Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-12-20
LabOr'S Percentage

| From the corrected columns we see that in
the fairly we'll returned industries the laborerS
! share has fallen flom So per cent. in 1850 to 4s
per cent. in $780, and to 4s per cent. in $780, and
| that the capitalists have taken and added to
| their share the one-ffth which labor has lost
| In other words the laborer is now getting but
four-hfths as much as formerly, while the cap
| italist is getting six-ffths-
The second part Of the question is. Does
| labor receive more of thu necessaries and OF
| the comforts of life than formerlyy
according to the ninth investigation into
farm wages made by Mr.. ]. r. Dodge, a.
| statistician Of the department of agriculture.
| the average monthly for farm labor was S1l.A
| in 1892 AS Mr.. Dodge's estimate for 1851 was
l.63, the increase during the thirty-one years
was just about per cent.
| Again, the census of 1850 put the average
| yearly wages paid in manufacturing establish
ments located in places of less than 2O.0OO in
habitants OF $2.95 per hand. The census OF 1880
was worked up on mesnoas wni cl ,resu ,h IN
| 1860. 1t placed the average at 1901. in towns
| which had less than 10000 inhabitants This
was an increase of only per cent for the twcn-
In marked contrast to these modest increases
ing statistics. found on page 100 OF the Abstract
of the Eleventh Census. This table is entitled
United States, with Percentage Of Increase.
1880 and 1890"
It places the increase in the average number
| of hands at 65.7 per cent. and the increase in
| the amount OF wages at 131.17 per cent. The
very fact that the percentages in this table,
out to the one-hundredth part Of per cent. is
proof to the reader that the writer considered
the figures accurate and comparable. These
percentages of increase indicate an average in
crease in wages per hand OF 391s per cent.
Hence let us examine the parts which go to
make up the total obtained from our manufac-
turing censuses. and we will discover increases
which prove the reductio absurdum For in
starce, the brewerieS with product of S1as,-
ISL 6e2 accredited on page 100 with an in
man. The establishments producing mems
clothing in New York city, which turn out an
with an increase Of iii per cent. In other
words the average wages OF the hands en-
ployed is said to have increased from ses4 in
In the boot and shoe factories Of Richmond
Va. which turned out an annual product run
ming into the millions, the average wages are
reported to have increased from &74 per year in
1850 to 1916 In 1890, increase OF ST. per
these facserles IS aooreased with raising it's
wages for men from go per year of twelve
e per day. '. in 1885, Is possible that any es
tablishment in the United States. which in
1880 paid ts men oc per day was in 1880 paying
same am cunt OF efficiency?
So much for single Industries, turning out
from q few to 10000 900 worth Of product per
annum. Let Us combine the industries which
show these enormous increases. Taking all
the establishments in the states south of PENN
Of the Missouri and Red River of the North.ex-
cepting California, and adding selected indus
tries which were accredited with large in
creases from the other nineteen states. we
have an array Of establishments turning out.
produce OF 81, 600 900 worth per annum,
whose average wages in 1880
1921, and in 1890 S491, or an increase of % per
cent in ten years. Everybody knows that
t..ere has been no such increase in wages.
throughout the great south country and the
hip inc To- ,,a
to the fact that the census OF manufactures for
1880 worked up on entirely different
basis from that of 1890 In the former census
the officers and firm members were reckoned
among the number of hands employed. but
were not accredited any wages, except in ex-
ceedingly few cases.
In 1890 the hundreds of thousands Of officers.
firm members and statesmen were each accrec-
tied with large salaries, aggregating upwards,
of So 100000. Some salaries equal t6
that paid the president of the United States.
On the other hand, in the census Of 1880 the
figures purporting to represent the average
number of hands were for about half the estab.
lishment identical with the greatest number
Of hands employed during the year." In
the other half they represent for each estab.
lishment the average number employed dur
Ing the few months when the establishment
was running a full force. As a result there
were almost always more than the
average, and often several times the average
figured out by the methods employed ir
compiling the census OF 1880. Hence COM
parsons involving the number OF hands en-
ployed ere very deceiving. especially when the
enormous salaries OF 1890 are inciudeded
However, / may sav.that in the towns where
ground rent is a small factor. the increase is
abou. the on the farm. namely, verJ
small. whereas the decrease in the laborer's
percentage Of the product Is, as we have seen
very considerable.
DR.. Samuel johnson was fond OF