The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-11-23
WORSE THAN HELENA WAGES.
An Interesting Statement Made by Vice
Commercial Agent Murphy at
LuxemburR.


WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-After an ex-
haustive examination Of the wages paid
in the large manufacturing establish
ments of Luxembourg, which he says are
about the same as paid in other parts Of
Germany, George H. Murphy, United
States vice commercial agent there,
transmits to the state department a re.
port on the wages paid in the steel and
iron industries, with a general review Of
the whole subject Of German wages. He
finds that, generally speaking, the aver
age earnings of ordinary workmen
amount to less than $500 per annum.
Women earn about half as much as men.
The average wages of miners and foun-
dry hands is less than 81 per day. The
salaries of primary school teachers are
1924 for males and $40 for females.
A very large majority of the employees
OF the government earn less than $500
per annum. On the other hand, still
speaking generally, tho necessaries of
life cost as much in central Europe as in
America. A workman's expenditures
for clothing and rent may possibly be
somewhat less here than in America,
but in the town of Luxembourg coal
costs 81 per ton, eggs 81 cents per dozen,
rye -four 3. wheat flour 5, sugar s, butter
%, beef 10, veal and mutton 16 to 90.
fresh pork 90 and smoked pork % cents
per pound.
Frugality and industry can hardly be
expected to accomplish any miracle
greater than that Of enabling a thrifty
workman to keep out of debt. This dis
tressing state of affairs is no doubt in
part An unavoidable result Of the com
p~etitive demand for employment which
must exist ia every densely populated
country, but the misery of the European
poor has beer aggravated by that popu-
lar craze which causes the large towns
and cities of Germany to grow with ra-
pidity as phenomenal as that which is
doubling and trebling the population of
our own western cities. An important
point of difference. however, lies in the
fact that foreign immigration largely ac-
counts for the development CT our towns,
whereas German cities expand almost
entirely at the expense of the
rural districts. Consequently the
wages keep falling and the evil is en-
HANGED by the increasing use of labor
saving machinery. The competition he
tween manufacturers also forces down
wages. The policy of the countries of
Central Europe seems to extend and in
fate their manufacturing industries sui
cidally. Their idea of national prosper
ity and of happiness seems to be nothing
more than the attainment Of the ability
to export manufactures and import food,
and in support of this policy the govern
ment taxes w%orkingmen by an import
duty on his food in order to give the
manufacturer an export bounty. The
much talked of. disarmament of Europe
will, il ever realized, bring further cal
amity by adding to the labor markets
millions of young men untitled for coun-
try life by several years residence in city
barracks. The development of our
American manufactures is undoubtedly
Of great importance, but American work.
men and women have good reason to
favor the restriction of immigration and
to view with apprehension the tendency
to initiate industries beyond safe limits.