two ways: first by correcting the
table of English wages by means of the last
report of the Board of Trade and bringing the
figures down to date and, secondly by COM
pairing the wages paid in Germany before the
high tmilf was adopted with the wages that
are paid to-day after three years of Protection.
The result is a scaling down of twenty per cent
in wages on the English side of the exhibit and
a marked increase on the German side i'll cOnse-
quence OF the abandonment of Free Trade.
SO far as Germany is concerned the logic of
these comparative exhibits of wages is that the
condition of the working people has already
improved, although the policy of Protection
went into effect recently as 1850. New
mills have been built, an impulse has been given
to various munufa curing enterprises, and wages
have nearly doubled III many branches of in
dustry. 1t is not however, to be hastily as
sumed that the working classes in Protection
countries on the Continent, taken as a whole,
are as well off as those engaged in the same in
dustries in Great Britain. There are many other
factors, social as we'll as economic entering
into this complex problem, and rash generalza-
lions are TO be avoided. Differences of wages
between England and the Continent have only
theoretical interest for Americans. The practi-
cal question for them to settle is that of labor
between the United States and all Europe
What concerns American wOrkingmen most
deeply is that the barriers shall not be removed
prematurely or unwise!y and their own labor
reduced to level with the impoverishment and
degradation of European labor wherever and
under whatsoever conditions, social and Geo.
nomic ii may be found.