The Labor enquirer., 1884-04-26
fHEl cur DoWNSTRIcK.
Lowering Wages In Ways 50 Sly as
Not 70 caus, the Victims
Notice.

ANVt4SSs
The whole character of the despotic
government of capital and labor is in
the nature Of huge conspiracy or trick
having various departments or rami6ca-
tions. An intelligent American mechanic
was lately explaining to me the way in
which the trick has for a long time been
applied in the establishment in which
he is employed, anel / think when it is
repeated to the average Irish World
reader it will be ineligible, if it does
not come directly home to him.
The wages Of labor, as industry is now
organized, are in Il direct ratio of the
supply of laborers to the labor which
must be performed. Now, if in an es-
tablishment employ ing 500 hands, labor
saving improvements are introduced
whereby the labor Of 100 menis accom-
plished, it is simple equivalent to in
creasing the supply of laborers by 100,
while the demand for the product re-
mains the same. 'fhe, price of labor,
then, under the law of supply and de-
mand is necessarily cheapened, and
under existing industrial cannibalism
the employer is bound to see that wages
are cut down. Che employer well
knows, however, that an attempt to cut
down wages under these circumstances
would induce a strike, and might endan-
ger his capacity to oslpply his customers,
thus throwing him out of the market.
He therefore resorts to cunning trick
which, while effecting the same purpose,
looks so innocent and natural that his
employees are kept quiet, although they
know that their wages have been so
effectually cut down as though it had
been done directly.
The trick referred to simply consists
in telling 100 of the least serviceable
workmen in very Kind and plausible
manner that on account of temporary
falling off in the market, or some other
concocted lie, that it will be necessary
for them to lie off for while, but that
it will not probably be long. Meanwhile,
the wages of the remaining 400 workmen
are not Immediately reduced. Moreover,
the 100 dismissed men, thinking that
they will soon be needed in the shop,
manage to keep along temporarily in
some other employment. Sure enough,
in two or three weeks, they are called
back to the shop again and everything
is set in full activity. The natural result
is soon Inevitable. The shop is soon
overstock ked and one or two things must
be done; either the hours of labor must
be shortened, with consequent reduction
of wages, or else 100 more men must be
dismissed. But the trades union, with
threatened strike, makes any cut down
of wages dangerous. The most conven-
lent and least suspected trick is TO quietly
inform 100 more men that on account of
a great overstock th9y will be obliged to
lie off for while till the surplus stock
is reduced. Against this move the trades
union is powerless. 1t has only learned
thus far to fight against direct cut-downs
of wages.
Thus l am told that in mechanical
establishments all ever the country this
trick. is practiced continually. The
wages of the workpen are not directly
and nominally cut down, but at the end
of the year every man finds that during
the years he has been ebliged to loaf"
two, three, six, or eight weeks. These
loafng weeks rotate all over the shop.
This week one set arc out and next week
another, but if the matter Is looked into
it will be found that number of men
are constantly kept out exactly cores
ponding to the ratio Of improved labor
saving machinery above the number of
men required before it was introduced.
What difference does it make to man 8
yearly income in wages whether his
wages are directly cut down, say to the
tune of 500 year, or whether his
wages nominally remain unchanged
while he is compelled to lose 800 by
the sacrafce of eight weeks of his time
in enforced idlenesS ? Yet many a
workman who woul1 strike and kick
furiously at nominal cut down of 500
in his wages per year, submits tamely
when it is'done through this trick of oc-
casional enforced lying of, and, in many
cases, does not even understand the
trick itself.
Of course every man who has thought
deeply on the equities of th7 labor ques-
ton understands that all increase of pro-
ductive power through labor-saving ma
chinerv ought in justice to be equally
shared by employer and laborer, since
the increased ealth thereby secured as
gift of nature just as is the land. A
very simple way of so dividing this in
crease would be to cut down the hours
of labor while the days wages remained
unchanged. BY this means also the
ratio of production to consumption is
kept on an equilibrium and steady en-
plovment is scared to all. But this is