The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-10-22
WAGES AND EXPENSES.
COMPARISON BETWEEN BRIDGEPORT,
CONN.,, AND BRADFORD, ENG.

Testimony Of the Same workman In Both
Places--wages More than Double Here.
Cost of Living About the Same.
There are many among the most reck-
less of the 'reformers" who do not hesi-
tate to assert from the stump and
through the press that though nominal
wages are lower in England than here
the purchasing power of wages is 80
much greater there as to counterbalance
the higher wages on this side. Further
more, they declare, as the Hon. M. d.
Wilbur, Of Brooklyn, did in his speech
at the Broome County On. ~ fair, that
in every case where an American work
ingman receives more wages than is
paid for the same kind of work in Eng
land the superior effectiveness of the
American labor more than makes up for
the difference. AS q consequence, he as-
serted, in all lines of production we can
produce more cheaply than any other
country in the world. Hence. Of course,
the absence of any need Of any tariff.
We might remark in passing that this
performer" denied that he was advocat-
ing Free-trade!
A plush operative who came to this
country some time ago from Bradford
and found employment in Bridgeport,
wrote letter home which was printed
In the Manchester Factory Times.
Now this operative had worked for
English wages and spent his earnings
for food and clothing in England. He
has now for some time received the
wages of an American workman in ex-
actly similar employment, and has been
living like an American workingman.
He is certainly in a position, to say the
least, to know as much about the matter
as Mr.. Wilbur. The operatives letter
covers the two points at issue. He says:
II assure you there is a better pros
pect of gaining an honest living here
than ever there was in old Manning
ham, even with the old rate Of pay. AS
a comparison let me say we are receiv
ing 26 cents per yard for what we, at
Messrs. Listers, were paid II cents
more than double the price. Living
here is not much different to living in
England-that is, if you have your own
home"
The questions for tho "reformer" to
answer are: If q man gets II cents for
the work he does on a yard of plush in
Bradford and &c cents for the same
amount of exactly similar work on a
yard of American plush, how is the labor
cost of producing plush lower in the
United States than in England? And
would not the manufacturer who pays
20 cents yard be driven out Of the
business unless his product, made by the
high priced labor, is protected from the
competition of the product Of the Eng
lish manufacturer who pays less than
half as much for the labor in like
quantity Of exactly similar plush?
We object at this point to the intro
duction by the "reformer" Of the sepa-
rate and distinct question as to whether
it would or would not be advantageous
for the American manufacturer to quit
plush making and go to producing some-
thing that he could produce cheaper than
the Englishmen, as cereals or cotton for
example. We want to pin him down to
the plain, direct question, to be answered
high wages conditions prevailing here
and the low wages conditions prevailing
abroad, as described in the extract quot
ed from the plush operatives letter, the
American plush mills would have to
close down if the Protection was with
drawn which now, by tariff on the low
wages product, equalizes the difference
in labor cost in the two countries. This
question answered, as it must be, in the
affirmative, we will let the ''reformer'
try to convince the plush workers that il
would be to their advantage to have the
mills which now furnish them work and
a livelihood closed down, and themselves
forced to find employment at baling cot
ton or cultivating corn. He can also
find congenial employment persuading
| farmers that their interests would be ad,
cotton and cereal producers.
| The plush makers letter also disposes
| of the absurd idea sometimes advanced
| by the more ignorant and less scrupulous
"reformer" that the lower cost of living
abroad fully equalizes the nominal diff
ference in wage rates. Since the food
and clothing such as the plush worker
had to buy for himself and family cost
just about the same in the two countries
how, Mr.. "Reformer," do you figure ou
II cents in England as good as 20 cent
in this country?
The real cause of the difference in opin
ion between the operative and the "re
| former" is that the former knows al
about the matter, while the latter eithe
knows nothing Of the facts or wilfull,
misrepresenls them. In either case hi
conduct is equally reprehensible.
Cleveland and Mills Against the Facts.
| This we'll sc stisfied and thri vino conn