Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-02-19
A NEW BAsIs OF WAGES.

stomachs and rid ourselves OF pest.
A NEW BASIS OF WAGES.
The Iron Age, an organ Of the tariff
monopollsts, is quoted by the Chicago
Herald upon "a new basis Of wages" as
follows:
The manufacturers Of pottery and the
makers Of collars and cuffs have laid down
a line Of action with regard to wages
which seems logically unassaila0le. AS
Stunning that duties on imported manufac-
tured articles should be applied solely for
the benefit of workingmen, the PROPOSE
tion 70 pay foreign schedules Of wages IN
the same trades, plus American duties, ap-
pears eminently fair
What "ioreign schedules" asks the
Herald, should be taken as the basis?
and replies, the 'lowest, Of course, II
there Is anything 'eminently fair or ra-
tional about the proposition, for the
American product has TO compete
against the product Of the country
where the schedules are lowest, This
is the only logical way to apply the
'emlnently fair new rule" The Herald
adds:
Thus in the case Of pottery the Chinese
schedules should be taken as the basis
Perhaps the Chinese potter gets as much
as 10 cents a day. Probably he does not
but for the sake of iberahtv towards the
potters who were the first TO propose the
new basis that may be assumed as the aver
age daily paw OF the Cinnamon employed
I'm that industry. The Wilson Dill places
the duty on decorated chlnaware at 4O per
cent Add 40 per cent. to 10 cents and we
have 81 cents per day as Pittsourg wages
for this kind of work.
In the case Of cotton goods, wages IN the
East Indies should be taken as the basis,
for wages are as low there, probably, as In
any country where cotton goods are manu-
featured 70 any considerable extent The
operative may get IL cents per day :
probably not more. The Wilson bill rates
on cotton goods are from 80 10 40 per cent.
Add this percentage 20 the wages or the
India operative and we have from 100 to
los cents as the wages OF the Massachu-
sett operative.
But the proponents of the new basis do
not apply their rule thus logically because
they know that IF they should their EN-
NLNNNn MNAIA AAaaeAAlAAN SC 40 N--AtAA---~ go
fairness and absurdlty. They would see
that even under the Mckinley tariff the
new rule would give the Pittsburg potters
only "A cents per day and the New England
cotton operators only 81 cents per day
Therefore the new basis men propose 70
take English. French or German wages as
the basis. But In so doing they entirely
abandon the principle OF their rule Tor
they admit that daily or weekly wages 40
not measure the cost OF production
The p0tters take the English scale OF
wages, because 'tbey expect the keenest
competition from the English pO,ters."
But why should they expect the keeuest
competition from that quarter when the
English p0tters pay SIX or eight times as
high wages as the Chinese pOtterst II
English pOtters can pay so much higher
wages and vet compete successfully against
Chinese pOtters, may not American poJters
nav still higher wages aud vet compete
successfully against the Englisht
Asa matter OF fact we export annual
ly fromssOo, 600. 900 TO 5000, 600, 600 worth
Of merchandise produced by high-priced
American labor and sell il I'm cOmpeti-
ton against like merchandise produced
BY low-prlced labor in other countries.
How can that be possible according to
the philosophy Of the DOtters and the
makers Of collars and cuffs? Our max
ers OF buuders's hardware and tools pay
much higher wages than any Of their
European competitors, and yet, in spite
of the high tariff taxes they have to pay
on their materials, they sell $4,000, 900
worth OF their products abroad. How
can this be If wages paid by the day or
week are the measured cost? 1t would
be simply impossible.
But If wages do not measure cost, the
"new basis, so far from being 'emi-
nently fair" is eminently nonsensicaI
and absurd. Workingmen are not GO
ing to be humbugged or frightened by
threats to apply this new and idiotic
rule.