The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1890-09-12
purIrs AND wAaEs

The National Dem0eraf has at various
times presented considerable evidence tc
| show
I. That on account OF the superiority oi
American labor and the greater use oi
machinery in this country the actual cost
OF labor TO the employer was oftentimes
less IN this country, than In Europe; and
q Tat when II happened that the cost
OF American labor was the greater, the
duty which pretended to be an Offset TO the
difference between foreign and domestic
wages was very much more than that dif-
ference, and frequently was several times
ss much as the whole amount of American
wages.
opportnnely enough, just as the senate
reached The Item Of iron ore In the tasin
bill, Colonel Wright, commissioner of the
Bureau Of Labor Statistics, transmitted to
congress preliminary report on the cost
OF producing lime stone, bituminous coal,
Iron orc, pig iron, steel ingots and steel
rails In different parts Of the United States
and in England and the continent Of Eu-
rope. This report furnishes the most con-
elusive evidence of the injustice Of the
existing and proposed tariff rates.
The average value Of the labor Ia one
net ton Of bitumInous coal in I26 mines In
In the United States, inlnding not simply
the wages Of the miners, but all mine la
borers, is s9.7 cents. The average cost in
Eve Canada mines 10 q cents; In eight
mines on the continent Of Europe, 7S 7
cents, and In eight mines Ia Great Britain,
rs 9 cents. The labor In atom OF soft coal.
then. costs 1873 cents more than II does In
Great Britain, but on the pretense that It
Is great deal more than that we levy
duty of rs cents ton on coal, which is more
than the whole earnings Of the miners,and
nearly as much % all the labor values In
ton Of coal.
The average value Of labor In one Ton
OF iron ore, nj Ga American mines Is ST.
o26, and at rs European mines II Is 81 ,
cents. The labor cost Of one ton Of ore then
e s7.4 cents more IN this country than In
Europe. But the mine owners have polit.
Ical influence enough to keep duty Of IS
cents ton on orc.
The average value Of labor In one ton OF
pig Iron at 10 furnaces In the northern
part of the United States Is $f.s7: at 20
furnaces in the southern part OF the United
States it Ia 81 sag; At ak furnaces on the
coniinent Of Europe 1t Is 697 cents, and a:
eight furnaces In Great Britain Il Is 6S.3
cents. The difference between the cos
OF labor at northern furnanees and at fur
naeeS on the continent OF Europe is S6.3
cents. but as pretended Offset TO this we
maintain duty of %. "a per ton on ore.
Averaging seven furnaces In this coun-
try, eight on the continent OF Europe aud
four In Great Britain. the labor cost In one.
OF steel ingo,s Is 81 SS4 in this country
Stag In Great Britain aud 80 cents on
the continent OF Europe. The difIerene c
in the cost OF labor In every t1n OF steel
ingo,s between this counir, aud the evn.
,lnent Of Europe Is 95.S cents. Oui duty
l. IS per cent being on ingots worth eight
iengths of cent pound, the grade most
imported last year. 81 3G per net ton.
The averagc wages In one tor OF steel
rails in t-o American mills Is SI.46I; in
seven European mills, S2.637 aud in two
English mills, SI.9ss, so that the labor In
the rolling mills costs less per ton of pro-
due, In the United States than abroad.
But Senator Edmunds insists that the
labor In the pig iron, the ingots, the ore.
coal and limestone that 60 TO make the
rail- shall be included. We are not quite
sure that this demand should be complied
with anleSs Senator Ed7iuads Is willing TO
sdd together all the duties on the elements
that enter into ton of rails. II he will
add together the duties on the limestone
and ore and pig metal aud coal and ingots
he will lind that the duties on ton of rails
calculated in this way amount to over $50.
When we are called upon to fix duty on
steel rails, and the rail maker urges high
rate on the ground of the wages he pays, II
10 enough to fix rate that will cover those
wages.-National Democrat