Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-04

Island than in Pennsylvania, and we find the
wages II the iron business are higher in
Rhode Island than in Pennsylvania. Why
Is that soi Il Is not the tariff that does it;
It Is the demand and supply Of the people to
do the work demanded of them. There are
more cotton operatives in Rhode Island and
tie supply IS greater, and therefore the
wages ara lower. The same thing is true
about the iron business in Pennsylvania.
The wages of cotton operatives in Pennsyl-
vania Dire higher because there are fewer in
fennsy Ivania than in the State Of Rhode
Island. II is not the tariff that regulates
the wages. Well, what il it that fixes the
high rate Of wages in this countryl
1t Is admitted by ell who are well Informed
on this subject, that our rate of wages II
higher than anywhere else in the world,
that England is higher than France, and
that the rate OF wages 10 higher in France
than in Germany. Why is thisi Germany
and France both have protective tariff to
guard against the fres-trade labor OF
England. What then is it that makes higher
wagesf IL Is coal and steam and machinery.
1t Is these three powerful agents that multi
| ply the product of labor and make it more
valuable, and high rate of wages means low
| cost OF product. high rate of wages
means that cheap labor has got to 60; and
| the history of our country in the last fifty
| years demonstrates that as clearly and az
| conclusiveiy as any mathematical problem
| can be demonstrated.
Fifty years ago. Mr.. Edward Atkinson
shows 1t required five persons, two carders,
| two spinners anu one weaver, working by
| the Old methods, 10 make eight yards Of
| cloth IN Gay. They got twenty cents
| day; dollar for the whole five. The labor
cost OF the cloth was l21s cents yard, and,
| calculating 800 working days in the year,
| the whole product of these five cheap laborers
| was ?, 400 yards of cloth; but when coal and
| steam and machinery was harnessed to-
petuPr prOduca cloth five fn-dav
| III New England produce l40, 0OO yards OF
| cloth. The labor cost OF the cloth is l. 0S per
| yard. The wages of labor, instead Of being
SIXTY dollars year. or twenty cents . day,
| Is S2S1 per annum for each.
The result of the labor-saving machinery
| used was an enormous increase in productive
| capacity. The result of that was great In
| crease IN the rate of wages, and the further
| result was great decrease In the
cost of production. The old hand
wheel and the Old methods OF labor
| have hao to depart before the all-conQuering
march of coal and steam and machinery.
| They had 10 go because the small amount of
| product OF the article drove them out Of the
| field. 1t is not the rate OF wages, it is the
| article which the labor makes and the cost at
which that article can be produced-ths
| lower cost-whlch drives the rival article out
of the market. Such is the history which
| has been written in our country in the last
| half century.
| Mr.. Chairman, Mr.. Edward Atkinson, one
OF the clearest thinkers and writers on politi
cal economy of the present day, In his little
| book on Ihe Distribution of Products, lays
down the principle that high rate Of wages
means low cost Of product, and low rate of
| WAGES means high cost of product. He says
that the cheapest man is tho one who works
the greatest amount Of machinery with the
least stops" l read . paragraph from his
book, on page II:
| .In auy given country like thu Irnjted etatas
| where the people are substantially homogene-
Gus, where the meaus OF REORGANIZATION are
| am L., where there are no h. AIRY class dis
| tinctIons. and where there l. .iiicial obstruo-
| ton 10 prevent commerce, L.e.i ates of wages
IN money will be tie natural aud therefore neces-
| sary result OF low cost Of production in labor"
Again. on page ~, he says:
| "hsnce, It follows that although the total pro-
duction OF any gwen thing many not DO conccn-
TO lie true that where the conditions are the beet
the cost, measured In terms Of days Of labor win
be lowest. and the wages. measured IN terms Of
| money per day, will DO the highest the high
| money wages being the necessary conseQuenco
| OF the low labor cost Conversely, low rates OF
money wages are the natural and necessary re-
| suit Of high labor cost of production"
SO,
THAT the nation which has diminished the
| quantity OF human labor in greatest measure By
the application Of machinery produces goods ct
| tie lowest cost, and BY exchange with the hand.
working nations, who still constitute the majority
Of the people Of the world. Is ~ way Of such en-
| IN money. because their goods are made Il the
| lowest labor cost"
In order to prove that fact Mr. Atkinson
| made an investigation into the condition Of
| two old manufacturing houses h the State
Of New Hampshire; he compared two periods
| -1S30 with the year 1854. He found that
| In 1850 the wages per annum were &l64 in
| gold to each operative. This increased until
1854, when it amounted 20 $3.50 In gold.
Nnw To fha fi,tov - th~ Il b<>-
ploysd. In 1880 the total number of yards
| of cloth produced by each operative was g.
| 81 per annum, while In 1884, mainly by the
aid Of improved machinery, IL had been in
creased to y, 0Sa yards. The cost Of the Ia
Dor per yard was 10 cents in 1850, and but
LOT cents in 1854.
Let US now reduce these differences 30 psr-
cottages and compare them In that form.
There was, a. ! have shown, . great increase
in the productive capacity OF each operative,
but there was . decrease in operatives per
thousand spindles of " Der cant.
The pound Of material turned out b. each
spindle or operative was taken ~ . unit of
measurement, and MIR. Atkinson's table
shows that the pounds that each spindle
turned out was increased - per cent, and
the pound that each operative turned out in
| . day had increased 100 per can't. the pounds
that each operative turned out per hour in
creased 24o per cent. The increase Of wages
of operatives per hour flor the numbsr Of
hours were made less) increased 940 per cant
Tue wages of the operative per annum had
increased "a per cent, and per hour o. per
cent. while the labor cost per yard had de-
creased Al per cent. The other house showed
the same condition. 1t showed that produc-
tive efficiency had increased in spindlss 276
per cent, in pounds per operative PA per
cent, while wages increased ~ per cent, and
labor cost per yard decreased a per cent.
This great. revolution in production. wages
and cost is not the work Of the tariff, but of
coal, steam and machinery. These three
powerful agents have produced these mar
vslous results. The effects inevitably follow
the cause-high rate Of wages because 10
much more service il rendered the employer,
low cost of product because 20 much more 10
done in a gwen time. repeat it, the tariff
has had nothing to do with bringing about
| the great change, and it is impotent, utterly
impotent. to increase the rate Of wages.
But. Mr.. Chairman, l want to call the at
| tontlon OF the committee to . statement
| found in the report or the United States
| Census. This is the report in reference to
| the wages in the manufacturing industries
| of the country, and l call special attention
| to a report OF an manufacturing sstab-
| lisbment in Connecticut. on page l5S. This
| gentleman who makes the report compares
| tue operations Of bis house from his books in
| 1SiO with 1880. In steel fitting, in Ak max
| ing, each operative turned out 900 pisces Der
day i'll 1910. In 1880 each operative turned
| out $50 pieces per day. Each operative
| received in $40 "a cents per hundred pieces.
| ana received in 1851 20 cents per hundred
| pieces. He earned in 1910 81. "A day, and
| In 1850. though he received less for each
| piece, he earned s.. 80 per day.
And this table includes all the different
| parts OF the Manufacture Of the ax-the poll
| making. rough-polishing, tempering, finish
ing. grinding, painting, backing, etc. and
| i'll every department OF this manufacture in
making axes the same rule is obser ved-that
| is, the Increased productive power increases
fna w uea nd dac ha cnst ~ tha ,,rx1