Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-09-18
WAGES rHEnn AND HEHE.
A Companion of Wages as Made by
m English Newspaper.

Leeds tEng.) Mercury, septombe ..
| Once again very painstaking attsmp,
has been made to present q comparative
table OF wages and Of working meu's
| expenditure, as between the American
and the English working man. This
time it is not Mr. Young Of the nation 81
statistical bureau at Washington, bat
Colonel Carroll D. Wright, the able head
OF the bureau Of labor statistics for
the state of Massachusetts,, who has con.
Quoted the inquiry. he has concerned
himself with some twenty four manuieo.
turing industries. He had no difficulty
in obtaining his 80 pay-shee!s from
the Massachusetts, establishments
but considerable difficulty In getting
hia ITO in Great Britain. OF these
latter, the most liberal supplies from the
Yorkshire industries were furnished by
Bradford q Sheffield. Hnddersfeld
furnished only three, and Leeds aud
Halifax seem to be responsible for only
one each. Only those who have at
tempted to carry out comparisons Of
wages In detail can quite appreciate the
difficulty OF the task Colonel Wright set
himself but in the present state OF the
agitation Of the question OF protection
he had impetus enough to carry
that, as far as the figures can be
made to testify, the familiar differences
remain very much what they were. There
are longer hours of labor in the Ameri
can state, with Its intenser heat in sum-
mer and intenser cold In winter, than,
under our factory acts, We allow in Eng
land. The money wages earned are
higher in the average In every trade, and
the general upshot OF the comparison Is |
that the difference In favor Of the Massa- |
ohusetts working man and his family |
runs between so and 80 per cent. Colonel |
Wright also sets forth that whereas
wages have advanced 2S SO In his state |
since 1860, they have advanced In
England 1918 since 1850, and as
much as 9.74 since 1872. This
Ia, however, by the way. When we come |
to the costs Of living, the tables are
turned, though not completely upset. |
The family fuel coats more than twice as
much there IS here; boots and shoes are
nearly So per cent, clothing 45 per cent,
and rents nearly 80 per cent higher. The
one advantage the Massachusetts, work.
ingman has in laying in the family stores
is that "provisions" are 20 per cent
,heAper, excepting groceries, and these
are 16 per cent dearer to him than to his
Euglish competitor. Thus It comes that
he average Massachusetts, family (aooord-
ing to Col. Wright's testings) expends
SO SO per cent. Of Its total income, and che |
average British family 1924 per cent.
The one has q surplus Of about Ga. Id.
out Of every hundred shillings he earns,
and the other OF about Is. Sd. suppos-
ing these figures to be really representa-
tive, WHAT'S the advantage Of the Msssa-
ohusetts workman and his family over |
the Englishman and his2 Colonel |
Wright says he has more airy rooms. It
may BIS 80 /; but they are sets Of rooms in
q building, not cottage to |
himself" On the other hand he
works longer hours, and under harder
conditions Of temperature. 1t is not once,
but often, that we have had the per-
sonal testimony OF workmsn who have |
tried both countries, that the condition Of |
the Enelishmau is, on the whole, prefer
able. And, within the last day or two,
We have word from prosperous farmer |
In one Of the western states, that work.
ing people who can make both ends meet |
here do wisely to stop at home,