Omaha daily bee., 1892-08-21

union and hero the pleasant fact transptred
akin 10 many that we are constantly dis
covering in England--that several promi-
nent labor representatives had gained places
recently in tho Sheffield town council.
These were men who at every election were
on the platform In behalf of labor from the
opening of the fight till the lass ballot was
counted. They knew all the ms and outs
Of the wage problem, were always acces-
sible on the uDject and we could take our
choice as to which we would honor with
call.
\ Leader In Organized Labor.
The gentleman visited was MIR. Charles
Hobson, who is not only town councillor,
but has served for five or six years as presi-
dent of the Sbefiield LABOR council an or
ganization in which hfty-iive trades are en-
braced and with a paying membership OF
about 1900. To find these English toilerS
hanging together as they do, so compactly
aud IN such great masses, for the protection
of their own interests, is one OF the most
gratifying revelations which our trip abroad
has thus far afforded us. When, too, we find
men of the stamp of Mr.. HoOson-self cdu-
Gated, intelligent gentlemanly, self sacrltic-
ing-willing TO manage these organizations
without n cent OF pay. and While they stand
at the forefront OF the battle for others,
still earning their own bread by daily toll,
we feel as though we had been let into
the secret of this phenomenal movement. In
replying TO inquiries. Mr. Hobson thought
plished something in sheffield within recent
years, both as regarded hours OF employment
and the rate of pay. STILL in looking over
the figures above given, especially those re-
latng TO the iron ana steel trade, he could
not help saying in ali candor that with Inc
qualifying remark in my letter that the earn
ings given would probably in some cases bo
little lower than those actually paid at tho
present time, the list could be consistently
published in the American press, ana might
Is
any comparison which might be desired with
the wages of similar worKmen in the United
States.
Home stead Versus sheffield.
so far so good, but upon the one pressing
matter which | had gone TO Sheffield specially
10 Investigate, this gentleman unfortunately
was not able to enlighten us. | had a news
paper clipping giving n catalogue OF thirty
four different occupations in which men had
been engaged at Homestead with the amount
of wages which it was estimated would fall
to the lot of these different workmen
under the new scale offered them, and
that which wanted to hnd out
was what the same class Of men
were earning per day in Sheffield at the pres
ent time. This Mr. Hohson said, he could
not tell, ana the employers having previously
averreu that they would not afford this in
formation the prospect looked bad. But I
got it approximately from Mr. j. Freeoor.
ough, local secretary of the Friendly Society
of Iron Workers, whose name, rs one likely
to be familiar with such matters, had been
given me by the general secretary OF the
same society in London. Mr.. Freeborough
had been allowed twenty-four hours for re-
Election and inquiry. Hence he did not
speak at random nor in haste. The names
10 I'd out to him were different in some cases
he said. from those in use over here, but he
knew the kind of work involved, and from Il
long practical acquaintance In mills aud
furnaces he could estimate within trfle
what each mans wages would be.
Speaking generally, the men worked by
the turn, he said ana a day turn lasted from
g to 3. In changing English money into
American we have counted an English
pound to be worth So and as this is more
than its reel value the Englishman has that
much advantage over the American in the
following table, which shows In the first
column of figures the approximate estimate of
wages per day in Sheffield, and in the second
column the minimum wages per day at
Homestead under the new scale of the Car
negte company (eight hours).
Average over 100 Per Cent Difference.