Evening journal., 1893-01-16


To the Editor OF the Evening Journal
SIR Having read some of Mr.. McKay's
accounts of wage.earners in England and
having just read an article published I'm
paper, namely, "The Ashton Under
LYME Reporter, printed in England
December II, 1892, / would be extremely
obliged If you would print the article
enclosed in your valuable paper so that
the public may see both sides Of the ques
ton. / would deem in a great favor TO
see it at an early date.
Il is well at times that we should "see
oursel's as ithers see us, even i'm "merrie
free trade England From America
comes the Supplement TO the National
Bulletin, October 22nd, 1892, containing
an account with n few American exag
gerations) of the condition of working
people in this country. The writer Is
Nathaniel Mckay, who paid a visit TO
this country in 1883, and another visit in
1892. His principal objects on those
visits seem to have been TO gather as
many facts as he could, representing the
darker side of the lives Of the wage
earning classes aud then go vituperate
and decleim against the system OF free
trade, which he charges with response.
bility for the poverty aud misery that he
says exists. The pictures which he
draws are very vivid. They are taken
chiefly from the Black Country where.
| speaking OF the conditions under which
women work, he says "The sound of
their hammering on the anvil the clauk
of the chains at which they
work, and the noise of the pit
upon which they shovel aud wheel
coal were still all too horrible TO the ear
of one accustomed to seeing mothers.
wives, and sweethearts of his fellow
workmen comfortably housed and spared
the terrible burdens which these unfor.
tunates have to bear Where is cur land
of the free can we find mother.
daughter, aye, and often granddaughter,
toilmg day after day for lifetime side
by side at the forge, or ON the coalpit2'
Here Mr. Mckay has doubtless found out
a weakness in our present economic sys.
TEN, but how he connects the condition
Of female labour in these dark districts
with free trade it is impossible to fathom.
Yet he says, in his unreasonable tirade
against this system: Free trade is
the cause Of il, and for that
reason is the curse of England, "
Then follows a comparison of the percen
tage of pauperism in England and
America Ia England he says there is
one pauper to every 90 people In
America one Ina every 043. The returns
of the Glasgow Medical Officer OF Health
are quoted in which he states that 80
out of each 100 dwellings In Glasgow
wore one-roomed houses in which I ont
OF every children born died I'm infancy
The writer then describes the conditions
OF life at Bailey's Court, Wigan, and the
way in which a slater lives. Whether
the slater he came across was one he
brought with him he does not say. but
certainly his style of living seems
extremely novel TO the average English
man.
"ln order to make things look as
weird as possible several photographs of
pit-brow women IN working costume are
given, and the wages they earn per dav
in cents. The purchasing power of this
money is not reasonably represented. vet
It must be admitted the pictures are
dark But why does not Mr.. Mckay
show how protection would improve
their condition without making some
body else's worse2 10 is all very well to
show that poverty exists In free trade
country but IL is another thing TO show
that the free trade is responsible for the
poverty The wages Of the Cradlev
Heath chainmakers are unmercifullv low
and their miseries are great, but perhaps
If there was more real Tree trade and less
taxation in the shape of royalties on the
iron ore, the wages could be doubled OF
trebled and the manufactured article be
put into the market at half the cost. The
same argument viii apply TO the
pit brow lassies" and 10 most
of the trades compared by Mr..
Mckay with the same trades in
America. If these arguments were not
sufficient 10 upset his theory. the pub
lished appendix to his note book which
shows the way In which articles fol
British consumption are taxed notwith.
standing the alleged adoption Of the free
trade policy by this country, would seen
to be answerable also for some of the
miseries which seem to exist. Then WI
are told that IS cents in English money
will only purchase one pound of flour
Bread is supposed to be the staple food
Of the British people. and It may startle
Mr. Mckay to know that the l5 cents OF
which he speaks viii purchase at least
six pounds of -four. Then sugar is said
10 be 40 cents per pound Any English
housewife knows that for Is. Id. she
can purchase 81 pounds of sugar. This
must be a gross mistake Of the printer.
These are only two samples from q long
list Of prices which Mr. Mckay states are