Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-07
THE LABOR PROBLEM.

ent time, is not only known but felt by
that large class of people all over the
world who are obliged to earn their liv-
ing by the work of their hands. We
hear much about the great advance the
world has made in invention how steam
and machinery are now doing the work
that was before done by hand; how
they have cheapened the necessaries OF
life and increased the leisure of man.
There is no doubt that material progress
has been advanced wonderfully by labor
saving machinery all over the world;
but that it has taken off single hour OF
toll from the worker, or given him real
dollar more of wages, or improved his
material, moral or social condition one
iota, are propositions that may be safely
challenged. Indeed the mechanic and
day worker is worse off now than he was
a hundred years ago, because machinery
has wiped out individual enterprise in
nearly every trade, and substituted for
steady, independent self-employment,
employment that depends in nearly
every branch of mechanical production
upon the favor or exigencies of the in
dustrial corporations that have taken
the place of individual employers. One
hundred years ago the mechanic fur
nished his own tools and procured his
own work. Now the manufacturing
interpretations furnish the tools and
have so subdivided the labor that the
man who formerly could produce COM
plete article now knows only how to
finish small part of that article. Some
trades that fiourished century ago and
which could be successfully set up by
any individual skilled in them, are now
completely wiped out by the perfection
OF machinery.
An important result of this chan ged
condition to the mechanic and wage
worker is the fact. that, though the
power of production has increased, its
distribution rests altogether with the
manufacturing capitalists who have
monopolized nearly every trade, and
there is therefore no longer any certainty
of constant employment to the worker.
Over-production, and limited market,
as the result of a tariff de-
vised in the interest of the manufac-
turing corporations, have materially di-
minished the number of days in which
a worker can count upon finding employ
ment during the year. Therefore while
it may be true that the days wage has
increased considerably in the last CEN
tury. il is not true that the sum OF wages
for the whole year has Increased.
Now, if we consider this fact III con
nection with the other fact. that with
the progress in material development,
the wants OF even the humblest toiler
have increased, we shall find that whilst
the wage-worker actually earns less now
in year than he earned century ago,
his necessary expenses have increased
greatly over what they were at that
time. There has been an absolute i'm
provement in the possible condition of
the laboring class, but by bad laws, the
avarice of capital and the general
ignorance which prevails upon the
subject of a fair adjustment OF
the usrlfruct arising from capi-
tai and labor, the wage-worker has
been shut out from fair participation
in the benefits of that improvement.
Professor Richard T. Ely treats this as
pect of the labor problem in very
thoughtful and perspicuous paper in the
April number of the Century magazine.
He says that several things ought to be
borne in mind while granting probable
increase in wages in general. We must
make deductions for idle days now so
frequently enforced, and we must take
notice of the increased expenses in many
directions. We all understand this when
we discuss the desirability OF higher sal
aries for judges or college professors, but
in talking about wage-receivers we too
often lose our common sense. One new
condition which machinery has i'm
posed upon the workers is frequent
changes of residence in order to procure
work, and Benjamin Franklin said that
1'three removes are equal to one fire"
Great cities, from their expansion, have
made life more expensive to the toller,
who must go far out to get house
which he can afford to rent, and
street-car fares will cost family
very nearly one hundred dollars
a year. Another expense will be in
Cured from the unsanitary conditions
of closely crowded cities. 1t is safe to
say that professional man living in
large city will find it difficult to keep
down street-car fares, medicines and
medical attendance, and incidental ex-
penses to the limit of the entire income
of a day-laborer's family.
Increasing civilization" says the
Professor, "means increasing wants OF
the most legitimate kind, and expendi-
ture for food is now minor matter; for
even food, clothing and fuel can hardly
represent half of the expenses OF a
family living modestly but worthily in a
modern city. Increasing wants
signify that formerly sufficient income
has become insufficient. Formerly the
rational expenditures Of an ordinary
laborer included nothing for books and
magazines, but this is no longer the