The Labor enquirer., 1883-10-13
Ho. Is. Worxsrr ~ nobbed.

men and children included amounts to
$236.8O per annum. f,-not absolutely
correct these figures are near enough for
all practical purposes. The average num-
berof hours spent in labor each working
day is twelve and the average number OF
working days out of 365 is 80. The
number Of days multiplied by the aver
age number of hours, az, gives the ay-
erage number of hours worked yearly by
the wage worker. 1t amounts to 1920
! hours per annum.
The amount received for S,720 hours
labor amounts to $236.S0; the amount
received for one hours average labor is
therefore small fraction over six cents
Now, the census gives the following
additional figures: Out of every one
thousand dollars worth Of average value
created by labor, labor receives twenty
per cent in the form of wages, the bal,
ance eighty per cent, being seized upon
BY the exploiters on various pretexts.
| l5I,wish my readers would bear these
facts in mind during the whole course OF
this article.
The best minds in the labor cause are
agreed that in proper form of society
money should be abolished and that
. some equitable plan for the absolutely
Just exchange of the products of labor
should be devised. 80,
They correctly claim that it is neces-
sary to establish a scientific unit of value
to serve as the basis of such exchange.
This unit should be based upon the ser
vice rendered by each laborer.
Now this Service rendered" is COM
posed of two things: first, tie time oc-
cupied, and second, the energy expended.
The time, happily, is susceptible of act
ual measurment and hence is established
the rule that the time of one man is
equivalent to the time of every other
man. This is the subject of absolute
logical proof The Service" of one man
(the energy expended) is not however
equivalent always to the service of an
other, and at this point it is necessary to
formulate a rule by which to measure
the respective values.
Now what shall be the basis of our
reasoning? 1t is evident that man
should receive compression in proportion
to the energy expended. Energy plainly
means life or vital force. The quicksil-
yer miner, who is only able to work ten
years of his life, ought clearly to receive
greater compensation than the clerk
who is able to labor forty years.
Here the science of statistics steps in
and provides US with table of statistics
complete and authentic, giving the aver
age life of every trade, profession, occu-
patton and calling.
Let US make the easy deduction taking
as an average the clerks life, forty years,
as unit. This being, let us say, the
easiest work entities him to be credited
one hour for one hours labor. Next fol-
lows the carpenter who is able to work
only thirty years. This entities him to
be credited to one hour and fifteen min
utes for every hours work. Next, let us
say, comes the tailor, twenty years this
entities him to be credited two hours for
every hours labor. Next comes the
kuicksilYer miner, ten years; he should
be credited with four hours. Thus sci
ence and socialism would establish the
reign of exact and absolute justice.
Now referring to the figures at the be,
ginning of this article: A laborer re-
ceives as wages at present two-tenths
only ofthe value he creates, where il
justice he should receive ten tenths.
Beef being now sold at eight cents 6
pound and the average wages of labor
being six cents per hour, man must
now work one hour and twenty minute:
to obtain pound of meat Under So
cialistic system he would have to work
only sixteen minutes To obtain pound
of sugar a man must now work one houl
and halt, under socialistic system i
would be only eighteen minutes.
Our great labor economists have car
ried these calculations to the end anC
have shown conclusivelY that under
socialistic system that all men were com
PEELED to work and each received tn,
full product of his labor, that one hou
and forty minutes labor per day woulc
be amply sufficient to provide ever
toiler not only the necessaries but ais
with all the luxuries of fe.-Ashtoretl
in San Francisco Truth.