Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-31
THE WAGESINL0ND0N.
General Secretary Quelch Says Seven
Dollars a Week Is Prime Pay.
SOME ABLE TO EARN ONLY 81 so.
The Labor Leader Confesses He Does Not
Know How They Live.
PRICES FOR THE PLAINEST FOODS

PRICES FOR THE PLAINEST FOODS
| CORRESPONDENCE OF THE pIsPATCH.1
LONDON, July 22.-"It's about five min
utes' walk, SIR" That's the distance it i.
| to almost any place in London, judging
from the uniformity with which this reply
is given to ones inquiries, and this was the
time which we were told at London Bridge
would "about" bring us to the headquarters
of the Southside Labor Protection League
in Bermondsey Wall. Our course led US in
front of the large warehouses of Armour &
CO., and we could not help rejecting as we
| looked at this alien establishment how de.
pendent are the millions of this vast metrop.
oils for some of the very cheapest of their
necessaries upon the superior resources and
mercantile enterprise of the United States
Further along we passed an extensive
| stretch of model tenements. The Hanover
! buildings, as these are called, cover sew
erals blocks, and in q locality where
the struggle for subsistence is so hard
| they are delightful innovation and a
possibly be. Our satisfaction at this sight
was somewhat marred, however, by the
| query, SO rife just now, as to what becomes,
in this rehousing process, of those who are
unhoused and sent adrift with no shelter
over their heads. It is not the very poor
who live in model tenementa Low as the
rent is comparatively, it Is quite too high
for those 100000 of. the toilers in this city
whose earnings per family, as statisticians
tell us, are less than 81 so a week. We
thought, too, of what the Archbishop of
Canterbury had just said on this subject,
viz, that, as regards the housing of the
poor, "while the present state of things was
great improvement on the past, it was still
fearful scandal"
Quarters OF the Protective League.
With reflections like these, stimulated by
moderate use of out legs, we easily con-
sumed the allotted five minutes. In fact Is
minutes had gone, and another inquiry as
to our destination brought the response,
which did not at all surprise us, that it was
still "about five minutes walk, SIR" But
this time we knew that the proverbial esti-
mate of Londoners as to distances could not
be far out, because we found ourselves now
in the midst of the Granaries where those
are employed whose condition was the
special object Of our investigations. The
Office of the Labor League, We had been
told, was at the "Old Justice,"a name
which, though not inappropriate to CAM
paign in the interests of down-trodden
house to be quite to our liking. Forum
ateSy, however, these suspicious, like many
others that we are all too fond OF indulging,
proved to be groundless. The s'Old JUS
tice" was indeed public, but we were
happy to find that the name was used by the
Labor League simply as a convenient ad-
dress, and that although the office adjoined
the drinking place, it was neither in it nor
of it.
The gentleman we sought was the Cen
eral Secretary of the League, Mr.. H.
Quelch From the position he filled, and
from the tact that, besides being constant
twice called to testify as a specialist before
the Royal Commission on Labor, we felt
sure that Mr.. Quelch could give US reliable
information, if he would, and we were not
disappointed. He was extremely courteous,
and as ready to impart facts as the clouds
are to distil rain in this latitude. His last
appearance before Her Maiesty's Commits
sion occurred only few days ago, and was
made in the special interest of the 1000
laborers at the Woolwich Arsenal.
Indifference Toward Government Employees
Referring to his testimony before that
body he said that one of the grievances he
had ventilated was the heartless indifference
of the Government to the unfortunate
among its employees 1t was uncommon
for those working at the arsenal to meet
with accidents, and some Of these were
fatal. Yet, when a collection was taken in
erty by such an accident, he had never
known an instance in which the Govern
ment had made any contribution toward
such fund. As to the wages paid these 4, 900
laborers who were in the direct employ of
the British Government, they would aver
age, he thought. less than five dollars a
week for 81 hours of work. This, of course,
is for common, not for skilled labor. A fair
wage, he thought, in present conditions,
would be at the uniform rate of about 81 so.
This he has urged upon Her Majesty's
Commissioners, and he had also pleaded
againt the favoritism which pays some men
work and as much of it, as well as against
other discriminating and tyrannical prac-
tices.
The conduct of the foremen in the ar
senal was especially reprobated. These
men, clothed with little brief authority,
air it over their subordinates like full |
fedged lords, and take advantage of them
in the most arbitrary way. And how
thoroughly English is this. ., From Her
Majesty down to the1humblest subject, it is
quite the fashion over here for people to
''air it," as the saying is, over somebody |
else whom they hold to be a little beneath |
thaD rbaxy oil lo - ie ira
suit Of that system, which makes caste here |
as odious and almost as oppressive thing |
as in India.
The Low Wages Of tho Dockers.
The last observations are my own, mot |
those Of Nj. Quelch. That gentleman gave |
facts only on tnis great question, leaving
the philosophy, if any should be required, |
to your correspondent. His strong forte
was the condition of labor among those |
known by the general name Of dOckers
There were various grades of these. The
general laborer about the wharves he would
put, as to wages in the lowest class These
we're nearly all what are called casual
workers, and though, under the new rules,
the standard wage was slxpence an hour,
with an increase Tor overtime. yet, so irreg-
ular was their employment that he could
hardly conceive them to average more than
y 30 q week. The stevedores, who were
occupied solely in loading vessels, and
whose labor was in q certain sense that of
skilled workmen, got eightpence an hour;
but these also were only lrregularly en-
ployed, and though the rate for overtime
was as high as shilling an hour, yet their
average weekly earnings were much less
han might be supposed. A sort of hybrid
Detwixt these two classes were what were
known as steamship workers, whose occupa-
.inn WAS mainly in discharninr carpn on |