Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-03-05
COST OF PRODUCTION.
A VALUABLE REPORT BY LABOR
COMMISSIONER WRIGHT.


vcstiSation-Europe and America Com
pared-wages and Efficiency of Labor.
Strictly "Non-Partisan" Figures.
United States Labor Commissioner
Col. Carroll D. Wright has been engaged
for three years in making an examina-
ton of the cost of production in the iron
and steel industries of this country and
Europe. That examination is now COM
plete, and Col. Wright's report has been
transmitted to congress by the president
1t will be printed as one OF the regular
yearly reports of the department of labor
and will make volume of / 200 pages
In the meantime some of the striking
facts and figures embodied in the report
have been given to the public, and from
what has thus been made known it is
certain that this report, although worked
out IN an entirely non-partisan spirit,
Will prove one of the great arsenals from
which to draw weapons of attack against
our protective system. The very nom
partisan character of Col Wright's work
will make the results of his investigation
all the more damaging to the protection
cause.
Theinquiry undertaken by Col Wright
was directed by the act establishing the
department, with view to ascertaining
the cost of producing articles dutiable in
the United States in leading countries
where such articles are produced. by
units of production. in order TO show the
differences in cost of production between
this country and Europe, and the possible
bearing of these differences upon tariff
rates
The report covers three features-the
first relating to the cost of production of
the articles selected, the second relating
to the rate OF wages, time. earnings and
efficiency of the labor employed. and the
third relating to the cost of living and
total earnings and expenditures of the
men employed. The facts regarding
wages ard efficiency of labor were OBJ
tanned from the pay accounts of the es-
adjustments; those relating to the cost
of living and expenditures were obtain
ed from the men themselves.
The minuteness with which this in
qulry was made was not objected to by
the manufacturers of pig iron; but of
our six companies engaged in making
steel rails only two are reported; the
other steel rail manufacturers showed
sensltiveness about giving information"
Still the report gives information about
G1S establishments of all kinds
The inquiry into the cost Of producing
pig iron embraces reports from rs estab-
hshments, of which about two-thirds
are in the United States In the follow
ing table giving the cost OF production,
four terms are used to designate the To-
cality of the establishments, those in the
United States being designateda as north
ern" or southern" those in Europe are
divided into two groups, one for Great
Britain and one for the continent, which
latter are designated by the word
Europe" The salaries paid to officials
and clerks, the cost of supplies and re-
pairs and the payments for taxes are in
cluded in the total cost. Each line re-
presents the work Of separate estab-
lishment, and of the rs given in the re-
port those are quoted here which fairly
represent the highest, lowest and aver
age rates of cost of materials, labor cost
and total cost in each locality: