The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-28

ne final result labor is paid out of what it
produces, and a lessening in the amount
produced by labor will diminish the wages
Oh labor. II there were any means of
causing eight hours labor to produce
as much as ten does now, wages at eight
hours per day would remain the same as
tney now are at ten hours. This
result might be accomplished through
1reer use of labor saving machines,
better and handler tools, higher
skill on the part of the laborer or greater
these conditions would, if realized, cause
wages to advance to the amount of the gain
Effected in any direction. Thus if har-
ness maker succeeds in making harness
Tor fifth less in the materials consumed
or In the time 1t takes him, it is clear that
ne would get one-fifth higher wages than
MS less skilful or less economical fellow
workers. And one of the worst features
OF me labor unions is that of insisting
that all the mechanics in the sas,e occupa-
ton shall receive the same pay whether
they do the same amount of work or not.
The final result OF this policy is
to advance the wages of the unskilful
workmen at the expense of the skilful ones.
The question is, then, will workingmen
cheerfully accept the inevitable reduc-
ton of wages that must follow the
adoption of the eight-hour day, for the sake
of the two hours for recreation, or will they
devote the two hours to some kind of pro-
ductive work for themselves What, in
short, will they do with the two hours
If they devote it to needed rest and re-
creation, or to study and invention, so that
they can increase the effectiveness of their
work during the shorter hours of labor,
their wages will not decline at all; but if
they devote this time to mere pleasure and
dissipation, so that their remaining hours
of work are relatively no more efficient
than the longer hours, their wages must
fall
a fall in wages might be averted if CAPT
talists would charge smaller interest for
the use of their money, if employers and
contractors would be content with smaller
profits, or if they were able
TO introduce better methods of
work and shrewder organization OF
their men as workers, or If land owners
would charge less rent. None of these sup
positions is probable The rate Of interest
is fixed by the amount of capital that has
been saved and is offering for loan, and GER
tainly this last amount would not be in
creased by the prospect of paying higher
wages IN the industries it might be in
vested in. The profits of contractors are
due to their ability to accomplish their con-
tract without losses. and are already small
under the keen competition of ambitious
mechanics. The rent of land is determined
by its advantages 10 production, nearness
to markets, advantages for trade, etc,
and is independent of the wages of labor.
1t therefore follows that the rate of the
wages of labor will depend upon the labor
ers themselves, upon how productive their
labor is, though it is not improbable that
men who are not laborers will invent ma
chimes, improve the tools and point out
shorter methods of accomplishing the re-
result of human effort. But, by whomever
it is done, there is no way of securing a
permanent increase in the pay of laborers
except by increasing the effectiveness of
human labor, and this again is accom-
plished only by greater skill, better tools
or better methods