Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-10-14
ANDREW CARNEGIE ABROAD.
He Talks to a Scotch Reporter on Topics OF
Current Interest-The Tariff, Eight Hour
Day and Strikes Discussed-The Trouble
With Canada


Day and Strikes Discussed-The Trouble
With Canada.
While in Cluny Castle, Scotland,
Andrew Carnegie was interviewed at length
by special commissioner of the Northern
Daily NeoS, of Aberdeen. The articles were
printed in series, covering several days
and making perhaps dozen columns In all.
Mr. Carnegie talked upon almost every topic
OF current interest in either Europe or
America, discussing home rule aud the
tarif, socialism and railways with equal
facility. Upon the question OF protection,
the interview runs as follows:
"Undoub. .edly," said Mr.. Carnegie, "com-
petition among ourselves has brought the
price down."
"But is it not the fact that the tariff causes
the cost of living to be much higher in
America than here? Have not the poorer
classes to pay more for everything"
Mr.. Carnegie demurred, but l thought,
somewhat doubtfully, then went on to say:
"a dollar will go as far in America for
working man as it will in England, but in
America the working man will spend more;
he will be found walking around with a fine
cigar in his mouth, while the Britisher will
bacco. He will live better dress better and
have larger house.
off a man can make 80 shillings a week in
his native land, he is very foolish to leave
it, unless he is impelled by an uncontroll-
able ambition and has no ties to bind him.
never advise any man to emigrate from
TINS country to new country who can make
living here, for many who go out do not
like the new conditions of life, even II they
md they can make more money. Most OF
those who leave this country for Canada
finally find their way into the States. 1t is
fact that more Canadians leave Canada for
the United States than the total increase of
population of Canada, immigration and all.
Canada only increases at the same rate as
BritaiDn
Canada and the United States.
-"How do you account for this? For
Canada has also protective system as well
as the States"
1.-THE protective system has little to do
with it. The free trade question is every
thing for Britain, for it is question of her
food supply. but for the United States or
Canada it is mere flea bite. 1t can only be
changed to the extent of $40 0000,0 600 or $50 Co.,,
0G0 of revenue. When a man leaves Canada
for the States he rises from being colonist
to being citizen of the largest English
speaking power il the world. He is more of
a man; he makes more money; there is more
enterprise around him, and he is more sue
cessful. If this were not so, he would not
leave his native land or colony. Canada is
a barren country, showed up five months in
the year, and there is really nothing in it,
1t will not increase much more hereafter,
except in the extreme Western portions
I'VE have not one strike in America for
ten that you have"
Here Interrupted to remind Mr.. Carnegie
OF the recent strikes of railway and tram
way men in Chicago, New York and other
cities of the States.
"Oh, yes" said Mr.. Carnegie, 1--WE have
strikes occasionally, but as n rule they are
less severe than those in this country. OF
course in New York and some other cities it
is different, because the labor we have to
deal with there is mostly foreign and there
fore 1gnorant;but the intelligent native-born
American gives no trouble. knowledge
never does. 1t is ignorance alone that we
have to fear"
About the Working Day.
Putting another question on the eight
hours question on which l wished to have
Mr.. Carnegie's views, he said:
81 sympathize with the desire to have
shorter hours of labor. We have too long
hours of labor in America. There is not
blast furnace or mandatory that has to
run night and day at which the workers do
not work II hours day, the q hours being
divided into two shifts. 1 have told the
labor leaders in America who are working
less than this that before they try to get
shorter hours for themselves, they should
take up the case of their more unfortunate
brethren. But to reduce the hours of labor
in works that have to run night and day.
can only be done by general law compell-
ing all such works to adopt eight hours
shifts.
"We tried this voluntarily ourselves at
Pittsburg for two years. We worked the
blast-furnaco men on three shifts of eight
hours each, hoping that other iron manu-
facturers would be induced or compelled to
follow our example. But only one firm in
the whole country did so, and finally COM
petition became SO severe that we were
forced to go back to the 12-hour shifts. 1t
was question whether we were to run the
works at a loss or not, and after losing at
least flOO,OOO by the experiment, we had to
ask our men to return to the two shifts a
day again. We offered to divide with the
men the extra cost of 331% per cent which
the three shifts involved, SO that we might
the eight-hour system, the firm
paying II per cent and the men l6 per cent;
but rather than do this they decided to go
back to the two shifts of II hours a day. A
law is needed to compel the hard employers
TO do what those who are more liberal would
do voluntarily, and to put all on the same
footing"
Shorter Hours in Great Britain.
cit is we'll that the hours of labor |
fact that on this island the hours of labor are |
less than in America. An inquiry |
was made as to 67 different industries in the |
State of Massachusetts, and it was found |
that on an average the workers work three |
or four hours a week more than the same in !
1ustries in your country. Besides this, the |
American workman has fewer holidays than |
yours, and he works far harder than the |
British workman. He turns out great deal
more work, and, of course, makes more
money. He is more active, more ambitious,
md he has no trouble with drink. He is
sober, wellbehaved, tractable, and fair
minded"
"But are not the trade unions in America
strong enough to compel all the masters in
one trade to adopt the short hours systemP
Il queried.
"No, 1 90 not think that trade union
action would be strong enough with us to
effect it. Organized capital can beat organ
zed labor. 1 should be very glad If we
could pass a general law in all the States of
,he American Union that iron works. and
LII the factories running the whole 81 hours,
should be compelled to employ three sets of
nen, eight hours each. But such law is
Useless if passed only by one State; it cannot
De enforced until all the States adopt it,
That is one advantage you would have in
his country-such q law would be operative
III over the land. Another thing, you could
Ifford to do this in regard to mining and
,last furnace work, because you have such
great lead in Europe in everything in
which coal is main item of cost"
Ann EFT