The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-09-09

worse by the smallness of the windows. Very
few Of these are a. large az they should be.
passed at Burslem conside rable block Of houses,
the first story Of each lighted in front by sind
gle window, the window opening exactly tive
feet by one foot six inches- Deductiue thu
space taken ND by heavy, old-fashioned sssh.
there were but about $50 square inches Of elasA
The second story was lighted BY single win
dow whose dimensions 1 estimated roughly 90
twoNeet ak inches by three feet
ny friend of the tape-Iine, who was not a pot
ter, but hailed from Birmingham way, where
the homes OF the pottery workmen much
bis hesviness Of soul at his own miserable can
dition would permit
As was walking from Burslem to Tunstall,
with ny mind intent potteriss, overlook .
smoke blackened young man. collier travelling
in the same direction and slowed my pace for .
talk with him. he had scquaintances who were
or had been ''in the States and was interested
and laxative. He told me that the times were
bad, men out OF work and children crying for
bread. This Is more true Of the golfers than Of
the potters at present, however. In the pottery
towns have seen very little outward evidence
of extreme poverty and next 70 none OF that
gaunt and abjsct wretchedDess which 90 smites
upon the eye in London. Liverpool and Bir-
mnghan. The erocers whom Ihave Questioned
says that the potters are good cash custom
ers except when work Is slack. They are in
telligent and, TO a certain extent, educated.
Their children go TO school until they are
about twelve, except that under that age they
work half time in the potteries and spend half
time in school This is not much. but it Is bet
ter than nothing. There are good free libraries
and reading rooms in Burslem and Hanley.' and
these well attended by workingmen.
The reading-room at Burlem is well supplied
with books and papers, aud is filed on Mondays.
when there IS no work doing There are many
book stores, and there seems q good sale for
books and newspapers, in spite of, or perhaps
because OF, the open libraries, though / reuem-
Der passing in eight miles Of street only o few
confectoners' shops and not a single music
store. The pottsries people have means 70
waste on Injuries, but books and newspapers
are necessity. just at present they are repre-
sented in Parliament by q Conservative, bus
time will perhaps change that.
Monday 10, as / have said not a working day
at the potteries. but one day in the week is not
the only lost time There is week out at Mar
tinmas, a few days at Easter, few more at
Christmas, and the wakes" The wakes are
one OF those peculiar local customs in England
which so curious 20 the transatlantic visitor.
They seem to oe n sort or cross between q fair
aud . midsummer vacation, and occur in Au-
gust There are the Stoke wakes, the Burslem'
wakes, the Hanley wakes ard the Longton
wakes, usually lasting week, somstimes only
four days. They come in succession, not sim
ultsneously, and make q serious break in the
more numerous than with rs In America.
All this loss Of time may be necessary TO the re-
striction of the output and the keeping MP OF
prices, but fancy the workmen would rather
work full time and get their money for it. And
they are men who can be trusted with money.
too. They are not obtrusvely drunken, meas
ured by the standard OF other English towns,
aud they save n good deal OF money through
secret and benevolent societies. A respectabls
minority OF them even own the cottages they
live in.
How do they manage this7 This question
brings rs, last Of all, face TO face with the big
subject of ways and means.
The United States consul at Tunstsll-for the
benefit Of future visitors / will state that ths
consulate at Tunstall is ut Burslem, in the mar
ket buildings Mr.. Schoerhof, q careful stu
dent of economic questions and the author OF
valuable book upon the wages question. Mr.
Scboenhof makes secret of = leaning toward
the free-trade theory OF economies. and this fact
will probably convince those, If any there are,
to whom his reputation q writer upon
economic subjects is not sufficient guarantee,
that he would not at least understate the earn.
ings of the workmen of his district When, in
1885, the United States State Department coll
Iected, through our consular system. o valuable
series of reports upon the wages of European
workmen, Mr.. Schoenhof was complimented
highly upon the completeness and value Of his
returns. 1t was my purpose, therefore. 70 use
his figures, asking him il there was much change
In the wages since 1885.
This question was unable to ask Mr. Schosn-
hof, as he is absent in Scotland. But Vice-eon-
sui Copsstake. to whoas courtesy am indebted
for this and other information, tells me that the
figures for 1885 are practically corrsctfo tbs
present. i will not give the wage table in ful,
as the names of the different Subdivisions Of ehe
work much Greek, but merely state that
Mr.. Schoenhof gives the nominal wages of aduls
males at sc. % I'D to ell 65 per week. These sp-
parent wages are, however, 80 reduced by loss
of time and other causes that the average actual
earnings for the year are. for all classes Of adult
male labor, but So 80 per week. Even these are
good wsges for England. How does the pottery
workman manage to spend them ALI Here I
| will quote Mr.. Schosnhefs table. giving the
4 average weekly expenses Of a TunstAlI iAborer:
Rent ..-..--..S H2ITea--,----s. SO