Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-27
WAGES AND TAXATION.
Highly Protected Industries Mean Lew
Wages for Labsr-N0ssbIe Ia
stances in Proef Of The
claim in the Manufacture Of Sewing Ma
chines-aversEs Weekly EARNINGS OF
The Felt Goods Operatives.
New York Star.

New York Star.
In my last tried to explain to those
engaged in the hetmaking industry the
oareiul effect which the present tariff tax
on raw materials has upon this branch OF
American labor. Nothing WAS stated but
! Whist the best ob.ainsb!e statistics will
bear out.
! In this article propose to illustrate
the utter fsllacy OF the CHIN thst mere
protection By higher tariff tax on foreign
made goods secures TO American LABOR
! high wages by simply comparing the fg-
ures which an analysis Of two separate
industries supplies.
! One CT these industries is protected at
something over II per cent, and the other
at the rate Of Is per cent and each Is
confined to seven states IN the location Of
| It's factories.
The tables given below of the sewing
machine factories and the felt goods
shops show that the highest projected
| pays the lowest rate Of wages to labor.
/ In the highest protected the msjor
! portion OF the profits is retained by pro-
tected capital, while in the lower, or less
/ favored, the greater portion is distributed
among the leborers. The number Of
| hands employed in sewing machine shops
! il this country in the census year 1890
| was 10,085. The average wages paid
weekly per person, after deducting sll
lost time, was So Is.
! The statistics show further that the
value which labor engaged in the sewing
machine shops addeo to the cost Of the
raw materials averaged SIG 81 per per-
b 10 itslN I'D
| for its remuneration $751;, and gave the
| balance, 50 Is, TO the mechanic who cup
! piled the skill and the labor.
| The gross sum paid IN wages was a.
| 825. $50, and the total profit to cspitsl,
sitter deducling the cost of all raw N ater-
ials and the wages, was 81, 384,1 This
sum, it will be seeD, Is Just SAL .104 less
than the annual wages psy roll. The
total capital reported was sSl2 ,532, 900
and the value Of the machines turned cut
sl4,154, 704. The rate of protection Is 40
per cent, but owing to our superior LABOR
saving machinery, combined with the
skill and activity of our mechanics, the
tariff mss no effect whatever on this 10
dustry, as the returns SIS our custom
houses shows.
According to the official statistics of
llie nSCal veal uHS OOg 1905 ApL
single sewing machine was imported.
| The same authority shoWs, on the other
| hsnd, that our exports Ia sewing ms
chimes amounted to S2,2l2, 1853. From
| these figures il is apparent that about one
| cut OF every seven sewing machines
manufactured in the American shops
| finds purchaser In some reign market.
! 1t is fair, under these circumstances, to
hpS ia m
! for their output thst the American sew
ing machine hauds sre kept IN steady EN-
| plcyment and are therefore enabled TO
earn fair wages, especially when the rate
| is compared with the compensation OF
operatives engaged In mere favored in
dustries. II the foreign market was
cut OF, 1t Is plain that either
one-seventh CT the 1905 worsmen
would be thrown out Of emp oy
meGt, or else the average earnings would
| be reduc8d by working shorter hours. In
addition to all this there would be less
demand for skilled labor and the pay
! would be certain to De reduced. Now
! LET Us lock st the condition of 1928 per-
| sons engaged in manufacturing felt
goods. The protection TO the bosses in
this industry in competing In the home
market with foreign manufactured goods
is something over II per cent. The
average wages paid "protecteG" Amerl-
can labor is S5.50 per perssg weekly,
| Just 50 SO less than the less epfote cted"
sewing machine wage worker aets Tor the
use Of his brain and muscle. u !.
The felt goods operative esyns on an
average weekly as the predu t 81 his Ia
! Dor, or, IN other words, IN the value
which his labor adds to the rssRmate-
rails. sl31S. Protected osgital stskes
ST SO of this sun and gives the bread wiz.
ner So 80. These ii cures demonstrate sZeC-
ty clearly where the "beneet" 6of. the. { Z
per cent. protection goes. 1T goes into
the pockes Of the grasping1 fint-hsartea
| feltgoods capitalist, who takes out ot4as
weekly earnings of each MAI, woman and
child in his employ an amount Of So So
over aud above the share given the
worker, whose skill and industry gave
added value to the raw materials.
] Tae sewing machine capitalists, as was
heretofore shown, pays labor 81 per cent.
,Eot the gross profits, retaiUiogsbut IS per
fesnt. for his remuneration. The highly
| pHeSected felt goods employer, whose
| go6dShNse to depend on home consump-
! ton for an output, reVerses the orcar Of
| things By pocketing' GO per cent and
giving "protected" labor only 40 per
ceut. Of its earnings.
This is the situation, IS shown by the
official returns, the data of which was
supplied by the manufacturers them
selves. VIII some Ct those who insist
| that the presen: tariff ''pyotects American
labor" and keeps Sup the rsie OF wages"
please explain why it is that the highest
prot, caed industry psys the lowest Wsgesf
TIE totsi sum paid in wages to felt goods
hands in 1880 WAS Sfs9. $50. Tire MANI
lecturers kept as profit, after paying
wages snG all other costs, S649, 1872, or
iuss S2Gs 422 more than the pay roll.
| Who WAS "protectedP"