New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-22
UOUFSTEAN PHOTUGRAPHED.

The inside of the situation at Homestead Is
pictured to-day by a correspondent VINO spent
some weeks there investigating prices ana 'he
cost of living rents, the wages OF Worklngmeil,
the ownership of homes. the indeDtedhess oi
the workers TO the steel company ana OF inc
comma nv 10 the workers. and the kind OF homes
occ,,pied by the men in the mills. 1t VIII be
interesting to millions on account OF the con-
to.t at Homestead. to look into the very heart
of this hive of industry, ard to see no" the
workers were living when the struggle pcg'h'
what hundreds OF articles OF 1000 ciothiis'
tools and implements, house building ana lur-
nishing goods. Injuries and medicines nave
cost the workers during the last three years
and what wages they have earned. AS 'ne
corrcspondent was instructed to make per-
fcctlv unbiased record not knowing himself 1oi
what use il was desired, nor able to inform any
from, whom he asked information, il is hoped
that the picture is more faithful photograph
than could have been secured in any other way
statements of wages already published from
nayrolls furnished by the steel company rela'e"
70 the earnings of May, a month OF large P'o-
ductjon. while accounts from worklngmcn them
selves relate especially to the earnings OF June
y month of exceptionally small produc'io'''
While there are differences as Is na'uf"i, '"c
fact comes out clearly that II was not apou'
starvation wages actual or threatened, that the
controversy arose. but regarding recognition OF
tho orcanizatian of workers. The wages re-
aa;rod for the lowest unskillcd labor were
q 40 per day for ten hours work, while the
skilled workers received from - TO 3io per
day. or even more. At least thif'y-cishl c''N>c'
of workers are enumerated In the statements
from the men themselves, embracing aoo"'
65O uorsons. who received over ~ per uaA
each in June. month OF small production,
,rbe multitude of comfortable homes reared
and maintained by the workers, and their large
dcposits with the steel company. bear Wi'h'>H
TO the sufficiency of wages, ana WIN inc Il"
crease in WAGES through ID" nsc oi improve"
machinery establish a condition oi tEll"a Nn'c"
illustrates the results Of Protection.
The other side of the account l. Sill more
fully set forth in quotations obtained from d'ai-
srs at Homestead. These show. when proper
allowance is made for the relative importance
nj articles in actual consumption, that Nloo III
June. 1899, would buy no more than s9S ~
IN Jrne 1890: $1,000 in June. 1891. ana
$50 80 in July. 1892. The importance OF TINS
III.
Homestead will be readily appreciated. Hu'
in another aspect the comparison Is sun "'o'o
important. The articles quoted are those Sc
lected by the Senate Finance Committee Du'
thc quotations are obtained for date ten
months later than the latest record publiShcd
nv the committee. Homestead is located IN inc
heart of the country, not fan from large cii|'
and occupied by fairly representative pop"la-
/, ion NJ workingmen and their families. Ii may
no safely claimed that for manufactured pred
nets at least and for most kinds OF food the
| course of prices at that point has been iaifi!
indicative of the course Of prices at o'hcf
| centres Of industry.
The figures thus demonstrate that the re-
duction in prices which the committee 1ound
from lime 1889 t. September, 1901. has con
t;nncd with even greater rapidity TO July OF
his wear The committee caused further II
vcsiipation t. be made al three points, all
River Dubuque and Chicago as t. prices IN
MAY. 1892. showing further decline OF more
than 2 pcr cent The results at Homestead
indicate that the decline had been still greater
in July. about per cent for the last year alone
Thus the cost of living, as affected by pnceS
Of commodities, since year before the Mchln-
low tariff was enacted, has declined little
over 10 per cent This fact alone makes 1t
clear that consumers have not been injured
but materially benefited by the change in
pric.s under tho new tariff. Labor is better
protected and receives better wages while the
consumer gets cheaper products, and the pur-
chasing power Of wages is increased.