The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-08-21
woRING MEN.
A Comparison Between Massa-
chusetts and England.

From the Cincinnati Timss-star.
The professors of free trade are not
likely to find any confirmation Of their
much Wanted theory in the annual re-
port Of Colonel Carroll ID. Wright, the
Chief OF the Massachusetts Bureau
Of Statistics of Labor, which has just
been issued. Mr.. Wright has the repu-
tation Of being an exceedingly careful
and painstaklng statistician. In this
report he gives the results Of an investi-
CATION into the comparative wages and
cost Of living In Massachusetts, and
Great Britain. As an indication OF the
thoroughness Of his work, 1t is said that
for nearly a year Mr.. Wright has had
men in England collecting infor-
nation in regard to the incomes and
expenses Of workingmen. In all
respects the report is favorable to
Massachusetts,. The general conclusion
rs to 81 leading industries is that Massa-
chusetts employees in these Industries
receive a weekly wage 62 per cent.
higher than the weekly wage OF the en-
plOyes In the same Industries in Great
Britain. But the report takes larger
scope and presents comparison OF
wages from 1880 to 1883 In 90 Industries.
Among the conclusions reached by Mr..
Wright are these: The general average
weekly wage was 1910 per cent. higher
In Massachusetts, than In Great Britain.
In the manufacturing and mechanical
industries the general average. weekly
wage was 72.02 per cent. higher here
than there. Comparing Industries for
nine years, by yearly periods instead Of
by industries, 1t Is found that wages
here average 1857 per cent. better
than there. Averaging the two for
the whole period the general aver
age weekly wage Of the employees
in the industries considered was 77.49
per cent higher in Massachusetts, than
In Great Britain. In Massachusetts,
there was a general advance Of wages
from 1860 to 1872; then continual de-
cline to 1880; then an upward movement
to 1888. The advance from 1850 to 1888
was 2S.3G per cent. In Great Britain
there was an advance from 1872 to 1877,
a decline to 1880. and an advance to 1888,
with an advance 9.74 per cent. between
1882 and 1883. Here wages were Sal
per cent. lower In 1883 than in 1872. Mr..
Wright gives, also, an elaborate and ex-
haustive statement OF the comparative
cost Of living In the two countries, his
conclusion being that, on any basis Of
yearly expenditure, the prices Of articles
entering into the cost OF living were, on
the average, 1923 per cent higher in
Massachusetts, in 1883 than In Great
Britain; that of this figure II 40 per cent.
was due to higher rents in Massachusetts,,
leaving $50 per cent. as indicative of the
higher cost Of living in Massachusetts, as
compared with Great Britain as regards
the remaining elements of expense. In
brief, the workingmen of Massachusetts,
receive 7.40 per cent. more for their
labor than the workingmen of Great
Britain, and, aside from the matter of
rent, 1t costs them $50 per cent. more
for the neoessaries Of life than the Eng
lish laborer pays. The 11.49 per cent.
higher rent Is indicative of higher
standard Of living-of the superior COM
forts enjoyed by American workingmen
in their homes. These interesting and
significant facts come before the public
at a time when they will be widely use
full rs fresh demonstration Of the falla-
cies put forth by free traders. Nothing
the theorists can say against the protec-
tive policy will stand for moment be-
fore the irresistible logic ofsuch statistics.