The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-09-14
A verage wages


This is rem arkable exhibit 1t seems
remarkable from several points OF view
We find that the reduced estimates i'll
the cost of refining sugar have caused u
reduction Of SO per day in the wages
earned by the refinery employees, from
$7.54 down ITO 81. so per day, from SO,
262 down to 81, 357 per annum. This is
n serious decline III wages since the
country passed into the hands Of DEM
ocratic administration, yet we have
heard no complaints from these sugar
workers who evidently are still content
with paltry 81. 80 per day.
But it hes been stated repeatedly in
the public press that the sugar refinery
workers earn only 81. 80 and 50 per day.
Taking the larger sum and we would
only have 5000 a year for each, or ST.
200, 600 year for nj. What can be-
come of the remaining millions? Is it
all absorbed by the salaries Of the high
officials VI the rcline.ies, SEQ, 600, 600 q
year, or &1I, 800, 600 year, or even
$4,000, 600 n year on the basis Of a
three-eighths cent per pound cost Of re-
filming?
Not long since Mr.. Havemeyer stated
that there We're 90, 030 persons employed
directly and indirectly il the business
of sugar refining Let us agree with
him for the moment, and let us pay
them each s.. per day during 800 days
in the year. This gives us total ex-
penditure of Sl2, 900 and still
leaves, OIL the lowest trust basis of the
cost of refining, trihe of 81, 2S7, 035 to
be absorbcd-how?
If the head officials of the refinerios
do not absorb s., 2S7, 035 in salaries,
then it must go to the men. But there
are not 90, 900 persons employed in the
sugar refneries Of the United States.
There are only IL, 900 hands. The men
who do the hauling and delivering Of
sugar should not even be taken into ac-
count in any adjustment of the sugar
tariff schedule, because they will al
ways find employment Sugar will be
delivered from some source and con-
sumed
Let every manufacturer and every Ia
borer consider for himself if an average
daily wage of 81. so, OF an annual wage
of $1,S57, be not considered as fairly
good pay, this being on the lowest basis
of the cost of refining for 10, 900 men.
1t is much larger than any average Of
wages as given in any other industry of
the country in the census reports of 1890.
Perhaps it was this extreme liberality
on the part of thesugar refiners that
caused them to withhold their reports
from the census officials. They may
have feared causing discomfort among
other wage earners. They may have
dreaded such q demand for employment
as would have compelled them to reduce
their liberal wages. They may have
even dreaded the publicity of their ex.
IRENE liberality, these modest sugar re.
finers.
If the cost of refining sugar in the
United States were only one-quarter
cent per pound, it would give total
annual expense account of $40, S5S, 900.
Deducting 10 per cent for expenses other
than labor, this would give an average
of over $500 a year from every one Of
$4,000 employees. Deducting even &c
per cent for expenses other than labor,
it would still leave S725 year for each
employee, which is far in excess Of any
thing recorded in the census report Oh
1890, as the average payment Of wages
in any other American industrial enter
prise.