Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-02-16
CLERKS AND THEIR PAY.
A CHICAGO MAN SAYS THEY ARE
SUBJECT TO ECONOMIC LAW.

AePchAnts Prefer Thfeo Ciefks TO Two ~
the same Outlay Disproporsicnats In
ereass In the Number of DasTbutorA
supply and Demand
CLERKS constitute one Of the most NUMEROUS
classes of great citys population. and their
types. manner Of life. duties and temptations
make an ever interesting subject for study.
Thousands Of men and women are today
pennei In behind the counters OF innumerabls
establishments in Chicago weighing. measur-
ing. answering sensible and senseless quesr
tons. and cultivating habits of courteous ad-
dress for their own and their employers In
terest-and the majority of them for pit
lance wholly dtspruportionate, it Is said. to
the duties required and the services rendered
The connection between clerk hire and crims
and immortality. the responsibility Of employ
ers for the har,iships and slips Of their EN-
ployes. the physical. mental and moral con-
sequences OF what clerks as q class have to
undergo, are thus matters Of vital Importance
to the students Of social science Said gem
tleman yesterday IN reference to this phase Of
city life:
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Most Of what people term the abnormal
features Of social development find their ex-
PLANTATION in private motives. In the innate
desires Of individual citizens. and hold that
clerks themselves are primarily responsible
for what are commonly set forth as wrongs
and hardships The wages for services are
not essentially different from the price Of
ty nd
both An abundant supply or an unusually
strong demand means invariably rise IN
WAGES, and the reverse means fall,
Now let me give you few facts From
all appearances there Is little or no difference
between the present decade Of our history In
respect to popular sentiment, and the decade
preceding Hence. the facts of the one period
are approximately true for the other From
1870 to 1870 the gross increase of the popula-
ton OF the United States was ~ Us per cent
During this same period aSrlculturists In
creased in almost exactly the same ratio as
the general increase Manufacturers and
miners increased In number ~ per cent,
while professional men and those engaged in
personal service show an increase Of q per
viii Oh IA iAiei' ni'Hu'o" '"is'S "A0
miners are pfacticaliy our only wealth. f'o
oueeiS' anu We iiiiu 'Ne e.. a'e'"ee t"''
o' increase 10 oe :" nus we nave H. per
cen. increase oi wealth. ais'iiou'o's uie's''
aahu'iiis Tue producS Oh d" per 'eh' III
ere@iSe oi "eaI" p'odu'efS 'oi d ~ per oei''
seneiai inci esiSe vi poPuia'ioh-
nese nsufes' 'niiiA' are very Ais n'he'ihl-
nal Is more 'ney only 'eii NAL tue s'ory,
pui nis 'ne ia'' uo' ''''e '-''u 'ne W ~
5N'u equaiiy sur 'sihs .eSu''s Wien .n'
CELSIUS vi ioo 10 laAeh-'afni 'a'"'eis III
ereasfo only l" per eeht' In Tue iace oi d oo
Per cent general increase anu ooi'eS''c
servants only ~ per eent-' WINE general
clerks ana sopy'sts sho" "i' per GENT IN
crease clerks IN hotels ana RESTAURANTS iof
per cent increase WATERS and porters IN
per CELL increase anu iaooiers soout s'orS
ana warehouses an Oh" per cenh mcrease'
Now, from the very nature OF things, what
uust INC Tue le'i'aoie iesuit oi suen stats
OF anaif' upon vast humper OF Inc popuia-
tioh Oh citiesf simply Ahaii wages irregular
employment ana oioeh priVatioh ANU cohss-
queht Hrongdoin1.
PREFERENCE FOR CITY LIFE
"For the multitude it is provcrbially true
that city life is more desirable than country
life, and it is equally true that the work Of
clerks, despite its annoyances. is less labori-
Gus and more agreeable than that of laborers-
Hence, to be with the crowd and have gen.
teel work have grown to be little short Of Q
national evil That EMPLOYERS are often
criminally negligent Of the health and well
fare OF their help is true, and this is an evil
not easy to correct, for, however bad the
conditions of O place are, competition and
necessity will bring somebody to fill it The
main point is, however, purely q business
one When the supply OF those who are
anxious to get Centeel employment Is 50
standardization far in excess Of the demand
employers need not and will not pay high
WAGES, and it is question whether the Gu
pidity Of employers or the foolishness Of en-
ployes is more to blame for existing circum-
stances
AS rule, the storekeeper finds It more to
his interest to have three clerks at 81 day
each than two clerks ut slJO. and when
they're to be had. as they invariably are in
cities like Chicago. he will take the three
clerks, Irrespective OF whether they receive
sufficient wages to exc out d decent living
Further, when, as is usually the case in big
cities, there are numbers of people out Of
employment, it is a question whether it is
not good public policy as well as private
interest Tint n large number of clerks should
be employed ut n small wage than smaller
number Mt better nav Thus mouv factor,
N"iie li'" '"V '"ii''Ae' '''''' ~ wv a'N lh'